7 SURPRISING Ways Aquarium Lights Affect Your Shrimp & Plants!

While lights are often seen as something to make the tank look nice, they actually play an important role in creating a healthy environment — especially if you keep live plants.

A good light also encourages the growth of algae, which is a natural food source for shrimp. Biofilm, on the other hand, doesn’t rely directly on light to form — it’s made up of bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms that grow on surfaces where nutrients are available. However, light can help indirectly, since it promotes plant and algae growth, which creates more surfaces and microhabitats for biofilm to develop.

If your aquarium has only low-light plants such as mosses, Anubias, or Java Fern, you don’t need anything too powerful. A simple LED light that provides gentle, even illumination for about six to eight hours a day will be more than enough. On the other hand, if you’re running a planted aquarium with carpeting plants or faster-growing stems, you’ll need a higher-intensity light and may even want to supplement with CO₂ and fertilizers.

If your aquarium is located near a window where it receives a bit of indirect natural sunlight, that can sometimes reduce how long you need to run your lights. Just be careful not to let direct sunlight hit the tank, as it can cause algae blooms.

In my case, most of my tanks use adjustable LED lights that let me control both brightness and colour temperature. I usually keep them on timers so the lighting schedule stays consistent every day, which helps maintain balance in the aquarium and keeps algae under control.

Consistency is everything here — your plants, shrimp, and fish all thrive when the light pattern never changes. Think of it like giving them their own sunrise and sunset.

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