[TimB172]

This is my first planted tank, and first tank of any kind in about 10 years. In the past I didn't worry to much about lighting, I just went with whatever was on sale when I bought my tank. Is it possible to have the lights too bright? Bright enough for the plants, but too bright for the fish? Good for the fish, but not bright enough for the plants?

 

[stlhokie]

This is my first planted tank, and first tank of any kind in about 10 years. In the past I didn't worry to much about lighting, I just went with whatever was on sale when I bought my tank. Is it possible to have the lights too bright? Bright enough for the plants, but too bright for the fish? Good for the fish, but not bright enough for the plants?

Bright/dim lights won't really bother the fish unless you're going crazy bright, which will be much more problematic for your plants anyway. The biggest issue that comes up with bright lights in tanks is algae. Honestly if you're new to planted tanks, start out with fairly dim lights and a short photoperiod and gradually ramp up over the span of weeks-months as your plants start to fill in. Starting out with high lighting (especially if you aren't using CO2) could cause algae to become established and cause issues for your plants. It's much easier to prevent algae initially than it is to fix it once it's started.