Lighting Too Bright For Fish?

[jtnova13]

Im make a hood for my 60 gallon 4'x1'x2' tank and i just bought a 4 tube t8 shop light which i am modifying to fit in a wood canopy. I test fit it on top of the tank and turned it on and it was SOOO BRIGHT. All of the fish (6 dwarf gourami, 2 bolivian rams, 1 rainbow shark) got frantic and hid anywhere possible. I left it like that for 30 mins or so thinking maybe the just got startled by the light turning on. then i went to feed them and it seemed like they couldnt see the food. The lights are about 6 inches off of the water.

My question is can my lights be too bright for the fish?

 

[Bignose]

Can they be? certainly can be, but will they be is very hard to say. You can always toss in some floating plants to diffuse the light at the surface if it turns out to be too bright. The plants will take to the bright lights and how close they are to the air (and its CO2), the plants will help keep the water clean, and the fish will like a tank that more cloesly replicates nature.

It is always easier to diffuse and scale down too much light, rather than try to add more light later.

 

[TammyLiz]

If you don't want to go planted, you don't need all that light. Are you planning on planting the tank and injecting CO2? How big is the tank and how long are the tubes? Anything more than 2 watts/gallon should probably have CO2 injected, and fast growing plants in order to avoid having a tank full of just algae.

 

[jtnova13]

yes to planting
and yes to CO2 injection

tank is 60 gallons as mentioned in the above post 4'x1'x2'

 

[TammyLiz]

Certain types of fish are sensitive to bright lights. My gouramis appreciate the floating leaves I have in their tank, and enjoy spending time under them. I would think that once the tank is well planted and has filled out, they should be OK and feel secure enough to come out into the open. As long as they aren't forced to be directly under the lights at all times.

Good luck with your plants, and make sure you post pictures