The Puffer Forum

do gsp need lights in the aquarium? and if so which ones do they need?

GSP? in a brackish tank? Normal output Fw tank lights one would suppose.

yes they are in a brackish tank..... but do the need alot of light?

I dont think fish care much about light

Lighting is more focused on real plants or coral.

im sure he would appreciate some light. though probably not necessary. but just think if you didnt have lights in your house, probably wouldnt be too fun for you.

If you're not trying to grow anything then use whatever lighting came with the tank. I would use a light source if only for a few hours a day because you don't know how the absence of light would affect your fishes wellbeing, behaviour and metabolism.

If you haven't got a light fitting and don't want to buy one then you could always place your tank by a window but it would have to be very strategically placed to avoid overheating the tank and too much light - which would cause all kinds of algae problems.

The kind of light and amount really only matters for corals and plants. For fish, they really just need a period of time that it's light and a period where it's dark.

On my brackish figure 8 tank, I only use the tank light when I'm looking at the tank. Usually, I just let the ambient room light brighten the tank, and since it's a 29g near windows, it's fairly easy to see without turning on the light.

All fish need a normal day/night period.

Is it at least 8 hours of darkness that is recommended? For some reason, that number was sticking in my head, but I wasn't sure so I didn't put it in my first post.

What I was trying to say was that the type of light (actinic, daylight, K ratings, compact flourescents, etc.) and the amount as in watts is not as important for fish as it is for plants. The standard cheapo lighting is sufficient for a nonplanted tank.

I wouldn't use the tank light. Tank lights are VERY bright and the water in rivers, lakes, etc do not have nearly that amount of light coming through the water. Just use daylight or keep the room lit during the day.

Flaring Afro wrote:I wouldn't use the tank light. Tank lights are VERY bright and the water in rivers, lakes, etc do not have nearly that amount of light coming through the water. Just use daylight or keep the room lit during the day.

Yeah, I mean after all...the sun is only like what...2...maybe 3 candlepower?

JoseDepacos wrote:

Flaring Afro wrote:I wouldn't use the tank light. Tank lights are VERY bright and the water in rivers, lakes, etc do not have nearly that amount of light coming through the water. Just use daylight or keep the room lit during the day.

Yeah, I mean after all...the sun is only like what...2...maybe 3 candlepower?

But the water has stuff in it that blocks the light. I've never seen a lake with water as clear as a tank's. Well, besides some turtle tanks I've seen....

If you open your eyes under the water or use goggles it's not super bright down there.

JoseDepacos wrote:

Flaring Afro wrote:I wouldn't use the tank light. Tank lights are VERY bright and the water in rivers, lakes, etc do not have nearly that amount of light coming through the water. Just use daylight or keep the room lit during the day.

Yeah, I mean after all...the sun is only like what...2...maybe 3 candlepower?

my algae says it is more than that....

It really depends on the tank... how much ambient room light there is and how much direct lighting you want. If you are in a bright room, you may want to decrease your lighting and that is seasonal. If it is a darker room ... you may want to increase it the time span. The best way is trial and error. GSPs come from tropical climates so the day night ratio is fairly steady. Usually 12/12 but you don't need the lights on 12 hours a day if you have some ambient lighting. Probably 4-8 hours max, unless you are doing marine.

Marine is a different story.

I agree, most bodies of water are quite different as far as clarity goes. But how many organisms rely on the sun (or another light source in the case of our aquariums) for reasons other than light output? (like J-P said) I admit I was mostly giving you a hard time for softballing that one in there. But quite a number of organisms count on that light in those rivers and lakes you seemingly cant see through clearly. That light travels further through them than one might think.

Fish use light in multiple ways. For example, they use light for orientation, and try to keep the brightest light above them so that their countershading works most effectively. If you've ever seen if in a dark tank in brightly lit room, you'll see they lean over to one side, trying to balance the light coming from the side against the gravity they feel from below.

When ambient lighting conditions change in the wild, this can cause major problems for different fish species. Carp are notorious for making lakes cloudy by throwing silt into the water column as they feed. This makes it difficult for fish that hunt by sight to find food. Carp themselves don't care since they have poor eyesight and use their barbels to find food.

Day length and morning sunshine seem to be important to many fish species for breeding behaviour. Some fish will only spawn in brightly lit tanks, while others need very dark conditions, so precisely how you use lighting depends on the species. Those fish with bright colours and mating dances often depend on brightly lit areas for their signals to be obvious.

Fish that feed in very shallow water of aufwuchs and green algae actively seek brightly illuminated spots. They won't do well in gloomy tanks because they won't find the food they need.

In short, I'd warn against making broad brush statements about fish needing bright light or being indifferent to lighting conditions. It will depend on the species. For what it's worth, a 10-12 hour photoperiod is probably ideal for most tropical species since that's what they'd encounter in the wild. I'm not a big fan of keeping fish in gloomy tanks, but I do like giving fish the option of swimming in an open area and in a shady area. The addition of floating plants such as Indian fern will create these conditions very easily, while also removing ammonia and nitrate from the water.

Cheers, Neale