Lighting has a much greater impact on the health of fish, the growth of aquatic plants, and the control of annoying algae than you think. Don't think that just lighting up the fish tank will be enough. Otherwise, your fish will be depressed, the aquatic plants will go out of action, and the algae will have a party until you collapse. Today, let’s talk about the “metaphysics” of lighting, with a touch of humor, and I guarantee that you will never dare to randomly add lights to fish tanks after reading this.

Let’s talk about fish first. Do you think the fish in the fish tank swim around every day because they love sports? Wrong, they may be driven to schizophrenia by the light. The impact of light on fish health is no joke. If it is too strong, the fish will feel like they are living in the spotlight, like a star who is forced to go into business, and the pressure will make them fall off their scales. If they are too weak, they will think that the end of the world is coming and hide in the corner shivering all day long. Scientists have said that fish’s biological clock is closely related to light. If day and night are reversed in your fish tank, the fish may directly give you "day-night reversal syndrome", sleeping during the day and staring at you at night, as if to say: "Master, can we stop bothering you like this?" Not to mention that some fish, such as angel fish or neon fish, are as sensitive to light as artists. If the light is wrong, they will directly stop showing you the beautiful colors, and pose as if "I'm done".

Also, the light intensity and time must be adapted to the conditions of the fish. A tough guy like the African cichlid likes a bright environment. If you give it a dim light, it may feel that you are humiliating its manhood. Some bottom-dwelling fish, such as distant relatives of clownfish, like darker light. If you give them the whole sun, they may wonder if they have been exiled to the desert. Therefore, lighting cannot be one-size-fits-all, it must be based on the personality of the fish, otherwise your fish tank may become the fish version of "The Truman Show", where the fish will act every day until they collapse.

Let’s talk about aquatic plants. Aquatic plants may seem quite low-key on the surface, but they are actually very picky. Do you think they can survive as long as they have water and soil? The pattern in Tucson is broken! The light needs of aquatic plants are simply more difficult to maintain than your home WiFi signal. Without enough light, they wilted, and their leaves were as yellow as autumn, looking like a malnourished little pitiful creature. If the light is too strong, they will feel like they are being scorched and will directly perform a "withering march" for you. Moreover, aquatic plants also pay attention to spectrum. If there is more red light, they will grow faster; if there is more green light, they will have a nice color. If you just buy a light bulb and install it, maybe the water plants will collectively protest: "What kind of light is this? We want to resign!"

I have a friend who bought a cheap lamp, but the aquatic plants grew like weeds and kept losing leaves. Later, he gritted his teeth and replaced it with a professional aquarium lamp, which was said to simulate the natural spectrum. As a result, the aquatic plants directly transformed into a lush green color like a tropical rain forest, and even the fish could not help but take a second look. So, how much impact does light have on the growth of aquatic plants? It’s big! Without good lighting, your aquatic plants may not even have the courage to survive, let alone create an "underwater garden" for you.

Of course, lighting also has a side effect, which is algae control. Do you think algae is an uninvited guest in your fish tank? In fact, they are the true fans of lighting. When the light is strong, the algae will crawl on the glass, decoration, and aquatic plants, as if they have been injected with chicken blood. The whole tank is dominated by them. Especially the kind of green algae that sticks to the tank wall as if it's been covered with green paint. It's so ugly that you'd be embarrassed to invite your friends to see the fish. I tried it once and forgot to turn off the light. When I woke up the next morning, I saw that the fish tank was as green as emerald and no fish could be found. I almost thought I had a frog pond.

However, algae are not useless. They can also photosynthesize and add some oxygen to the fish tank. But the problem is, algae is so fertile. If you don’t control the light, it will control you. Have you ever heard of the “Light Time Management Master”? Algae is. If you turn on the lights for more than 10 hours a day, congratulations, the algae will turn your fish tank into their colony, and even the fish will have to make way for them. On the contrary, if you control the lighting time to 6 to 8 hours and use a reliable lamp, the algae will not be so aggressive. After all, they are also afraid of being "power limited".

Having said that, I have to talk about my own painful experience. One day, I suddenly had a whim and thought that the lighting in the fish tank was not cool enough, so I bought an RGB lamp, the kind that can change from red to blue to green. After installing it, I felt very trendy. The result? The fish were so frightened that they hid in corners, the aquatic plants grew crookedly, and algae took the opportunity to occupy half of the tank. I stared at the colorful fish tank for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion: this is not a fish tank, this is a nightclub. Later, I decisively switched back to the ordinary white light. The fish finally dared to come out to swim, the aquatic plants began to operate normally, and the algae was driven away by me with a brush. This thing tells me that lighting is not just for you to play tricks, it must be scientific, otherwise the fish living in the fish tank will not be a fish, but a tragedy.

So how do you choose lights? You may say: "Why don't you just buy an expensive one?" Hey, expensive ones are not necessarily good, and cheap ones are not necessarily bad. The key depends on parameters, such as color temperature, lumens, spectrum, etc. If you buy a lamp with a color temperature that is too high, the fish tank will look like the air conditioner is turned on, with a faint blue color. The fish may feel that they live in the Arctic. The color temperature is too low and it's as warm as summer. The fish are so hot that they bubble up. Generally speaking, the color temperature around 6500K is more reliable, simulating natural light, neither cold nor hot, and is liked by fish, aquatic plants, and so on. As for lumens, it simply means brightness. It depends on the size of the tank. Don’t use too bright a light in a small tank, otherwise the fish will be blinded. Don’t use a light that is too dark in a large tank, otherwise the aquatic plants will scream hungry.

There is also the spectrum. As I said just now, aquatic plants love red light, while fish rely on blue light to display their colors. Therefore, professional aquarium lights will be marked "full spectrum", which means they have a little bit of everything, like a buffet, and you can choose any fish, aquatic plant, or fish. If you are really too lazy to do research, just buy a big-brand LED light and you will basically be safe. Don't be like me when I bought a cheap off-brand product, but the light broke within a few days, and the fish all showed off to me.

At this point, you may think that lighting is too troublesome, so you might as well not turn on the lights. Stop it! If you don't turn on the light, your fish tank will really become a black hole. The fish will be depressed, the aquatic plants will wither, and even the algae will be too lazy to visit. Think about it, a dark fish tank placed in the living room looks like the scene of a supernatural event. Who dares to approach it? Therefore, lighting is a troublesome thing, but it is the soul of the fish tank. Without it, your fish tank would be nothing more than a glass box filled with water, not much of an ecology.

I also have to remind you that the lighting is not just installed, you have to observe it. Whether the fish are swimming happily, whether the aquatic plants are growing well, whether the algae are having secret meetings, these are all the feedback the light gives you. You have to keep an eye on the fish tank like a detective and make adjustments if something is wrong. For example, I found that aquatic plants kept losing leaves for a while. Later I found out that the lighting time was too long, so I just changed it to 8 hours a day. Therefore, keeping a fish tank is similar to keeping a pet. You have to be careful, otherwise the fish and aquatic plants will not be polite to you.

Of course, lighting also has a hidden function - to make yourself happy. You put so much thought into raising the fish tank, isn't it just to stare at it and pretend that you are the creator of nature? If you choose the lighting well, the fish will be brightly colored and the aquatic plants will be lush and green, the whole tank will be like a living work of art. Even people passing by will praise you: "Oh, this tank is really well maintained!" If the lighting is not chosen well, it will be miserable. The fish will be dim and the aquatic plants will be sparse, and others will think you are hosting some ruin-themed exhibition.

So, the lighting of the aquarium is really no small matter. It can make your fish live like a star, your aquatic plants grow like a model, and it can also control algae. If you still think that lighting doesn't matter, then wait for the fish tank to perform a "lighting tragicomedy" for you. Don't come to me crying then, I can only say: "I told you before, lighting affects more than you think!" Think more carefully before buying a lamp next time, and don't let fish, water and plants pay for you. After all, fish tanks are all about details, and lighting is the finishing touch.