Do Betta Fish Need a Light?

Are Aquarium Lights Necessary?

Betta fish, like other aquatic creatures, need ambient or room lighting for their natural day and light cycle. As seriously as it is being questioned whether betta fish need light, it’s equally true to ask whether they need darkness. For a betta fish, light and darkness are equally important

 In this guide, we will look deeper into betta’s light needs, the impact of too much light, room lighting vs. aquarium lighting, and preferences for colored lighting.

Betta’s Lighting Condition in Wild

Betta fish, native to Thailand, live in streams and ponds where light is naturally diffused through the water. Their indigenous regions have a maximum day length of 14 hours and a night of 10 hours during summer and vice versa during winter. This means bettas receive between 10-14 hours of sunlight each day throughout the year.

Betta fish survive in heavily vegetated habitats where they may experience varying levels of shade even during the daytime. This indicates bettas prefer slightly dimmer conditions that mimic their natural habitat.

Advantages of Having Lights in a Betta Tank

Ensure Day-Night Cycle

Betta fish are diurnal creatures like other animals and benefit from a natural day and light cycle. The same cycle of light and darkness needs to be established in their tanks. This day-night cycle can regulate the betta’s biological rhythms and play a good role in its overall well-being. A well-timed light cycle will also enhance the colors of your betta, making them more vibrant.

Help in Plant Growth

To have a livelier and natural-looking ecosystem in betta’s aquarium, it’s recommended to grow live plants in a tank. You’ll definitely need to use a light source to promote the plant growth. It’s recommended to contain such plants in your aquarium that don’t need strong lighting, otherwise it will conflict with the betta’s preferences.

Live plants require aquarium light of 6-8 hours per day to thrive fully. An aquarium timer can help you regulate the light schedule, which can fix the light for both plants and fish. When you are opting for plants, keep decorations like caves in the tank to allow the betta to hide if they need to avoid light.

The Impact of Too Much or Too Little Light

Lighting plays a big role in keeping your betta fish happy and healthy. Just like us, they need a proper balance of light and darkness to stay well. When there’s too little or too much light in their tank, it can cause a range of problems for both the fish and their environment.

Impact of Too Much Light

Some betta owners use the aquarium light for their viewing pleasure instead of caring for betta’s needs. They usually show recklessness to prefer their personal preferences. Others might do so because of ignorance. But remember, too much strong light can adversely affect the health and natural rhythms of your betta.

When there’s a lot of light combined with nutrients from leftover food or waste, it creates the perfect environment for algae to thrive and take over the tank. Constant bright light can also stress your betta out, especially if there are no dark or shaded areas where it can hide and feel safe.

The amazing fact about betta fish is that they don’t have eyelids, making it difficult for them to sleep in brightly light conditions. It also conflicts with the natural ecosystem of betta fish, which results in stress or suffering from diseases.

When There’s Too Little Light

If a betta doesn’t get enough light, its natural day-night cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm, can become disrupted. This may cause your fish to seem tired, less active, or to develop irregular sleeping and feeding patterns.

Without proper lighting, your betta might not behave as it normally would, and its environment could feel dull or unstimulating. If you have live plants in the tank, they may also struggle to grow since they rely on light for photosynthesis. Even your betta’s vibrant colors might appear more faded or dull due to the lack of lighting.

Introducing Your Betta to a Lighted Tank

Additionally, when you bring the betta from a pet store, it enters into a larger space from a small cup or bowl, which can stress him when you introduce the bettas suddenly to strong or even moderate light conditions. It’s usually recommended to expose him to dimmer conditions at the start and then gradually increase the light intensity to mild conditions. You should also ensure the hiding places so betta can protect itself from strong light if it irritates him.

If a recently introduced betta hides for prolonged periods, it can result in reduced appetite. Leaving the light off for a few days after introducing a betta to a new environment can help them adjust. Bettas often become more active and resume normal eating patterns when the lighting is more subdued. The initial adjustment period might cause them to act less actively or hide more often. Over time, they will become more comfortable in their new environment.

Room Lighting Vs Aquarium Lighting

Many people wonder whether normal room light is enough or if they should get a proper aquarium light. If you don’t have live plants in your tank, you can compensate for separate artificial light, but it’s not usually recommended. Sure, sunlight is free and gives full-spectrum light, but it’s not ideal for betta tanks. It’s too unpredictable—some days it’s bright, other days it’s not.

Direct sunlight can heat the tank too much and cause temperature swings, which can stress your betta. It also leads to fast and messy algae growth. So, it’s best to keep the tank out of direct sunlight.

On the other hand, artificial lights are made for fish tanks and give you full control over brightness and timing. You can set a steady day and night cycle, which helps your betta stay healthy and active. Plus, they won’t mess with the water temperature like sunlight can.

In the case of live plants in a betta tank, there’s no substitute for proper artificial lighting. In such situations, regulating the light timing is crucial to balance the light requirements for both plants and your betta fish.

When you use aquarium lights, sunlight from a nearby window can make things too bright. This extra light can cause algae and even heat up the water too much. So, always keep the room setup in mind when using tank lights.

Lighting Schedule

Many aquarists recommend running the lights 6-8 hours daily to balance plant growth while minimizing algae issues. For heavily planted tanks, we use the following lighting schedule, which has been proven more effective in ensuring the balance between betta’s needs and plant requirements.

• 7:00 am – 10:30 am
• 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Our proven light schedule provides plants with adequate light without overstimulating algae growth and mimicking the betta’s preferences. However, alongside the light schedule, you can’t ignore the other factors such as light intensity, its spectrum, tank size, type of plants, and personal choice of betta fish to ensure an optimum light requirement.

Below is a comprehensive overview of these factors to help you arrange a good light for your pet.

Lighting Considerations

A betta tank with a built-in LED lamp is generally enough for your betta fish. The reputed brands have fixed the lighting according to both betta and plant needs. The only concern for you is to regulate the day and night cycle. However, if you have to opt for a separate LED light, it’s crucial to take note of the following things.

Quality of Light (Spectrum)

Light quality means the spectral distribution of different light colors, such as red, blue, green, and yellow. Bettas, individually, don’t prefer a colorful spectrum of light. However, plants require specific wavelengths of light, primarily in the red and blue spectrum, to carry out photosynthesis.

Plants may wilt or die out if your light source emits blue and green wavelengths. Therefore, buying the light source of blue and red wavelengths is necessary, which is beneficial for plant growth. LED lights, suitable for aquarium plants, usually contain a label of “full spectrum” or “plant spectrum”.

Quantity of Light (Intensity)

Light intensity indicates the amount of light emitted from a light source during a specific time interval. Light intensity is measured in lumens, not watts–a misconception of most buyers. Watt is the unit of power that indicates the consumption of light source, not the intensity of light.

A high-lumen light is necessary for adequate plant growth. Therefore, a notice of light intensity in terms of lumens or flux is vitally important to consider. If you think that light intensity creates problems for your fish, grow floating plants like Amazon Frogbit and Hornwort to block the light at certain portions of the tank and provide shade to your fish.

Other Factors

Certain factors, which are within the control of the betta owner, also affect the amount of light the plants and betta receive. They include the depth of the tank, the distance of the light source to the plants, and barriers like decorations. Deeper tanks require intense light compared to shallower ones. Similarly, fixing the light source at a suitable distance is beneficial to avoid light sufficiency and deficiency.

Types of Lighting

LED Lights

If you’re lighting your betta tank, go with LED lights. They’re the best. These lights are comparatively modern and made just for fish tanks. They don’t get hot like the old ones. They last a long time and come in different colors. They might cost a bit more at first, but they save power and don’t need to be replaced often. If you want something safe and easy for your betta, LEDs are the way to go.

Fluorescent Lights

These lights are still used sometimes, but they’re not as common anymore. They’re cheaper to buy, but they don’t last as long as LEDs. They give off more heat, and the light they produce might not be ideal for your fish or live plants. They also need regular bulb changes, which adds to the cost over time.

Incandescent Lights

Incandescent lights should be avoided for betta tanks. They heat up quickly, use a lot of electricity, and their light spectrum isn’t good for your fish or plants. Plus, they burn out fast. Overall, they’re outdated and not suitable for aquarium use.

So, if you’re setting up or upgrading your tank, go with LED lighting. It’s the best choice for your betta’s health, your tank’s stability, and your energy bill.

Do Betta Likes Colored Lighting?

Bettas usually prefer subdued lighting, as bright and colorful lights can make them uncomfortable. Some owners might be tempted to use colored lighting to create a visually appealing tank, but remember that bettas prefer simple and softer lighting. The only light colors bettas do best with are white and blue LED lights.

Based on our personal experience, blue light is very useful for betta aquariums as it produces a calming effect and also enhances the betta’s natural beauty. Blue light resembles the light of its natural habitat, as the water reflects the blue hue of sunlight. It’s advisable not to go with other colored lights as they might stress your betta, eventually resulting in loss of appetite, lethargy, and unusual hiding.

Feeding in Low Light or at Night

Create a completely dark environment at night for your betta fish to mimic the natural day and night cycle. Although lateral lines help them navigate their surroundings, some bettas may find it difficult to locate the food when the tank is completely dark inside. Or they might feel uncomfortable eating the food in dimmer environments.

Without having any artificial light, you’ll face trouble while feeding your betta before sleeping. Therefore, you must arrange a home lamp at night during the feeding times. In such cases, keep the light on 10-15 minutes before and even after feeding.

Choosing the Right Light for Your Betta Tank

1. Tank Size and Lighting Needs

Prioritize your tank size while choosing lights for your betta tank. The bigger the tank, the more intense the light should be — and the smaller the tank, the less intensity you need. For example, a 5-gallon betta tank usually does well with a low to medium-intensity LED light. Always check the product features before buying to make sure the light suits your specific tank size.

2. Live Plants vs. Artificial Decor

If your tank has live plants, you’ll need a light designed to support their growth, often labeled with specific light spectrums or ratings like Kelvin or PAR. For tanks with only silk plants or decorations, the focus is more on maintaining your betta’s natural day-night rhythm and making the tank look nice.

3. Features to Look for and Budget Tips

Balancing cost with quality is key when choosing a light. Look for features like timer compatibility to automate lighting schedules and adjustable brightness for flexibility. Full or daylight spectrum lights are best for clear viewing and healthy plants. LED lights are recommended due to their low heat output and energy efficiency. Secure mounting and water resistance are important for durability and safety.

Best Betta Aquarium Lights

Hygger Advanced LED Aquarium Light

Check it on Amazon

This full-spectrum LED light is quite adequate for plant growth. It offers a convenient preset light cycle (8hr, 10hr, 12hr), making it easy to automate tank lighting. The most-liked feature is that hygger light offers a 24-hour cycle with different phases, like dim orange for sunrise, blue for moonlight, and white for daylight, which mimics the natural lighting patterns.

The Hygger Aquarium Light offers different light intensities and color options, which makes adjustment easy for both your plant and fish. Due to its higher intensity, you should avoid buying this light for a tank smaller than 5-gallon, as it may lead to algae growth or betta distress.

NICREW Full Spectrum Planted LED Aquarium Light

Check it on Amazon

The NICREW Aquarium Light is a budget-friendly option with full-spectrum light which is specially designed for planted tanks. If you are interested in heavily planted setups, this light works best for any submerged plant, such as red root floaters, Anubias, and Java Ferns. The various settings of the light, including timers and spectrum adjustments (red/blue shifts), make it all-around for your different needs.

AQUANEAT LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum

Check it on Amazon

Don’t be bothered if your budget does not allow the expensive light. We have a reliable AQUANNEAT LED Aquarium Light option that offers decent performance. This light works best for low to moderate-light plants such as Java Moss, Anubias, and Banana Lily. If you decide to use it, adding a timer would help control light exposure, allowing you to reduce the risk of algae.

Using a Timer to Control Light Exposure

Light timers are crucial for the healthy environment of your aquarium as they can help you with proper lighting control. Using smart plugs and timers can help automate the lighting schedule, ensure plant growth, reduce stress for your fish, and prevent algae growth. We recommend purchasing those LED lights that come with timers to reduce the separate installation effort and your budget.

If your aquarium light has no built-in timer, go for the smart plugs of Govee (Check it on Amazon), as it provides an easy way to manage your aquarium lighting. I like its user-friendly approach to controlling it manually or using a smartphone app.

Mechanical timers of BN-LINK (Check it on Amazon) are also a good option if you want a more straightforward approach to control the light timing. Also, they are cheap, easy to maintain, and don’t rely on apps or Wi-Fi, making them highly reliable.

Fixing Common Betta Tank Lighting Issues

Too Much Algae?

If you see lots of algae growing, first check how long the light stays on. Try reducing it to about 6 to 8 hours a day. Also, see if the light is too bright. You can dim it or move it higher above the tank. Overfeeding your fish can add extra nutrients that algae love, so feed carefully.

Regular water changes help remove those nutrients, too. Adding live plants can also help because they compete with algae for nutrients. One more tip — clean your light fixture often. Dust can build up and make the light seem dimmer, which might trick you into thinking you need stronger lighting.

Betta Hides a Lot?

If your betta hides all the time, the light might be too bright. Watch how your fish behaves when the light is off compared to when it’s on. Make sure your tank has enough hiding spots like plants, caves, or decorations — bettas need places to feel safe. Also, keep a regular light schedule so your betta’s day and night routine stays steady.

Plants Not Growing?

If your live plants aren’t growing well, check if the light is on long enough — at least 8 hours a day is usually good. The light also needs to be strong enough for the type of plants you have. Some plants need less light; others need more. The light’s color or spectrum matters, too — some lights help plants grow better than others. Don’t forget to make sure your plants are getting enough nutrients and CO2 as well.

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