The White Choice

As many an amateur aquarist will be aware, light exists on a broad spectrum that us human beings can actually only see a small part of. Naturally, your aquarium lighting has to fulfil two functions; it has to provide the right level of energy for photosynthetic matter like plants to grow and thrive, and secondly it also has to… well, light things up! You need aquarium lighting bulbs that don’t just nourish your diverse array of plants, but also makes them look their best, which is why – in most cases – white is definitely right.

Broadly speaking, white light (also referred to somewhat confusingly as “visible light”) contains all the colours of the spectrum in equal measure, as opposed to other aquarium lighting options, like blue light for instance.  A long science lesson and mild headache aside, using white lights in your aquarium system rather than other alternatives basically means that more light appears in the yellow/green part of the spectrum, the same bit that us humans can easily perceive when we look at plants and organic matter. Long story short, this means that the plants in your aquarium look, livelier, increasingly vibrant and overall more visually appealing.

Lighten Up

All that being said, most aquariums need a careful balance of different types of light in order to thrive and grow – as a general rule, the closer you can emulate their natural habitat, the better. Browse through our vast range of aquarium lighting options online today, and if you still need some advice, get in touch using our Live Chat function online!