Aquarium lighting question?

Why and how often do i have to change the flourescent tubes in my aquarium????Aquarium lighting question?
theres all kinds of scientific crap behind WHY u should change ur bulb, but in a language that all of us ';normal'; ppl understand ';english';. the bulbs lose valuable spectrum waves over time. every time u turn on ur light, it decreases the life of the bulb. thats why it is important to change out ur starter for the bulbs frequently. when ur bulb starts to flicker alot b4 turining on completely, then it is time to change the starter. having a bad starter will KILL the life of ur bulb VERY quickly.

again as stated from the answers above. general rule for ur flourescents, change the bulb (with planted aquariums) every 6 months or u will be in a nasty mess. for an ALL fish aquarium, it is always best to change the bulb anywhere between 9 to 12 months. just for the overall health and look of ur tank.



i forgot the website that i found the info on but i googled aquarium lights one time and found this site that had crazy info on light bulbs. the effect that they have and the importance of having the proper lighting. this guy goes into crazy scientic detail (that only nerds such as myself can enjoy. LOL). vvery educational. i will try to post a link if i find it.Aquarium lighting question?
When they burnn out
After about 6 months, they'll have changed in spectrum enough to make them less useful for plants. I replace mine about once every 9 months, but for a tank with only fish, you really only need to change them once they burn out.
Flourescent tubes should be replaced roughly every 12 month, even if they appear to be working. Light output falls and quality changes with age of the tube, and although these changes may be imperceptible, they will stess the plants in the tank if you have plants. But if it is only fish in your tank you should replace it immediantly aftr it burns out.



Hope this helps!