Lights...

[Dan Thiessen]

My 75 gal is currently cycling, but I had a question about lighting for you all. The tank used to run as a salt water soft coral tank, so I have two 40 watt bulbs mounted in the hood which are meant for salt water use. One is an actinic blue bulb and the other is a white bulb.

I plan on having some fish and fake plants/decorations in the tank.... in other words nothing that needs special lighting. But, is it ok for me to keep the two bulbs in the hood and use them? They will really bring out the colors of the fish and even of the gravel substrate, but I wanted to make sure there would be no adverse effects.


Thanks, Dan

[OrionGirl]

No problems for the fish. You may want to replace the bulbs for newer ones, as the spectrum of lights gradually decays over use, and can result in light that is very beneficial to algae.

Otherwise, no worries.

[Captain Hook]

You might have algae problems with that much light and no real plants.

[tomm10]

Ditto to what the captin and orion said. I would add that if you have no live plants then the only reason you'd really need the light on would be for your viewing pleasure. The best way to keep the algae in check would be to keep the light usage to a minimum, like only when you're home and awake.

Tom