Lighting For my fish

[luke-ns]

hello, i have a 55g tank and in it i have my Oscar and Pleco.
what i want to know is can i put an Arcadia marine blue actinic light in it and use it for the normal light because it looks amazing!
atm i have an Arcadia original tropical tube and its the standard clear light with plant growth, i was just checking before I go ahead and use the blue one in case it causes harm to my fish.
cheers

[Cliff]

The actinic provides a low amount of usable light for plants, but it can help algae grow a lot under the right conditions. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

Do you have plans to up-grade your tank in the future ? The reason why I ask is that your oscar will most likely outgrow your 55 gallon, and if you are planning a bigger tank, I would suggest to wait to make changes to your lighting then.

[luke-ns]

yea didnt think it was worth taking the risk either.
yea when needed im going to upgrade his tank but i was thinking a 75g but then again a 75g is also only 4foot? so im just going to wait and see when it comes closer to the time which at his growth rate will be v.soon.

[Cliff]

Yes, a 75 gallon is still a 4 foot tank. As long as you do not want plants (assuming your Oscar will allow them in his tank) you can use the same fixture.

I have have been in a two situations in the past were I up-graded to a larger tank than I thought I would ever get and had to buy some of the equipment twice. That is why I suggest maybe waiting until after you up-grade your tank. It also may give you a little extra time to find a good deal on used equipmnet. You never know, you could find a great deal on a 6 foot tank you just can't pass up