RE: undertank lighting

To: Aquatic plants list <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Subject: RE: undertank lighting
From: Cynthia Powers <cyn at metronet_com>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 16:33:46 -0500 (CDT)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
To: Aquatic-Plants at ActWin_com
From: krombhol at felix_TECLink.Net (Paul Krombholz)
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #7

>From:  (Dwight )
>Date: Tue, 11 Jun 1996 16:38:13 GMT
>Subject: Undertank Lighting - Please respond
>
>I had posted a question a while back about putting a light underneath the
>tank, inside the stand. I didn't see any replies, nor the post. I was
>wondering if this could effect the natural bacteria - funk eating ecosystem
>of my tank? Could it hurt the plants? Could it hurt the fish?
>HELP!
>thanks in advance.
>- --
>Dwight 

I don't think it would bother the bacteria at all.  It might encourage
cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae) to grow next to the glass along the tank
bottom.  I don't think that would cause any particular harm.  I assume that
your tank has a solid layer of gravel or soil that cuts out the light so
that it doesn't shine up through the water.  If it did shine up through the
water it might put your fish under a lot of stress because they would be
getting conflicting signals as to which way is down.  I have seen fish try
to orient themselves sideways to light coming in from the side of the tank.
I don't know if they would actually try to orient to light coming up from
below, but I think they would be stressed by it.

Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174
In cool, pleasant, Mississippi where it is cool if the high temp is below
90 and pleasant if the dew point is below 70.