Before setting up a salt water fish tank, one must first have a good lighting system in place. The lighting is one of the most important elements of a salt water fishaquarium, especially when there is live coral reef. The first thing to consider is the depth of the aquarium, since light can only penetrate so far before color is lost. The Kelvin is another important factor for salt water fish tanks, which aquarium owners should definitely learn more about if they want to be successful.
The type of the corals and the depth of the salt water fishaquarium will both determine the type of lighting. Setting up a salt water fish tank with short polyp stony corals requires metal halide lighting, for example, but soft corals work well with fluorescent tubes. The depth is important, however, because most corals get life from light through photosynthesis. Salt water fish tanks that are extremely deep will require more powerful lighting.
The other factor one must consider when setting up a salt water fish tank is the Kelvin, which will determine how blue the light is. The Kelvin is the color output, and when there is more of it present in the salt water fishaquarium the water will be bluer. Salt water fish tanks with less Kelvin will be yellow or red. A Kelvin rating of 10,000K to 13,000K is usually optimal, which replicates life on the reef at a depth of about 30m. Good lighting will compliment this natural color perfectly, and allow every viewer to see the life inside as if they are part of it.
