# Light bulb ratings for plants?



## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Not sure if this is the right section, but since I've been trying to find good lighting for my plants, I figured it could work here. 

So my problem has been trying to find light bulbs that are small enough that they'll fit in my 1.5gal tank's existing hood, which is tiny. I've also been trying to find bulbs in a higher kelvin range, more than the usual incandescent 2500K. Unfortunately I couldn't find any tank-specific lights that fit my needs, so I've been looking at regular light bulbs. These listings are for regular light bulbs. Probably not the best thing for a tank, but if this helps anyone, you’re welcome, if not, I might need it as a reference again, lol

So far I've found that typically:
-Warm White is 2700K
-Soft White light is 2500-3000K
-Neutral White is 3500K
-Cool White is 4000-5000K
-Bright White is 5000-6000K
-Daylight White is 6500K
-Full Spectrum is 10,000K(?)

Each company is different of course, so the ratings are probably not all the same. Furthermore, apparently companies like to confuse their customers even more by occasionally not using those conventional labels. These are some of the kelvin ratings of bulbs that don't put themselves into those categories. Please feel free to add to this list.

GE Crystal Clear bulbs - 10,000K(?)
GE Reveal bulbs - 2500K
OTT-Lite Tru-Color fluorescents - 10,000K


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Good morning Kehy...

The best bulb for aquatic plants is a 6500 K, because it best mimics natural daylight at 5500 K. The 6500 K has a light blue color hue.

I have several large tanks of low light plants and this bulb has worked very well.

GE has recently come out with an Aquarium Plant bulb and I starting using the T8s for my taller 55 Gs and a T12 for the shorter 55s. There may be similar bulbs for small tanks.

I use single bulbs and my low light plants do very well with it.

Almost as important as light is the type of fertilizer you use. I prefer hydroponics liquids, but there are others.

B


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Generally speaking, any light in the 6500-10000K spectrum will work fine. No light in that range has been proven to grow plants better than the other. It just comes down to how you like the look they give your tank. I prefer the 6500K bulbs also. They will be much brighter than higher ratings. Tried 10000K lights for a little while, just couldn't get used to it.


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