LED lighting in African Cichlid Tank

[Readingexcalibur]

Planning a tank in our Office here at work. We are doing African Cichlids and using a lava rock style cave system, Sand substrate. 55G acrylic. Would LED lighting be "better" for the African's? I know UV light has many benifits, but ive read Malawi African Cichids prefer the led's before. I like the sparkeling look of the led's but do the fish? lol

 

[Wy Renegade]

I'd be curious to the see the basis of the fish preferring a particular form of lighting? In most cases I've seen, it is usually the owner that prefers a particular form of lighting because of the effect in brings out in the fish.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Fish don't care what kind of light it is... though too much would certainly cause them some stress. They'll be just as happy under T5's, T8's, T12's, LED's, CFL's, PC's, Halogens, natural sunlight, etc as they are with no light. You don't *need* lights on a fish tank, as long as there is some ambient light in the room. Since this is going in a business, I would assume it's there for enjoyment, making a light more of a mandatory piece of equipment. LED's and MH's do have a way of making the water 'glisten'. They won't make the fish look any different. I would choose something that isn't very intense, as to help keep algae at bay. 14,000k-18,000k would definitely show off their colors well.

 

[Readingexcalibur]

Sounds good to me, i just didnt want stressed colorless fish everywhere. This is a therapeutic setup, I don't have the time for a salt water build. Thanks for the advice!