[PaysonEnthusiast]

I am currently setting up a couple tanks to breed a couple cichlids and am wondering about a couple things.

First, should these tanks have airstones or something like that set up in them?

The other question is more complicated. I am looking for a cheap solution to lighting for these tanks that will still be healthy for the fish. Since this is not a planted aquarium, what kind of lights would be best? I prefer LED lighting of some sort due to the lack of heat and quality of light I can find. Are there any ideas of a good, inexpensive option? Would the tape lighting be good? Would LED light bulbs on a clip on light or flood light fixture or something else be good? I am open to any good ideas.

Thank you for your help.

 

[wryan]

I'm using these:

... plus clear 5000K LED bulbs to go in them, to light a number of tanks.

At around <$15 for the combo, it doesn't get much cheaper than that.

 

[DJRansome]

If your filtration is sufficient, you don't need air stones.

The fish do not need lights at all...you could skip them.

LEDs are more expensive up front but less expensive over time. I don't find the tapes give the quality/quantity of light I want whether fish or house.

 

[PaysonEnthusiast]

Thank you.

I think I will go with those then. Would one be enough for each tank? The largest I have is 30 gallons.

What about air stones or something to pump air. Are they good for the aquarium?

Thanks for your help.

 

[PaysonEnthusiast]

Thank you for the help and ideas. That helps a lot to have that information.

 

[Deeda]

How are you planning on filtering these tanks?

Some options are sponge filters which can be air driven or individual power filters or HOB (Hang on Back).

 

[wryan]

Thank you.

I think I will go with those then. Would one be enough for each tank? The largest I have is 30 gallons. ...

If the above is reply in my post on LED lighting, then the answer would depend on the tank dimensions. There are a couple of factors involved: length and width of the tank, and the tank height (the taller the tank is, the more the beam can spread out and cover a larger area.

If you want a decent amount of illumination, I would say that two fixtures with a pair of 60w LED bulbs would be quite adequate for a 55 gallon tank. I have that set on one of my 55's.

Single fixture, 60w bulb on 20 gallon long (30" long) works, I have a couple of 10 gallons with the same ... and on those the light is really too bright ... a 40w bulb would probably sufficient.