There are a number of lighting options available, you can just use standard marine tubes with a standard light unit, depending whether or not you are going to being keeping just fish or a combination of corals and fish (a reef) A fish only system will suffice with standard lighting options, you may even get away with just a couple of soft corals, but all corals flourish under better lighting. Here are a few examples to help you decide.

The picture opposite shows the series 3 pendant lighting, the overtank luminaire is a very similar looking unit but with brackets to sit on top of the tank as oppose to hanging above.

Both of these units are suitable for freshwater or marine, however the series 3 pendant uses a combination of T5 tubes and metal halide lamps, therefore the lighting is more intense and ideal for corals & inverts.

Choice of colours:- Black, Silver or White.

This unit is a Deltec T5 light unit, these are very easy to fit into any wooden hood, they are also slimline allowing most hoods to fit at least 2 units into if required.

They are fully waterproof and come complete with 'm' shaped reflectors making them an extremely intense light for such a small unit.

Basically we see for sale 3 types of tubes, T8 which is the standard 1" tube most commonly used, T12 which is what is known as the 11/2" (fat) tube and T5 which is the 5/8ths of an inch tube. So the number attached to the 'T' is only the diameter of the tube.

The 'new' T5 lighting that is creating all the fuss is 'high output' T5 lighting, and it is the high output part that really makes the difference - producing a light of much greater strength than a conventional tube, and as a result the energy input into the aquarium is greater.

Also, light diminishes very rapidly as it travels through water, but with high output T5 lamps, the effective distance is significantly greater than with conventional tubes, meaning that deeper aquariums can be maintained with an illumination that is effective to the base.

Arcadia have developed two T5 lamps for use with marine aquaria, based on their existing T8 marine fluorescents, the "Marine White", and "Marine Blue Actinic" lamps, but with all the benefits described above.

For the marine reef aquarium, this means that the choice of invertebrates that can be stocked successfully is increased.

Certain species that would at best struggle to survive under T8 lamps, can now flourish under T5 lamps, meaning that a reef can be constructed using a range of soft corals, anemones, large polyp stony corals, and Tridacna clams.

They also allow for a deeper reef aquarium to be successfully maintained, as the light that they emit penetrates the water further, and can satisfy the light requirements of animals kept further from the light source.

The Arcadia Marine White lamp has a colour temperature of 9,500K (Kelvin) and an exceptional lumen output combined with very good colour rendition. The tri-phosphor formulation provides consistent long life and stability of output at these high levels of performance.

The Arcadia Marine Blue Actinic lamp range has been created to provide the specific spectrum (400 - 480nm) necessary to achieve the blue chlorophyll absorption for zooxanthellae symbiosis to develop. This concentration of light energy in the so called 'actinic' range peaking at 420nm, is essential for the survival and good health of fish, corals and invertebrates in marine aquariums.

Another important element of the Arcadia Marine Blue Actinic lamp is the UV output present, which creates a very pleasant fluorescent effect on corals, invertebrates and exotic marine fish. When used at night with no other lamps, the effect is of a dark moonlit night with the vivid colours of the corals and invertebrates fluorescing brilliantly.

When used in conjunction with the Arcadia Marine White lamp range, the high levels of light output create a most realistic marine reef environment. This combination gives the most natural and pleasant appearance and highlights the fluorescence and bright colours of the fish, corals and invertebrates, along with the correct spectrum output at the required wavelengths to achieve the reproduction of the symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae.