Indeed, Green water algae bloom will sometimes occur on aquariums with bright lighting systems. It is always best to start off with fast growing plants or add fast growing plants when the aquarium has an algae problem. Algae growth will often be excessive in the beginning, until the plants have established themselves, and then start out competing the algae for nutrients. Excessive algae growth is not caused by bright light it is caused by excessive nutrients. The refugium can also be used to house freshwater shrimp that help control algae, or other small freshwater fish that would be eaten if they were placed in the main display.įreshwater aquarium hobbyists often worry about adding bright light over their aquarium will cause an excessive algae outbreak. You do not need to cycle water very quickly through the refugium to achieve the benefit of Natural Nitrate Reduction (NNR).
A small sump pump is placed in the refugium to return water to the main display. Water is brought to the refugium by either a hang on the back overflow system or by a built in overflow system in the aquarium. Wet/Dry filter) normally located underneath the main display tank. Refugiums are set up much like a trickle filter (a.k.a.
A refugium is a separate tank with a bright light that is set up with algae (in the case of the reef hobby) or with fast growing plants (in the case of the freshwater hobby). Refugiums are very popular in the reef side of the hobby. Adding a bright light over a tank with fast growing aquatic plants can have a significant impact on reducing Nitrate accumulation in the aquarium.įor freshwater hobbyist with large cichlids such as Oscars that like to redecorate, and fish that like to eat plants, keeping plants in a brightly lit aquarium would not be practical, but you can still achieve the benefit by circulating the water through a refugium. The number one health benefit from water changes is the reduction of Nitrate on a system that is out of balance. Most freshwater aquarium plants hobbyist do a regular water change on their tank (that helps reduce the amount of Nitrate that is accumulating) without understating the reason why they are necessary. If you have any Nitrate accumulation in the system over the course of a month or two, your tank is out of balance. Keeping Nitrate under control is very important in maintaining a healthy aquarium eco-system. Excessive amounts of Nitrate are linked to Hole in the Head disease (HITH) in large freshwater cichlids and Head and Lateral Line Disease (HLLE) in many marine fish. Since Nitrate will lower the pH as it accumulates in the system, a brightly lit aquarium will normally have a much more stable pH.
The benefit is very little to no Nitrate accumulation in the tank. A bright light over a well planted aquarium will help take up the nutrients as they are being created. Ammonium and Nitrate are well know plant fertilizers that are constantly being produced in the aquarium. Bright light stimulate plants and algae to take up harmful nutrients and produce oxygen. The most common aftermarket lighting systems today are Compact Fluorescent, T5 High Output (T5 HO) Fluorescent, HQI Metal Halide (double ended), HID Metal Halide (socketed end), and LED (Light Emitting Diode).īright light over a freshwater has health benefits for the inhabitants. These bright modern lighting systems can be found in many types and configurations. These lighting systems can also provide the same health benefits for freshwater aquariums.
The aftermarket of aquarium lighting systems that reef hobbyist have embraced for years have proved to be very beneficial for coral and marine fish. Perhaps it is because of the misunderstanding, misconception, or just plain old bad information floating around on the freshwater side of the hobby that is making it slow to embrace modern aquarium lighting systems. There has been a revolution in aquarium lighting in the last couple of decades that the marine side of the aquarium hobby has been quick to embrace, but the freshwater side appears to be lagging behind. Daftar Isi: (toc) This is a note by Tony Griffitts that will be helpful for those who want to know about lighting types for freshwater aquarium and what things that needs to be considered when selecting a new lighting system for your freshwater aquarium plants.
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