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[font color="#000080"] Right Now, I don't have any live plants to worry about and I was wondering what the best light situation for my fish would be. Recently the light in the lid of my aquarium died and I had to use an alternative light source (I shined a directional lamp into the tank at an angle). After I fixed the lid light (which was much brighter) my goldfish started spending alot of time hiding, when I turned the tank light off and put the incandescent light back on them, he became active again. I was thinking about putting an adjustable light on the tank that will change brightnes thoughout the day in a twilight-midday-twilight-night sort of fashion, would this make a difference or would it waste my time and money? just curious!
~Alexandre [/font]

EDIT: Typos...

Last edited by alexandre at 16-Apr-2005 12:07

I think it would be very expensive. I've only seen it done in full on saltwater tanks that have alot more light than that. I did have mine set to come on with 1 set of bulbs and then the other but the first bulbs to come on were probably twice the light from your strip. If your strip is what came with the tank and hood just a single flourescent bulb then I have over 4times as much light on my 55g and all the lights come on at once. My fish hid for about 30-60mins when the lights came on for the first week but now they barely pause. It helps if you turn on a room light first or have the tank lights come on after the sun shines the brightest in the room. My 55g lights come on at 9am because the sun shines directly on the blinds in the early morning and then dims as the sun moves.

Last edited by sham at 16-Apr-2005 12:53

They sell Moonlights for tanks, which do the same basic thing you're doing. I'm sure that in the long run, it would prove to be an expensive practice for you to continue to do, and it's not really necessary in any form or fashion. It's your choice and your electricity bill though...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

Thanks guys, I was just toying with different ideas, really, so i appreciate the input. I still would like to know if any lighting conditions are specifically healthier for the fishies or not. It seems like they prefer the lamp shining in to the flourescent in the lid, but they look so much prettier under the flourescent... what to do?!

Most fish get a little scared under bright lights. There aren't too many fish that a REALLY into standing out in the open...fish that do that have a tendency of being eaten quickly or snatched up in a net...which may have caused them to end up in your LFS...which may have ended up being a REALLY important lesson in their short lives...

The ideal idea would be to have sunlight, but algae growth seems to keep most people away from that approach. After that, the ideal light would be as close to sunlight as possible, such as a light that lights VERY slowly over a 12 hour period with a peak for midday, etc...unfortunately, that's not too attainable of an option right now, so your choices are a little limited...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

[font color="#000080"] Well right now, I am keeping the bright tank light off and like a 40 watt incandescent light shining in at an angle, also i leave my blinds open but the tank never gets any direct sunlight, just the ambient light that fades in and out throughout the day. I have decided to let them have their darker tank as they seem much more active and my plac even comes out from under the fake driftwood.

I shall respect their privacy (teehee) and try to make them comfortable, i really think of them more as pets than decorations, so i dont NEED to see their colors in flourescent glory.

Thanks for the help! [/font]

You could use blue light. Actinis or moonlights. Plecos will come out for that. It might wash out colors a little and will make the whole tank look blue but you can't see their colors anyway right now. It does really bring out the blue and red on irredescent fish. Even if you use a high watt bulb blue doesn't seem that bright. If you don't mind a blue tank. Incandescents aren't normally used because they put out more heat than light and don't last as long.

have you thought about underwater lighting?

You can get some kits miricle beam do a couple that light inside the tank and are good for the scales & colouring of fish. I'm investing in one in a couple of months but havn't used it yet.

Having a very small amount of light can result in one real problem off the top of my head though...diatoms. These will look like patches of brown algae and are common in tanks that are not receiving enough light. May want to invest in a BN if it becomes too much of a problem...

PM/email/msg me if you have any questions/comments regarding me or my knowledge or if you want me to read a thread.

[font color="#000080"]Wow, diatoms didnt even occur to me(DUH!)gosh, that is so true, too. I think I like the in-tank lighting idea, as well, I dont want to get funky water! I happen to have a blue light somewhere that I might try out, as well. Hopefully, once i pick up a better light than the one that came stock with the tank (it keeps shorting out) all my problemos will be solved in that department. I really appreciate the input, thanks again! [/font]