Do the flourescent lights that they sell at home depot offer the same spectrum as the so called "aquarium lights?" I'm not planning to use household lights in my tank, ( it won't even fit in the fish tank's hood lol). I might fit it into a lamp as a backup for my little fish tank.
Answers:
Well fluorescent lights come in a range of spectrum's which are obviously used for many different things. I have personally used a normal household fluro in my fish tank light. The purpose of the "Aquarium Light" is mainly for plant growth (if you have plants in the tank) and it helps to highlight the colours in fish eg neon tetras.
I purchase my fluro lights at my local hardware store.
Here is a link that discribes the different type of bulbs that are/can be used. Lighting is importantfor the overall health and reproduction functions for fish.
http://www.fish.com/lighting.asp?catid=3...
It will depend on the type of fish you have to what type of light you need. normal fluro tubes don't put out the best light for fish. Best to get one from a fish shop, that way you can get the correct type and some even bring out the colors of the fish really well.
Normal, every day flourescent bulbs are fine for fish - fish don't even need flourescent lighting to survive. The only reason it would make any difference at all is if you are keeping live plants.
