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Hetal Halide Aquarium
Lighting This is the lighting of choice for aquarists with
lare aquariums. It provides the lighest output of light capable of penetrating
depths of 90cm (using NEW '20,000K' metal halide lamp) |
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This is a very powerful
unit which uses Metal Halide Bulbs to produce an output of pu to 20,000K,
however most bulbs are 14,000K. This means light output from these units
will penetrate deeper that any other lighting unit. |
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| This high end specification comes with a price. The units themselves cost between £250 and £1000 depending upon model and the bulbs can be £50 each! A typical 1m long unit will contrise of at least 2 bulbs (see below) | ||||||||||
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They also produce alot of Heat. If you leave your face near one of these you will not only sweat like crazy but have a very deep tan! Normally these units will need a cooling system of some kind in summer months or risk boiling your aquarium. Due to this heat output you would also need to suspend them from the ceiling or use a wall bracket system. Shimmering Effect This effect describes what happens to your aquarium when metal halides are used. It expresses the refractions of light as it passes through the |
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| surface of the water, and they are found in no other lighting unit, as halides use point source lighting. Flourescent light uses the length of a tube to output and so the effect is lost. The actual benefits of this lighting is as yet unknown. |
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Do I Need this Much Light? Simply answered, it depends! If you have a smaller tank, say about 1m long and 0.5m depth then you wont need something like this. Its only on these tanks of a depth exceeding 500cm this would be needed. |
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