Pleasant light makes every aquarium a fascinating eye-catcher: if the rest of the room illumination is discreet and the eye can focus on the aquarium, the right lighting makes a decisive contribution to the look of the ornamental fish tank. Saltwater aquariums in particular are enchanting thanks to the variety of colours of their inhabitants.

In comparison to the freshwater tank, the seawater aquarium needs significantly brighter lighting. This is important as the light needs to penetrate into the tissue of the corals and anemones. As a spectrum, you need white and blue light components when illuminating your saltwater aquarium, whereby blue must predominate – from about 10000 Kelvin upwards. Please consider several light zones when setting up the aquarium and programming the lighting so that sea creatures with different light requirements feel comfortable in their preferred regions. Some creatures like shadowy spots under overhanging decorations, others prefer strong light zones.

A saltwater aquarium requires a lighting phase of eight to ten hours in a row, with one hour of twilight before and after each. Modern saltwater lighting can generate this light through dimmers or by incremental switching on of individual light sources. This method simulates sunrise and sunset. Such regulated lighting contributes to a stable biorhythm. Please note that the lighting phase should not be interrupted in the saltwater aquarium. In addition, the lighting must not get out of rhythm. It is best to set up the lighting phase with a timer so that it coincides with your presence at the aquarium. In some lighting systems, the aquarium “night” can even be designed with a moonlight mode.

• In saltwater aquaristics, HQI burners are the traditionally proven lamps whose luminosity comes close to sunlight. However, the HQI burners are increasingly
• being replaced by T5-fluorescent tubes. These provide a pleasant light, but their intensity is generally not sufficient for special coral cultivation. In recent years,
• LED technology has also found its way into aquarium lighting. LEDs are energy-saving and durable. This efficiency is achieved by using saltwater LED illumination to achieve ideal colour matching. It can also be dimmed and programmed as the only light source.

You can find your saltwater lighting in our online shop: Eheim and Juwel bring light into the depths of your miniature ocean.