best fish color light spectrum(fowlr)

agreeive?fish · 12/22/2009, 08:26 AM

Ok i want to know what the best lighting spectrum or combinations of spectrums to make the colors of my fish pop so much that it blinds you from the dazzel of the colors of the fish

iam concidering new light fixtures but no MH...

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/22/2009, 08:42 AM

What do you have now?

I'll probably get roasted for this, but my favorite light source for "pop" is the URI VHO T12 actinic. IMHO T5 and MH colors can't touch that lamp.

agreeive?fish · 12/22/2009, 08:48 AM

^^ cheap crap is what i have now... a little more specific on what i have now...cheap mismatch crap

some pc, some shop lights with t8 and t12 no florecent..junk pile reject stuff

i prefer the subdued lighting, i dont like the bright lighting of mh

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 08:48 AM

Well it depends on what color fish you have. When you look at spectrum lighting, whatever "color" of light is displayed, will enhance THOSE colors. Blue actinics enhance blues and violets. usually Whites enhance green and blue, although not as much blue as an actinic. There are also different broad spectrum lights that encompass a lot.

So I assume that you plan to go with t5? From what I can tell, they have the most flexability with providing different color spectrum bulbs. In mine, I have a pretty broad flouresce spectrum. I have 1 ATI aquablue special. 1 75.25 which does some blue, some green, but a decent amount of yellow orange and red, and 2 blue actinics. I will be replacing one of my blue actinics with a more violet actinic, which just means more florescence.

agreeive?fish · 12/22/2009, 08:58 AM

current colors of fish include blues,yellows,black,red,white, orangishpink(pink skunk clowns) purple,various shades of tans/browns

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 09:30 AM

most-likely it will be tough to make the darker colors on a fish pop. In terms of a clown, you may have pink and white. Much easier to make a white pop than the pink. What will make your white pop is to flouresce it, and the most flourescent bulbs are blues and violets.

I'v been thinking of trying to rack down a t5 "black-light" to try and make colors flouresce. I'll see if I can do that, and see what happens. Black light should make them all pop.

agreeive?fish · 12/22/2009, 09:42 AM

dont black lights produce a lot of heat and a lot of uv

iam going off the black lights i had as a kid to light up the black light posters wich was a century or 2 ago

Gary Majchrzak · 12/22/2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agreeive?fish

Ok i want to know what the best lighting spectrum or combinations of spectrums to make the colors of my fish pop so much that it blinds you from the dazzel of the colors of the fish

iam concidering new light fixtures but no MH...

10k and actinics. Hands down.

You also have to feed your fishes properly

agreeive?fish · 12/22/2009, 09:49 AM

gary... yeap i agree proper feeding is required..

jbird69 · 12/22/2009, 10:03 AM

interesting discussion

rgonzalez · 12/22/2009, 10:22 AM

Proper feeding? What types of food?

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 10:56 AM

whatever it is that they eat in the wild. For instance clowns are omnivores, that eat about a balanced meat and veggie diet. Tangs(if I am not mistaken) eat more veggie than meat. Something like a lawnmower blenny eats almost entirely veggie. It's tough to explain, as I am still learning a lot about it myself. I do plan to make my own food, and a lot of it is balancing different things. Like I plan to make a 50/50 meat veggie, because most of the fish I want to have are omnivores with basically 50/50 diet. This does not mean I get 1 kind of seaweed, and one kind of fish(like shrimp) but like 2 different kinds of seaweed, 2 actual fish(like salmon and flounder) 2 shellfish, like mussels and clams, then 1 type of shrimp, could be frozen store brand, or mysis, etc., mix it all up, and now you have your meaty and veggie.

rgonzalez · 12/22/2009, 03:49 PM

I've heard of those "gumbo" food mixes. Do you freeze the mix or just put it in the fridge?

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 07:21 PM

Like I said, I am still learning about it. I am fairly certain you freeze it. I am going to try and get one of those mini ice cube trays(the ones that make cubes about the size of a dime) and "smush" the food into them. Then when frozen I can break them out and put in a big ziploc, and take out what I need.

12/22/2009, 08:26 AM	#1
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	best fish color light spectrum(fowlr) Ok i want to know what the best lighting spectrum or combinations of spectrums to make the colors of my fish pop so much that it blinds you from the dazzel of the colors of the fish iam concidering new light fixtures but no MH...

12/22/2009, 08:42 AM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	What do you have now? I'll probably get roasted for this, but my favorite light source for "pop" is the URI VHO T12 actinic. IMHO T5 and MH colors can't touch that lamp. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/22/2009, 08:48 AM	#3
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	^^ cheap crap is what i have now... a little more specific on what i have now...cheap mismatch crap some pc, some shop lights with t8 and t12 no florecent..junk pile reject stuff i prefer the subdued lighting, i dont like the bright lighting of mh Last edited by agreeive?fish; 12/22/2009 at 08:53 AM.

12/22/2009, 10:03 AM	#10
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	interesting discussion __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

12/22/2009, 08:48 AM	#4
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	Well it depends on what color fish you have. When you look at spectrum lighting, whatever "color" of light is displayed, will enhance THOSE colors. Blue actinics enhance blues and violets. usually Whites enhance green and blue, although not as much blue as an actinic. There are also different broad spectrum lights that encompass a lot. So I assume that you plan to go with t5? From what I can tell, they have the most flexability with providing different color spectrum bulbs. In mine, I have a pretty broad flouresce spectrum. I have 1 ATI aquablue special. 1 75.25 which does some blue, some green, but a decent amount of yellow orange and red, and 2 blue actinics. I will be replacing one of my blue actinics with a more violet actinic, which just means more florescence.

12/22/2009, 08:58 AM	#5
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	current colors of fish include blues,yellows,black,red,white, orangishpink(pink skunk clowns) purple,various shades of tans/browns

12/22/2009, 09:30 AM	#6
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	most-likely it will be tough to make the darker colors on a fish pop. In terms of a clown, you may have pink and white. Much easier to make a white pop than the pink. What will make your white pop is to flouresce it, and the most flourescent bulbs are blues and violets. I'v been thinking of trying to rack down a t5 "black-light" to try and make colors flouresce. I'll see if I can do that, and see what happens. Black light should make them all pop.

12/22/2009, 09:42 AM	#7
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	dont black lights produce a lot of heat and a lot of uv iam going off the black lights i had as a kid to light up the black light posters wich was a century or 2 ago

12/22/2009, 09:49 AM	#9
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	gary... yeap i agree proper feeding is required..

12/22/2009, 10:22 AM	#11
rgonzalez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Scottsdale Posts: 892	Proper feeding? What types of food?

12/22/2009, 10:56 AM	#12
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	whatever it is that they eat in the wild. For instance clowns are omnivores, that eat about a balanced meat and veggie diet. Tangs(if I am not mistaken) eat more veggie than meat. Something like a lawnmower blenny eats almost entirely veggie. It's tough to explain, as I am still learning a lot about it myself. I do plan to make my own food, and a lot of it is balancing different things. Like I plan to make a 50/50 meat veggie, because most of the fish I want to have are omnivores with basically 50/50 diet. This does not mean I get 1 kind of seaweed, and one kind of fish(like shrimp) but like 2 different kinds of seaweed, 2 actual fish(like salmon and flounder) 2 shellfish, like mussels and clams, then 1 type of shrimp, could be frozen store brand, or mysis, etc., mix it all up, and now you have your meaty and veggie.

12/22/2009, 03:49 PM	#13
rgonzalez Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Scottsdale Posts: 892	I've heard of those "gumbo" food mixes. Do you freeze the mix or just put it in the fridge?

12/22/2009, 07:21 PM	#14
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	Like I said, I am still learning about it. I am fairly certain you freeze it. I am going to try and get one of those mini ice cube trays(the ones that make cubes about the size of a dime) and "smush" the food into them. Then when frozen I can break them out and put in a big ziploc, and take out what I need.