Blue Light Strip For Tropical Fish?

[mic8310]

Ok the tank i bought is 2nd hand. It has a white strip light and a blue one. Ive been having a look at them today, the white one says its for plant growth (did write make etc down but left it at home) and the blue one says marine light.... does it matter or should i change it?

 

[loachman]

Ok the tank i bought is 2nd hand. It has a white strip light and a blue one. Ive been having a look at them today, the white one says its for plant growth (did write make etc down but left it at home) and the blue one says marine light.... does it matter or should i change it?

If you don't have plants, it really doesn't matter what type of lights you use.

Some will cause more algae growth, but fish don't care much

 

[OldMan47]

Mic, the blue light is used by reef fish people. It will not provide any light in terms of growing plants but you may like the color it lends to the fish. If you do have plants and need to leave the lights on a lot you have a trade off to make. More brighter light for plants will make many plants grow better and will allow you to have plants that you couldn't otherwise. The down side is that more light means faster growth and CO2 with artificial fertilizers may become a need. If you are not willing to go in that direction, you are better off keeping the blue light that won't help you grow plants. It really depends what you want to do.