Lighting

[neilsarah]

I've got another newbie question. Will different kinds of bulbs give better coloration? I have never really given this much thought but I know there are different kinds of bulbs and there must be a reason for it. I just have the bulbs that came with my tank in my lights right now.

[danielratti]

Yes you are right the diffrent bulbs are for different things let's say the blue bulbs for example they are used a lot in reef tanks to promote coral growth depending on the types of coral also there there are the pink colored bulbs that people use for plants. All the different bulbs give of a different spectrum of like like a 454 and so on. They are not necessary for a tank with just fish but some people use them to get brighter colors out of there fish mainly the blues.

All in all its your chocie to do as you please. A lot of people in this hobby take the cheaper way and use a shop like with standard bulbs.

[linuxrulesusa]

To follow up on this, a regular 4' bulb, 4100K is about $6-7 at Lowe's.  The same bulb in a 6500/6700K which might be better for plants would be $15-25 at a LFS or Petsmart/Petco. 

So, if you're growing plants or it's a display (only?) tank, then it's probably worth getting a bulb that will enhance colors as well as improve plant growth.  If it's for a bunch of tanks in a back room, I just run regular bulbs on those - no plants, and while I want to see the fish, coloration is not as essential...at least not worth 2-3x the cost to replace all the bulbs.

[beach]

With African Cichids I would recommend Coralife ColorMax bulbs.  They are affordable and offer a really nice light.  When I first got into Africans, this bulb was recommended as a good bulb by the owner of my favorite LFS and I find myself coming back to these even after trying other combinations.   I prefer the light to bring out the most color in my fish; I'm not so much into "natural" sunlighting.   


If you have live plants (other than anubias) you may want to research other lighting too. 

[Michael Zebrowski]

I use the 4' GE Reveal flourescents from Lowes.

[four_by_ken]

Lighting makes a world of difference in the color of Africans.  I am using a Coralife saltwater setup in my tank.  No regrets at ALL.