Light Color

[Lil]

I am new to this hobby, a few months.  Question is;  Can I have low light plants and keep the LED lights at mostly Red on all the time.  I need a tranquil aquarium due to PTSD.  So, the Red and or Blue light is more calming.

[Daniel]

What plants mostly need for photosynthesis is reds and blues, white is the least useful except to extent that white is just a mixture of reds, blues, and greens. There are LED lights that you can use only the blues and reds (which results in a purple color) and these lights will grow plants just fine.

[Lil]

Thank you so much.  Seems the answers I get from internet searches are talking about the tech of lighting.  Someone needs to have a Dummies for new fish tanks that would cover everything in one place

[Daniel]

This is a good start:

How to Pick the Best Planted Aquarium Light

WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM

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One of the most common questions we get asked is “What light should I get for my planted aquarium?” The short answer is that it depends. To help you...

 

[Lil]

Thanks!

[Daniel]

I pulled that link from here, which pretty much covers everything you need to know about setting up a new aquarium all in place:

Freshwater Aquarium Blog - Aquarium Co-Op

WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM

 

[gardenman]

You might want to look into grow lights instead of aquarium lights. They tend to be more red/blue spectrum and less "white." Most aquarium lights are designed to make viewing the fish optimal and plant growth is a secondary consideration. If you don't mind the red (purplish) glow then a pure plant light might be your best option. 

[Lil]

Nice!  Thanks

[wendypizza]

I've been using grow lights from the hardware store, including a purple one which has been great at growing algae in my goldfish tank (which is what I wanted it to do).

[Alesha]

I will say that blue light is not particularly calming to the human species involved with Aquaria Life. 😉 From studies I've heard of, it's best to avoid all blue light (tv, phone, computer, aquarium light, etc.) for 2 hours or so before going to bed. Amber and red lights are preferable for night lights, too. We use a salt lamp in our bathroom as a night light. It's a lovely, calming amber color.