lighting advice

[mick.f]

hello , i have a juwel vision 260 with the standard t5 lighting that comes with it , when my fish are at the rear of the tank they look a bit dark and when they come to the front they go very light coloured , i was wondering could anyone sugest different bulbs i could use to make there colours stand out more , my fish are blue and red turquoise discus...any advice would great..many thanks.

[billfromreading]

I would consider the Giesemann Powerchrome Aquaflora. Although it is designed for planted aquariums, it will make your reds and blues really pop. It sounds like the bulbs you have in there now are for a salt tank, and one may be an Actinic bulb. I'd get that one out of there as soon as possible. Not only does it give off radiation in a color tempurature that is not apealling, it is uncomfortable for fresh water fish since it is a wavelength that is one that is not normal for them.

[captainandy]

You also might want to raise the fixture a couple of inches. Slight par reduction but can really improve the spread throughout the tank

[sfdiscus]

Hi - I heard that wild discuses prefer low light - can you pls make a recommendation? thx

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi - I heard that wild discuses prefer low light - can you pls make a recommendation? thx

Hi sfdiscus, If you have a glass top on your tank with your light above the glass you can use window screening between the light and tank to defuse the light. Add layers until your discus seem happy.

[sfdiscus]

Hi Pat - thx for the quick response. Any recommendations on what type of lite I should use? fluorescent? led? etc? etc? I have wilds. thx

[Second Hand Pat]

So do I. I have T5s but would love to go with LEDs. Check out this you tube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Cp3T8-nfg

[rosyrobyn]

I have T5s but would love to go with LEDs.

+1

LED lights are really nice. More efficient, more focused (less scatter lighting), beautiful shimmer - just like real sunlight.