'Avoid bright lights' if keeping albino fish

Bright lighting could negatively affect the vision of albino fish.

Enthusiasts should be careful when lighting their aquarium if they have albino fish.

The condition occurs when fish suffer from a lack of melanin pigments, while their eyes look red because there is a lack of colouring to hide the blood vessels under the skin. Melanin also regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.

Practical Fishkeeping explained tests have been conducted on albino Zebra danios, which discovered their vision was much worse when they were placed under bright aquarium lights than normal-coloured fish.

However, when they were exposed to standard lighting, it did not seem as though their vision was affected, suggesting fishkeepers should stay clear of high-output tubes if they have albino fish.

When lighting an aquarium, the website's Jason Scott recently recommended LED bulbs, as they are far more economical then fluorescent alternatives and last for a long time. They are much cheaper than they were when the products were first introduced and prices should continue to fall.

Posted by Olivia Rose
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Friday, 17 Feb 2012, 4:51pm