They create not only an interesting look, they can provide supportive intensity and spectrum for certain types of plants, like Mangroves. That being said, light penetration and overall lighting conditions in the natural aquatic habitats that we are fascinated by are interesting and important aspects to consider in our aquariums.

This is due to factors other than just light conditions, such as the topography, the ionic composition of the water, and the geology of some of the regions that we tend to replicate in our aquariums. Indeed, the tinted, blackwater habitats that we seem to gravitate towards in our world generally don't have huge stands of truly aquatic plants. Of course, in our aquariums, which typically emphasize botanicals, wood, and even rocks over growing live plants, lighting tends to be more of an 'aesthetic' consideration, rather than a primary necessity for creating optimal conditions in our aquariums.Īnd it also compels us to turn once again to Nature for some cues. It's pretty much fundamental stuff, and we are indoctrinated from day one in the hobby to embrace lighting and its importance to our systems. In the reef aquarium world in general, lighting is essential, as it powers photosynthesis within the zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) which are found in coral tissues. Lighting is a big deal I the coral world. Now, I'm probably not the best person to discuss many aspects of aquarium lighting with, yet being a long-time reef aquarist and former commercial coral propagator, I've long believed that having at least a basic understanding of the ideas and practical applications of lighting in our closed aquatic systems is a core requirement for success. We receive a LOT of questions about lighting.specifically about how you can grow plants in blackwater, botanical-style aquariums, and what type, intensity, and duration to use. However, one of the least-discussed topics is.lighting. We obsess over some crazy stuff in our world of botanical-style, blackwater/brackish aquariums, don't we? W e touch on a lot of ideas and techniques on how to accomplish this process in our aquariums.

Black light fish tank bed