How to Set Up Lighting In the Aquascape – An important element if you want to create an aquascape is lighting. Why is this so? This is because light serves as a substitute to sunlight for photosynthesis so the plant can grow.
Light in the aquascape resulting from an already light adjusted its capacity with the needs of the plant as well as the depth of the Aquarium. In the world of aquascape, lighting does not merely provide light, but how to reach all areas of the Aquarium and gives a good effect to plants and other living creatures in the Aquarium.
To get a good light for your aquarium, the aquascaper usually use LEDS, Neon Light and Metal Halide. Installation of Neon lights is usually placed about 10 – 15 cm from the surface of the water. As for the mounting of LED and Metal Halide placed about 30 cm from the surface of the water. Why not use aquarium light in direct sunlight? As the use of direct sunlight will make your aquarium easily grow the wild moss.
How to Set Up Lighting In the Aquascape
For the duration of the lighting is usually beginning of the week about 5 hours per day, minimum lighting is the next 8 – 10 hours per day depending on the needs of the plant. When the plant less lighting, then its growth will slow, dwarfed and unhealthy. If plants are given lighting too long then the algae/mildew will grow so that the leaves of the plant can become dull since covered by Moss.
For the Aquascaper beginners are advised at the time of making the Aquascape use plants that require low light like moss, fern, plant the rhizome and stemp. To determine the amount of light in the aquarium needs to use a formula based on the type of plant and the size of the Aquarium. The following formula of low lighting and lighting height:
The size of the lamp (Watts) = (length x width x height)/y
Y = divisor factor, low light = 5000, medium light= 2500, high light= 1250
Example:
An aquarium has a size of 30 x 20 x 25 (cm), then the master lights used are:
(30 x 20 x 25)/5000 = 3 Watts
For the needs of the light you can use 1 sized Neon 5 watts. To light the medium using the same formula as above, however the factor divider is not 5000 but 2500. Under this calculation:
(30 x 20 x 25)/2500 = 6 watt
For the needs of the medium you could use light bulbs the size of 8 watts. To high light levels the calculations as follows:
(30 x 20 x 25)/1250 = 12 Watts
To high light needs you can use size 13 watt Neon bulbs.
So how to determine the amount of light needed by the plants in the Aquarium, hopefully this information can assist in making lighting for your Aquascape. Good luck!
