Upgrade Your Vivarium with Modern Lighting!
- Oct 20, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 29, 2024
I've always wondered why so many dart frog enthusiasts invest in expensive frogs and plants but opt for the cheapest lighting. While the frogs aren’t too particular about the light quality, plants certainly are!
Some time ago, I decided to upgrade the lighting in my display vivariums. My criteria were as follows:
Energy-efficient lights with high output (LED lighting being the preferred choice).
Good light penetration, as my tallest vivarium is 130 cm high.
Sufficient warmth to heat the vivariums.
A rich colour spectrum to promote plant growth and simulate natural daylight.
Sleek, aesthetically pleasing lights, as they’re on display.
Automatic dimming for dawn and dusk transitions.
Control via a smartphone app.
Battery backup to prevent loss of light schedules during power outages.
At the time, I had experience with Solar Raptor lighting (too much heat), Arcadia T5 (low light levels), and Fluval LED (which lacked dimming and battery backup at the time). I came across new lights from a Polish supplier called Skylight, which were being sold in some aquarium and vivarium shops in the Netherlands. These lights met all my requirements.
At that point, there wasn’t much competition offering the same features. However, Arcadia has now introduced a competing line with the LumenIZE series, though I haven’t had the chance to see them in action yet.
I ended up purchasing Skylight lights for my vivariums. I used the PR series for my medium-sized enclosures and the top-of-the-line Hyperspot lights for my larger vivarium.
Some specs:
The PR lights are controlled via WiFi (AQCT-3), while the Hyperspots have built-in WiFi. I experimented with various lighting schedules and fine-tuned them to my satisfaction.
Everything works perfectly. The PR lights allow for adjustments in both light intensity and colour, ranging from cool to warm. The Hyperspot lights offer even greater flexibility, with up to 60 different colour temperature options! Here's an example of the two lighting schedules I use for the PR and Hyperspot lights.
I can confidently say that I’m very pleased with my lighting setup. Plant growth has been excellent—my bromeliads are displaying vibrant colours, and the climbers are thriving. There's also plenty of plant growth at the base of my vivariums like Begonias. The frogs' behaviour is perfectly normal, and they continue to breed consistently.
Lastly, as a viewer of these miniature jungles, the lighting is very pleasing to the eye. I particularly enjoy the sunrise and sunset effects in my vivariums.
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