Led Grow Lights for Freshwater Aquariums

Freshwater hobbyist often worry about adding bright light over their aquarium will cause an excessive algae outbreak. Algae is a natural part of the aquarium. Excessive algae growth is not caused by bright light, it is caused by excessive nutrients. Algae growth will often be excessive in the beginning, until the plants have established themselves, and then start out competing the algae for nutrients. It is always best to start off with fast growing plants or add fast growing plants when the aquarium has an algae problem. Green water algae bloom will sometimes occur on aquariums with bright lighting systems. In some cases the algae bloom may go away on its own after a month, but in some cases, the nutrients the algae may be thriving on may be coming from your tap water. The addition of a small Ultraviolet Sterilizer to the filtration system will eliminate any green water. Once the bright light system is well established with plants the algae will no longer be a problem. Many freshwater hobbyist with brightly lit planted tanks will confess that they rarely have to clean algae off the tank walls. This is a fact, when the nutrient level is low, there is very little if any algae growth. In many cases, you may find that the addition of aquatic plant fertilizers may be necessary to keep your plants growing well.

Bright light also helps enrich the color of the fish. Bright light helps darken the pigments of many fish, making them stand out. Discus hobbyist; don't buy into the myth that discus don't like brightly lit tanks. They may need a few days to acclimate to the brighter light, but in time they will settle down, their colors will start to become even brighter, they will grow quicker, they will spawn, and their water quality will improve.
LED (Light Emitting Diode) are the newest lighting system for the aquarium hobby. One advantage these LED aquarium lights have over the others listed above is they produce very little heat. They are also the most expensive option right now. They are gaining popularity and their application over nano tanks may be the best option. These lights are an option if you don't want to deal with the heat, and are willing to pay the extra cost.
The color temperature of the bulb can make a difference on how well your plants will grow, and take up nutrients. For freshwater the ideal bulbs fall in the 5500K to 6700K range. 10000K bulbs will also provide fairly good growth and appearance. Higher K bulbs will normally look bluer and this often makes green plants look pale yellow. Actinic lights should be avoided, as they make plants look yellow.
Red LED Light is in the vicinity of the first peak of a plants light absorption spectrum (660nm) and it contributes to the plant photosynthesis. Red light, when combined with blue light, encourages flowering. It can also be used in higher doses to stimulate flowering, seeding and fruiting.
Blue LED light is responsible primarily for vegetative growth (leaf). It is known that chlorophyll has the second distinct absorption peak in the vicinity of blue light wavelengths (450nm). The blue light is also indispensable to the morphologically healthy growth plant. There is also more sunlight energy in the blue-green wavelengths.
Before you add a new LED lighting system to your tank, it is recommended that you do several water changes to try and reduce the amount of nutrients in the water. This can sometimes prevent excessive algae growth. Place your light on a timer so the lights go and off even when no one is a home. Now let there be light!
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