People who have owned reef fish tanks for a while already understand how important the right kind of lighting is to the entire tank. They also understand that some of the terms are new and different than most people are used to dealing with.

So, for the purpose of those who would like to better understand the importance of lighting in their reef fish tanks, we have included some terms that you may not know.

Normal output – These are the kinds of lights that probably already came with the aquarium after being purchased.

High output – These lights are not a lot different from normal output lights at first glance, but the truth of the matter is that they are more luminous and give off more heat.

Very high output – This is probably self explanatory, but these lights simply are even more luminous and warmer than the high output lights.

Metal halide lighting – This kind of lighting is not usually recommended for a small tank. Most often this light is used in deeper tanks. They can also be better used with specific potential inhabitants of the reef fish tanks.

By no means are these lights the most popular, but they certainly can get the job done when it needs to be done.

Understanding at least a little about the lighting in reef fish tanks should help those who are interested be more conscious about what they need to do to ensure that their tank is getting the kind of light it needs.