Firstly, I want to make it clear that I do not work for, nor am I on any commercial company's retainer relating to this great hobby. A wide range of articles on this topic can easily be found in most marine aquaria publications today, but all the information discussed here is based upon personal observation and implementation. With the information that I am going to share in this series on saltwater aquarium lighting, I hope to help you learn how not to drive yourself insane, broke, or both! Having said all that, let's begin.
There are many variations of marine life keeping now popular in this country and abroad. For the sake of simplicity, I will categorize this article into the two major subdivisions: fish-only and reef lighting. Naturally, any lighting package suitable for a reef system would also be useable on a fish-only tank, but it would be rather like hunting squirrel with a stinger missile!
Seeing as how the majority of folks entering the hobby begin with fish-only systems, I will address this area of lighting first. Many of us who contemplate getting started want to begin with the idea of upgrades and expansion down the road, or after "getting their feet wet". This is wise, as it is always preferable to over-compensate in our hobby. Why? The primary consideration is cost. Better to buy that which can be reused or recycled later when that bigger tank and more delicate species catch our eye.
The basic fish-only aquarium set-up usually consists of the tank, filter and lighting. There are many other factors to consider, but for my purposes of addressing aquarium lighting here, I shall keep it simple.
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Fundamental Elements of Basic Fish-Only Lighting Arrangements
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