hey i am getting a new aquarium and i am just wondering if i need and special kind of lighting. my tank is 55 gallon fresh water with just fish and fake decoration. i heard that the lighting is just for viewing fish and it doesn't really matter what light you use, some say you don't even need light. i know this is not true for reef tanks but does it matter what light you are using for a freshwater fish only tank. i plan on using led bulbs but i am probably going to leave the lights off if you dont need them to save electricity, the room i have my aqaurium in is brightly lit already, and no it is not by a window. whats are your thoughts, do i need special lighting or will anything work fine, is it okay for mine not to use lights?
LED lighting are very low voltage. One light equal to a 40 watt regular bulb is only about 2-3 watts. Florescent light do require more watts. For a 55 gallon one tube is only about 18 watts. Make sure when you get lighting, the natural light/ daylight is much better than the soft white. It will bring out the color of your fish, gravel and deco objects in your tank. Neither will get hot and cook your fish. Enjoy
You only need lights in a tropical tank if you have live plants, otherwise it's up to you whether you want them or not. I have live plants so I have to keep mine on all day and light tubes are expensive. If I didn't have my plants I don't think I'd be bothered with lighting either.
i have a marineland 48-60 in led on a 55 gal and its perfect. it also has a blue moonlight setting thats awsome at night. they have a 36-48 in that fits a 55 but laves dark areas at the ends of the tank. the 48-60 in looks better and lights up all the tank. enhances the fishes colors too. also a marineland led color changing air wand in the gravel really sets off the tank cuz you have leds coming down from above as well as leds coming up from the gravel.
If your not using real plants, then you do not need lighting. It's nice to have so you can see the fish better, but if you say the room is already lit, then I guess you don't need one.
A daytime light fitting will do if your not keeping Plants its only when you start keeping plants that you have to worry about lighting. Some plants need low lighting some need high lighting .
