Do fish need light?
- Thread starter betsonmets12
- Start date
Have I chosen the right forum for advice???.
This is my first post in these forums.
I wanted to find out about 'lighting' for my tank, which has only artificial plants,but 20 fish, in an Aquaone AR850.
after reading this post, i wonder if i have chosen the CORRECT forum for advice.
The original poster asks a simple question only to be answered with stupid, joke type answers.
IS this forum dedicated to fish keeping, or keeping JOKERS???
:mad2:
This is my first post in these forums.
I wanted to find out about 'lighting' for my tank, which has only artificial plants,but 20 fish, in an Aquaone AR850.
after reading this post, i wonder if i have chosen the CORRECT forum for advice.
The original poster asks a simple question only to be answered with stupid, joke type answers.
IS this forum dedicated to fish keeping, or keeping JOKERS???
:mad2:
you dont need the lights over the tanks. i only have 1 tank with lights all the rest dont have any and they are just lit with natural sunlight and some are kept dim pretty much all the time those tanks are in the garage. theres still enough for them to swim around and know when its night cause they will go to sleep late in the evening.
other than the comment about the cycle for beneficial bacteria it looks like Graphic Designer has it right on (light is critical for vitamin D in fish just like people. D means better disease control). Ambient room light should be enough to do that. Do you need to turn an aquarium light on and off--no, If you have sufficient ambient room light.
Eyes fell off--that is good. The fish evolved right in front of your eyes? Did not even become a generational thing? wish i had been there.
Eyes fell off--that is good. The fish evolved right in front of your eyes? Did not even become a generational thing? wish i had been there.
Let there be light!
Well, a sense of humor helps. Not just here but in all areas of life generally. So "easy60man", my first advice to you? Take it "easy". Your first post doesn't have you starting on the right foot, and the "grumpy old aquarist" forum is a few clicks down the web.
I keep my posting lighthearted because I've learned otherwise the people who take themselves too seriously get bent out of shape and start being snide and offensive (see above), especially when they are wrong and can't back up their argument with facts. That leads to personal attacks, flame wars, complaints to mods... the usual forum politics.
Now on to the real topic. Light.
By stating that fish need light (well maybe not cavefish and those living at the bottom of the ocean, they have ADAPTED to live without it, and are NOT case in point why "all fish don't need light"), I am just trying to say that if your fish come from an environment that has light, they will benefit from a tank that provides light.
Fish tanks are typically not situated in front of windows, where sunlight could provide appropriate ambient light. Also to be taken into consideration is the position of the tank in relation to the sun. My tank faces the west side, and receives little light until late in the day.
All light is not equal. Sunlight provides things that flourescent lights and other forms of residential illumination do not. That is why some lights are more expensive than others. Many tank light systems mimic the spectrum of light afforded by natural sources, and this is desirable.
Your fishtank is a mini ecosystem, complete with biorythyms, microfauna, and organic chemistry. This ecosystem is regulated by natural changes and rythyms governed by (drum roll please) light! Some fish (many actually) will only breed or spawn if the "days" are a certain length. WHY? Because nature has instilled in that species a disposition to do so because their young have a better chance to survive during that time of year.
I have yet to hear a reasonable argument for the "other side" but I'm waiting! And NO, the "I keep my poorly treated fish in an unlit unheated garage and they don't die too much" is not a reasonable argument why fish should be kept in the dark.
:read:
Thanks Sully, good to get another voice of reason here. I'm not sure about the cycling thing, I thought a light schedule was desirable during the cycle, but maybe I am confused about the role it plays? Maybe with all those quick BioSpira cycles the art of stabilizing a tank naturally is obsolete!
Good, less waiting, more fish watching!
easy60man said:
Well, a sense of humor helps. Not just here but in all areas of life generally. So "easy60man", my first advice to you? Take it "easy". Your first post doesn't have you starting on the right foot, and the "grumpy old aquarist" forum is a few clicks down the web.
I keep my posting lighthearted because I've learned otherwise the people who take themselves too seriously get bent out of shape and start being snide and offensive (see above), especially when they are wrong and can't back up their argument with facts. That leads to personal attacks, flame wars, complaints to mods... the usual forum politics.
Now on to the real topic. Light.
By stating that fish need light (well maybe not cavefish and those living at the bottom of the ocean, they have ADAPTED to live without it, and are NOT case in point why "all fish don't need light"), I am just trying to say that if your fish come from an environment that has light, they will benefit from a tank that provides light.
Fish tanks are typically not situated in front of windows, where sunlight could provide appropriate ambient light. Also to be taken into consideration is the position of the tank in relation to the sun. My tank faces the west side, and receives little light until late in the day.
All light is not equal. Sunlight provides things that flourescent lights and other forms of residential illumination do not. That is why some lights are more expensive than others. Many tank light systems mimic the spectrum of light afforded by natural sources, and this is desirable.
Your fishtank is a mini ecosystem, complete with biorythyms, microfauna, and organic chemistry. This ecosystem is regulated by natural changes and rythyms governed by (drum roll please) light! Some fish (many actually) will only breed or spawn if the "days" are a certain length. WHY? Because nature has instilled in that species a disposition to do so because their young have a better chance to survive during that time of year.
I have yet to hear a reasonable argument for the "other side" but I'm waiting! And NO, the "I keep my poorly treated fish in an unlit unheated garage and they don't die too much" is not a reasonable argument why fish should be kept in the dark.
:read:
Thanks Sully, good to get another voice of reason here. I'm not sure about the cycling thing, I thought a light schedule was desirable during the cycle, but maybe I am confused about the role it plays? Maybe with all those quick BioSpira cycles the art of stabilizing a tank naturally is obsolete!
Good, less waiting, more fish watching!
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graphicdesign_r said:
A straight forward Simple answer, to a straight forward Simple question, is all that we need.
So as you see me or others as "Grumpy old Aquarists" and telling us to "Move on Down" IS personal attacking, snide and offensive. I think you should 'lighten up' and answer simple questions with simple answers. Off Topis forums is the place for snide, grumpy comments.
Well, there were a couple of straight-forward simple answers, but then there was disagreement, which created a dialogue. That is the nature of the internet forum, I suppose. It happens a lot around here, as we have many members, all of whom have had a plethora of different experiences in their years of keeping fish. There will always be discussion and debate, and often questions that initially seem very simple may in fact be much more complicated. Personally, I like this kind of atmosphere. But to each his own, right?
easy60man. i too am an old fart. i spend a lot of time on fish boards for some reason--or at least blow by them with regularity. I've been keeping fish since late 60's. doing boards for about 4 years. it is a different world on boards.
i am regarded as a reasonable person on a couple others that i frequent. rarely saing anything out of line (actually am a mod on one). but, some issues, for whatever reason 9probably because they are issues i happen to have an opinion about) i can be perceived as a "pain in the ***". that is never my intent. usually it is simply to generate dialog. that way maybe i can get someone to agree with me, change my thinking, or agree to disagree. it is always well intentioned.
i guess the key is to simply look for the "information" you are after and ignore the stuff that trips your trigger. unless it is a trollish post the other individual rarely means to be abrasive or insulting.
the graphic design guy probably gets carried away on his G5 playing in photoshop to create really cool avatars and never thinks he is being rude. probably thinks he is just being helpful. The web personalities of some people can annoy you just like the personalities you encounter face to face. they do not usually mean to--sometimes it just happens (ask daveedka about that hard headed, pain in the ***, misguided thinker that calls himself sully--lol).
sometimes it is also about what the other person thinks they need to provide a cogent answer that is helpful to you.
i am regarded as a reasonable person on a couple others that i frequent. rarely saing anything out of line (actually am a mod on one). but, some issues, for whatever reason 9probably because they are issues i happen to have an opinion about) i can be perceived as a "pain in the ***". that is never my intent. usually it is simply to generate dialog. that way maybe i can get someone to agree with me, change my thinking, or agree to disagree. it is always well intentioned.
i guess the key is to simply look for the "information" you are after and ignore the stuff that trips your trigger. unless it is a trollish post the other individual rarely means to be abrasive or insulting.
the graphic design guy probably gets carried away on his G5 playing in photoshop to create really cool avatars and never thinks he is being rude. probably thinks he is just being helpful. The web personalities of some people can annoy you just like the personalities you encounter face to face. they do not usually mean to--sometimes it just happens (ask daveedka about that hard headed, pain in the ***, misguided thinker that calls himself sully--lol).
sometimes it is also about what the other person thinks they need to provide a cogent answer that is helpful to you.
don't know if anyone mentioned this already, but fish need sunlight to produce vitamin d, which is a vital nutrient. in fact, every living thing needs sunlight to produce this vitamin. they also will not eat if it is dark. so yes, they do need a light.
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