Saltwater Aquarium Lighting

Saltwater aquarium lighting is one of the most important aspects of a good tank. Many do not give much attention to the lighting needs of their aquarium and this can cause major problems when adding various fish, corals and rocks to your tank. They may all have different lighting needs.

Here are a few different types of lighting you can use for your saltwater aquarium tank:

• Regular fluorescent
• Compact fluorescent
• High output (HO) fluorescent
• Very high output (VHO) fluorescent
• Metal halide

The cheapest lighting would is regular fluorescent bulbs, but they have a range of only up to about 40 watts.

For saltwater aquarium lighting that will last longer than regular fluorescents then try the high output fluorescent light. You’ll need a T5 light fixture for this type so keep that in mind.

Very high output fluorescent lighting operates up to 160 watts and is of course more expensive. These lights produce a lots of heat and should have fans within the lighting unit to keep the lights, as well as your saltwater aquarium, cool.

Be careful your very high output (VHO) lighting isn’t placed so your tank can overheat. If so, you may need a chiller for your tank. Very high output fluorescent lighting should be used only on the most advanced of tanks and only by experienced aquarists. Most tanks will never require this sort of lighting.

If you are running a reef tank with corals and anemones, then you need to to look at metal halide lighting. They are more expensive and operate up to 1000 watts. As with VHO, they generate lots of heat and should be fan cooled.

Saltwater aquariums with reefs, corals and other light reliant organisms generally require high output fluorescent lighting (or metal halide lamps). Know the requirements of each organism before placing it in your tank and design you salt water aquarium lighting with this in mind.