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hey. im new to this site and pretty new to cichlids.i have a 55 gallon tank with 2 brichardi,1 leleupi,1 peacock,2 plecos,and one fish i cant identify.anyways,i want to know the best type of light bulbs and light fixtures for my tank. right now,im using 2 18" Aqua-Glo.i dont like them at all because it makes my tank extremely bright.i want the look of a darker looking tank while having the colors of my fish burst out very bright.i think one of the main reasons why my tank is so bright is that i have a background with light green plants and white rocks.also,i have white rocks in the tank with some pretty white/light brown gravel.so,if i were to get an all blue background,change to darker gravel,and get a double bulb light strip,would i get the look of a 'not so bright' tank with the brilliant colors of my fish showing

The darker substrate and the darker background, will both help to make the tank darker, and yes, most likely help your fish to color up more. Fish try to blend into the back ground as much as they can. So the lighter the background and substrate, the lighter the fish will look, and the darker, well the darker the fish will become. Also, why do you use two bulbs? Do you have plants? If not plants, I would suggest trying just one bulb as well. The fish don't require the high lighting for health or anything.

HTH....

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There is always a bigger fish...

acidrain,im using 2 bulbs because i have 2 hoods on my 55 gallon and 1 bulb in each hood.i wanted to buy a 4' double light strip.would the double lights be too much? or would it make my fish look even nicer?
Also, i dont have any plants

IMO, many of the FW colorful fish, get thier colors "bleached" out with too much lighting. I keep over 90 FW tanks and have lighting on all of them. The only tanks I use more than one bulb, are those with many plants or plants that require it. Other wise I only use one bulb per tank. However, on my 150s, and my 265, I have multiple bulbs, but that is so that light reaches the depths of these tanks, as well they have plants too.

Another question, what kind of bulbs are you using? Are you using inexpensive bulbs from the hardware store? Or are you using aquarium bulbs designed for the aquarium? The bulbs at the hardware store have a different wave length and will not make your fish look right. Unless you are using grow light bulbs, then they are actually the same bulbs. But for aquariums with fish, to show off, I recommend you pay the extra monies for the bulbs designed for the aquarium, as they will make the fish look better.

As for your tank. I would not recommend adding any more light to it. You already have plenty. I would first try to change the background to a dark blue, and maybe even a black. Then see how they color up with that. Then wait a week or so, and see how they are doing. If you want, then you can change the substrate to a darker color as well. But the back ground may be enough.

HTH.....

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There is always a bigger fish...

i wasnt going to add more light.i was going to get rid of the lighting im using now and replace it with just ONE long strip and not use the other 2 bulbs.what light bulb would you suggest i buy from the LFS that would make my fish color look real good? because there are so many diff kinds and i dont need one thats for plant growth or any of that

Last edited by dmoney2780 at 14-Dec-2004 21:23