Posts Tagged ‘Essential’

Fish Tank Lighting Is Essential For The Survival Of Your Fish

When buying lights for your fish tank, make sure that you know what each lighting source is capable of. You need to be certain that you get the lights that will be best suited to the needs of your fish tank.

Having the proper fish tank lighting is essential for maintaining the delicate artificial ecosystem needed in the aquarium. The lights are available in several shapes and sizes and are classified according to their wattage and temperature scale.

Make sure to choose the fish tank lighting carefully because an artificial light source will increase the water temperature, which may disturb the fish tank environment.

When choosing the lights for the fish tank, do not make the mistake of only keeping in mind the aesthetics of the fish tank. The marine life will suffer and not survive for long. In fact, while choosing fish tank lighting you need to also choose the necessary cooling devices to regulate the water temperature.

Fluorescent lights are extremely useful as they can be considered as a universal design. This is by far the easiest way to add light to your fish tank. A universal design means that the lights will simply fit any brand of tank as standard, both saltwater and freshwater.

If you intend to keep green plants inside the fish tank then it is advisable to go for the Metal Halide Light bulbs. They produce the entire spectrum of light which will help the plants achieve maximum growth.

There are four different types of fish tank lighting available on the market. These are:

[1] The Regular Fluorescent Lights which are able to provide wattage at around 15-40 watts. These are the easiest and cheapest to use. They also do not require the extra cooling devices as the temperature range of this brand of lighting is 3000-10000k.

[2] The Compact Fluorescent Lights are able to provide wattage at 10-100 watts. These lights will heat up the water, so will need to be installed along with cooling fans.

[3] The High Output Fluorescent Lamps will give wattage at 20-60 watts and need to be supplied with continuous T5 power. Also available are the Very High Output Fluorescent Lamps which provide wattage at 75-160 watts. These lamps will raise the temperature to 10000-20000K. When choosing this type of lighting your will need to install a chillier as well as fans

[4] The Metal Halide Light bulbs are the most powerful form of fish tank lighting. They are extremely advantageous due to the fact that their light is close to sunlight and helps the growth of the fish and plants.

By doing some simple research online you will be able to discover the advantages of the metal halide lights bulbs over the more commonly used fluorescent lights or vice versa.

To find out which lights will be most suited to your requirement, visit your local pet store or aquarium as they will be able to give you very useful information and advice on which lights will be most efficient for your setup.

Essential Installation Steps you must carry out to avoid Compact Fluorescent Lamps CFL fire hazards

When a fire is caused by a CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Lamps, it is often due to either a defective product, or more often than not; improper installation. CFLs over-heat if they are installed incorrectly, so it’s essential that when you are installing your CFL that you do it correctly. One way you can protect yourself and your family is to make sure you only buy CFLs that meet the highest standard, these CFLs will have been tested and proven to meet the US government’s Energy Star standards.

CFLs that are Energy Star qualified will also meet UL safety standards. These standards require the bulb itself to be self-extinguishing in the event of a fire, so in most cases, the tubing of the bulb will only darken. Energy Star qualified CFLs should never catch on fire when installed correctly.

CFLs are often, unless stated otherwise, made from glass, and can break if they are roughly handled or dropped, so always be sure you are using the upmost care when removing the bulb from its packaging, installing it or even replacing it. You should always screw and unscrew the light from its base, never the glass, and you should never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket either, it should twist securely into place without much force required at all.

By twisting the bulb in with the glass and not the plastic base, you could break the vacuum seal or the glass tubing in the CFL. When certain parts of the CFL are exposed to oxygen, they can become defective and over-heat, causing a fire hazard, so always be sure to handle the CFL carefully, and twist the base into place, not the actual CFL.

In some cases, once the fluorescent tubing in the CFL reaches the end of it’s usability, the arc that is contained within this tubing can sometime elevate the temperature of the plastic which houses it. In this elevated temperature, short lived though it is, you may notice smoking to a very minor degree, as well as this, the CFL may start to give off an unusual odor. In other more extreme cases, a flashing arc internal to the fluorescent tube or ballast may occur, causing a deformation or a small breach of the plastic housing unit, but don’t be too alarmed, as if the CFL is Energy Star qualified, the materials will have been tested so as to prevent subsequent safety hazards.

If your CFL should ever smoke or start smoldering, you need to immediately shut off the power to the CFL. Once it has cooled, remove it from the light socket. Once you have done this, it is advisable that you should contact your local light bulb manufacturing regulating authority and provide them with the product manufacturer’s name and model information that is included on the CFL base and if possible an electronic photo. You will also most probably need to explain how the CFL was used within the household.

Once this has been done, you should also visit the manufacturer’s web site to find customer service contact information to inform them of the early failure. The manufacturer that produce the CFL should then be able to provide you with a replacement or a refund, due to a breach of the warranty (if the warranty was breached) so make sure you always hold on to any receipts you may have to prove your date of purchase.

Some manufacturers may then request the problem product to be delivered to them so they can establish why the smoking happened, so always make sure that you keep the product until you speak to the manufacturer.