# malawi tank - marine lights



## youngman (May 16, 2009)

is it ok to use marine lights with malawi cichlids ?


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Yes. The blue actinics can really show the colors nicely. The only issue is how long you run them, and possible algae build up due to overlighting.


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## LexBubble (May 21, 2008)

I use one and it really brings out the color of your and improves the clarity of the water. Algea does build up but since its quality lighting you get beneficial algea to your cichlids. The kind they will readily eat. If you have an mbuna tank you will not have a problem. Haps or peacocks? Just add an algae eater. The light is also beneficial in that the spectrum of light provided is more like the rays of the sun which is also beneficial to their health.


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## slimbolen99 (Apr 28, 2006)

It's expensive, but if it's all you've got, you use it,,,right? 

Here's my 75 acei / yellow lab / cobue tank.


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## CutieSusieQ (May 12, 2009)

I use two 18" Reef Sun 50/50 Lightbulbs on my 55 gallon. They are 50% actinic and 50% daylight. I love the way they bring out the color of my Yellow Labs and Blue Cobalt Zebras.

I have tried different bulbs but the Zoo Med Reef Sun is the only one I like on my tank. Other bulbs just don't bring out my fish colors. Some bulbs can actually make my Yellow Labs look completely orange! YUK! I also have NO algea problems at all. I only run the lights about 5 or 6 hours a day. During the day I keep them off and don't turn them on until about 5 or 6pm. I turn them off around 10 or 11pm.


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## emptyhead (Apr 16, 2007)

I am using an even mix of actinic and daylight T5 bulbs. I am going to use more actinic as I need to replace bulbs. The actinic do really make the colors pop.

I am running 468 watts on 150 gallons. That is too much in the sense that I have to scrape algae off the glass, but not too much in how the fish and tanks look. I have recently added some floating live plants to the tanks which have produced some shaded areas - which I think also look good.


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## Stussi613 (May 8, 2009)

For those of you running flourescent, if you want to have the most realistic color then used a Full Spectrum bulb at 5000K, or as close to that as you can get since it's the closest to noon day sunlight at 5500K. These types of bulbs are used for color matching. If you have blue fish then Daylight (and Actinic for that matter) will show them off a little better as it is a bluer color at 6700K. For those of you with yellow's and reds then a Warm White at 2700K will show these off better, BUT produce way more red/green algea!.

I wouldn't waste money on bulbs at the LFS for african tanks, there are very little light requirements for plants as most of us only have Java Fern and Anubias which are not light hogs. I just go down to my local industrial lighthing store and get Full Spectrum Daylight bulbs for my tank and everything looks great.

In case you are wondering why I know soo much about lighting, I spent 6 years working in a specialty lighting store and helped design lighting systems for a few museums in Ontario Canada that have aquariums in them...


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## 60gallon (Dec 14, 2010)

slimbolen99 said:


> It's expensive, but if it's all you've got, you use it,,,right?
> 
> Here's my 75 acei / yellow lab / cobue tank.


Bump. 

Very nice...what bulb(s) were you using?


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## dielikemoviestars (Oct 23, 2007)

Slim - your filter set up is the exact same as mine. One long intake, one short.


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