Lighting

Proper lighting is essential when you're keeping plants or corals/anemones in your aquarium. While fish don't require specialized lighting beyond a natural day/night cycle, the right lighting is crucial for plants, corals, and anemones to thrive. These photosynthetic organisms rely on light to produce energy, and it’s important to understand their specific lighting needs.

Lighting Needs for Plants and Corals/Anemones

Plants, corals, and anemones depend on photosynthesis to survive. Corals and anemones, in particular, have a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic zooplankton (like zooxanthellae), which requires strong light to grow. The light provided by a simple window won't meet their needs. Therefore, aquarium lighting needs to be more focused and intense to provide the correct wavelengths for photosynthesis.

While many freshwater plants won’t require high-end or expensive lighting to thrive, it’s still important to ensure that your lighting setup matches the needs of the plants or corals/anemones you’re keeping. Researching the specific light requirements of the species you want to keep will save you a lot of trouble down the line.

Key Lighting Measurements: PAR and PUR

The standard measurement used to assess lighting for photosynthetic life is PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). PAR measures the intensity of light in the wavelengths that plants and corals can use for photosynthesis. The higher the PAR value, the more light is being emitted in the right spectrum for photosynthesis.

However, it’s not just about the amount of light. PUR (Photosynthetically Usable Radiation) takes into account how usable the light is for different types of photosynthetic organisms. For example, a reef light may have a high PAR, but it might not offer good PUR for freshwater plants. If you’re using lighting designed for corals and anemones in a planted tank, you may have a lot of light, but it might not be the right spectrum for optimal plant growth.

It’s essential to balance both PAR and PUR to ensure that the light you use is ideal for the type of photosynthetic organisms in your tank.