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Hood Selection
Unless you purchase a tank bundle that includes all of the materials that you will need for your tank, a hood is an important piece of your fish tank that will need some attention. Most tanks that you purchase at your local pet store will already have a hood attached but, depending on what you are planning on growing in your tank, you may need to change your lighting or upgrade your hood.
The lights that you put into your hood can not only draw attention to your tank but it can also help your tank stay healthy. There are different styles of lights and different intensities that can help or harm your tank if not properly administered.
Lights, such as Lunar Lights make it easy for your fish to spawn and help create a more natural environment. There are several brands and styles of low level lights that will create a dusk lighting set-up. These lights are crucial to maintaining an equal balance that is equivalent to the balance that exists in nature. There are many types of lights for different types of aquariums and your coral and inhabitants will dictate which style of lighting you should use. Certain types of ferns require a low level lighting while other types of coral require a brilliant high intensity light. It is best to do some research on what you are wanting to put into your tank before you buy the lighting.
If you are choosing not to run Lunar Lighting on your aquarium there are other setups that you can install and use to take the place of the moon lighting that will accomplish the same thing. A common replacement for moon lighting is to add blue lights to your hood and place them on a timer. By setting the timer to come on 30-minutes before the regular white lights and to stay on 30-minutes after the white lights turn off, that will create a dawn/dusk effect on the tank. It is important to remember that when running a set up similar to the one listed above, the blue lights need to be on all day including normal daylight hours. The blue light will help with the photosynthesis of your reef plants. There are also other types of lighting, including true moon lighting that will give your reef a unique night time look and feel while also helping with photosynthesis.
There are several different styles of lights from high output high intensity lights for tough coral growth to compact fluorescent lights for normal aquarium operations. The operation of a healthy aquarium depends largely on the style and type of lighting that you will use.
There are several different styles of decorative hoods that you can use on your tank. Hoods can be upgraded to hold more lights or to change locations of features such as filters or openings. Check with your local aquarium shop for specifics on their hoods and never be afraid to ask specific questions and make sure you are completely comfortable with your new product.