Aquarium Light Tips

Fish don’t need so much light as the plants do. A dim light is sufficient for fishes - usually just enough for them to see food. Very few fishes will eat in the dark. An exception is the Catfish; Catfishes, as a group, are largely nocturnal in their activities.

When no light reaches the fish tank, a great change comes over the fishes. Switch a light on suddenly after a protracted period of darkness and you will find most fishes in your tank are motionless. With few exceptions you will find that their color has faded. Such fishes have the brilliant red-and-green Neon fade to a white and light pink. Many fishes, you will notice, are lying on the bottom of the aquarium.

It should also be remembered that it takes some time for most fishes to adjust to a sudden light. If they are disturbed before their eyes have adjusted, they dash blindly about, even leaping out of the water. It is useless to feed them at this time, because they cannot see the food.

On the other hand, constant light seems to do no harm. Fishes in aquaria under constant light appear to live just as well as those that have alternate periods of darkness and light. The breeding cycle of many animals is controlled by the increasing and decreasing of the number of daylight hours as the seasons change. But very little work has been done with fishes in this field. What little has been done shows that light is a definite factor in the breeding of some, but not all, fishes.

Recently published experiments conducted with the young of certain marine fishes indicate that the fish will grow more vigorously when given a period of darkness in which to rest. How this affects the total longevity of the fish is not known.

There is no hard-and-fast rule governing light for the aquarium plants. It varies with the type of light, intensity of light, depth of water, kind of plant, the distance the light is from the water surface, and the amount of daylight that reaches the tank. Usually, if the fish tank is kept in a shaded area of a room, you should provide some artificial light in order to supply what the plants need. Lighting from a reflector which can be regulated is covered later.

Caring for Catfish

The Catfish are not recommended to be kept together with other types of fish, as they might eat them. While they are a favorite of many, Catfish are difficult to keep. One of the Catfish types that are available is the Black Spotted Corydoras. A lot of people buy Catfish because they are so good at cleaning the aquarium from algae. They also clean the aquarium of dead fish and other types of debris.

This fish can usually be found in Guiana and Venezuela and it will reach a length of 6cm (2.5 inches). It’s colored silver and has black spots, just like the name suggests. You can tell which is the Black Spotted Catfish by its wedge shaped neck and the black stripes found around the eyes and head. Their behavior is good, so you can rest easy if you put them together with other fish. They will not attack other fish. They enjoy eating white worms, dried food and Tubifex.

A fish found in Brazil and the La Plata Basin, the Peppered Corydoras can get up to 7cm (2.75) inches in length. Their body is colored olive/brown and it has black marks on it. It’s a fish that belongs to the Corydoras aeneus family.

If you look at the Peppered catfish, you will notice that his eyes seem to be moving towards you. They can easily be kept in a communal aquarium.

What they eat
You can feed Peppered Catfish with dried foods, white worms and Tubifex.

The type of water
These fish will enjoy a neutral water condition. They can also stay in hard water. They will not enjoy staying in saltwater.

A relative of this fish is the Leopard Corydoras. They received their name at the beginning of the 20th century. They belong to the Corydoras julii family. They can be found in the lower Amazon areas, especially in the Tributary region. They can get up to 6cm (2.5 inches) in length. Their frame is colored silver/gray and has stripes that are dark spotted. They are peaceful fish and can easily be kept in a communal aquarium.

This species of fish can be found in South America, specifically in the central and northern parts. They belong to the family called Callichthyidae and they are armor catfish, because they have bony plates on their body. They have a flat head, with the mouth located under it. They have rounded and wide lips. They are also known as sucking fish. They will eat algae, so they keep the aquarium clean. That’s why it’s good to keep at least one of these fish in your communal tank. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to clean the aquarium, but they do make it easier.