# Sticky  Aquarium lighting



## susankat

Aquarium Lighting: 
How is light measured?

The Visible Spectrum of Light









Visible light is on a scale in nanometers from 400nm (violet) to 700nm (red).
The blue and red zones of the visible spectrum are the most beneficial to plants and algae.
Green plants appear green because they reflect the green part of the spectrum. 
The human eye is most sensitive (brightest) in the green spectrum (middle of visible spectrum, or around 550nm).

CRI: Color Rendering Index
CRI is a measurement of how accurately a light source can produce colors in objects.
Scale is from 0 to 100 Natural Sunlight is 100.
The higher the number the more vibrant the colors will appear.
Have you ever bought a piece of clothing in a store only later to realize that in natural sunlight the color looks different, most likely the store was using low CRI Bulbs.
CRI has very little meaning to aquarium occupants as it is based on human vision.

Lumen


















The light that the human eye can see VS. The light that aquarium photosynthetic animals like
The lumen is a measure of flux, or how much light energy a light source emits (per unit time). 
The lumen measure does not include all the energy the light emits, just the human visible wavelengths.
The lumen has very little meaning to aquarium occupants as it is based on human vision.
Lux = Lumens/Square Meter

Watts
Watt is a unit of electrical consumption, not of light energy.
The amount on energy that your lighting system consumes may have little to due with how much usable light is emitted.
The watts/gallon rule as applied to aquariums continues to be outdated as more efficient lighting source are able to squeeze more usable light from each watt.
This measurement can give you an idea how much light is produced if comparing apples to apples.

Kelvin
The Kelvin rating is a indication color temperature.
The Kelvin rating for light sources:
– 2,700K- average incandescent light bulb
– 5,500K – Daylight
– 10,000K – Blue Sky
It is the average of all the light emitted from the light source.
Two identical Kelvin rated light sources can be composed of vastly different wavelengths of light.
This measurement can give you a general idea of the color and composition of the light.
Personally I think some of the numbers stamped on the bulbs are just for marketing.

PAR
PAR - Photosynthetic Active Radiation or Photosynthetic Available Radiation
PAR accounts with equal weight for all the output a light source emits in the wavelength range between 400 and 700 nm.
PAR differs from the lumen in the fact that it is not a direct measure of light energy, but rather light energy that is useable for photosynthesis.
It is expressed in "number of photons per second".
The reason for expressing PAR in number of photons instead of energy units is that the photosynthesis reaction takes place when a photon is absorbed by the plant.
PAR is one of the most meaningful measurements to aquarium occupants (PAR figures are not listed on lighting systems, as they are setup specific).

Application to Aquariums

Fish only Tanks
From a color temperature standpoint (Kelvin rating): 
Blue-colored light (10,000K) will enhance blues in your fish. 
Green-colored light (5,500K – 6,700K) will make the tank look bright to humans and enhance the green color of your plants. 
Red-colored light (2,700K) will enhance the reds in your fish, and any red plants.
The light cycle can be important to trigger spawning (or a change in the light cycle).
The amount of light can be used to control algae.

Planted Freshwater/Marine









For green plants the lighting peaks that are most important:
– Chlorophyll-a: 430nm/662nm
– Chlorophyll-b: 453nm/642nm
– Carotenoids: 449nm/475nm
– Blue Green Algae (cyanobacteria), which contain Phycocyanin and absorb light heavily in the low 600nm (orange-red).
Red pigmented plants use more light in the blue area (450nm) of the spectrum.
If your lighting looks extremely bright and your plants seem ultra-green, it means that you have lighting that outputs strongly in the green spectrum.

Marine Reef
When light penetrates the ocean, the red spectrum is filtered out. (This is why the ocean appears blue).
Sunlight at the waters surface has a color temperature of 6,500K.
The light spectrum approximate a depth of 5 to 10m (16.5 to 33 feet) is 10,000K.
The spectrum is equivalent of light at a depth of about 20m (66') is 20,000K.
Most standard lighting is in the 6,700K range in order to get a (Higher Kelvin) rating Actinic (lighting that ranges from ~380 nm to ~480 nm, with a major peak at ~420 nm) bulbs are often used as a supplement.
Zooxanthellae(Zoo-zan-THEL-lee) are symbiotic Algae located inside various marine invertebrates (Corals, Anemones, and Clams) they can provide up to 90% of a coral’s energy requirements.
Zooxanthellae utilize Chlorophyll-a and Chlorophyll-c
The absorbance spectra for Zooxanthellae is much broader in the Blue spectrum (400 - 450nm).

Lighting Types

Natural Sunlight
Great Light & Free
Impossible to Control

Incandescent
The hardware is very cheap.
Most energy is wasted as heat only 17 Lumens per watt.
Incandescent has very poor quality of light typically 2,700K.
Compact Florescent is the spiral bulb now used to replace incandescent bulbs. 
Uses less electricity
Ballast is not remote 
Very high restrike

Fluorescent
T designation is based on 1/8th of an inch 
– T12 = 1.5 inches
– T8 = 1 inch 
– T5 = .625 inches
NO - Normal Output
HO – High Output
VHO – Very High Output

Normal Output Fluorescent
NO is in a standard aquarium hood that is included in most aquarium combo setups.
It is also what is used in shop lights and most home installations.
T12 has a output of approx 55-75 Lumens per watt (magnetic or electronic ballast).
T8 has a output of approx 80-90 Lumens per watt (magnetic or electronic ballast).
T5 has a output of approx 95-105 Lumens per watt (electronic ballast only).

High Output Fluorescent
HO are basically the same as regular fluorescent except the ballast is designed to supply the bulbs with more electricity.
T5HO has a output of approx 85-95 Lumens per watt.
A 24 inch T5 NO is 14 watts.
A 24 inch T5 HO is 24 watts.
Power Compact (bent T6HO) has a output of approximately 75-85 Lumens per watt.
Higher restrike (when light hits another spot on the bulb and is lost)
Very High Output Fluorescent
VHO is basically the same as regular fluorescent except the ballast is designed to supply the bulbs with more electricity.
VHO has a output of approx 55-75 Lumens per watt.
A 48 inch T12 NO is 40 watts.
A 48 inch T12 VHO is 110 watts.

Compact Fluorescent
Spiral bulb now used to replace incandescent bulbs and has an output of approximately 70 Lumens per watt.
Ballast is manufactured to be disposable
Ballast is not remote - life is shortened due to exposure to heat and humidity.
Very high restrike 
not a way to add a great reflector.

Mercury Vapor
output of approx 50 Lumens per watt.
output spectra that is almost entirely blue-white, with very little red
High/Low Pressure Sodium
output of approx 100-150 Lumens per watt (currently the most efficient lighting system)
output is pure yellow (only good when used in conjunction with other types of lights).
New bulbs with increased Blue spectrum are now being used for terrestrial plants with great success, but have not been tried in aquariums yet.

Metal Halide
Point source lighting is able to penetrate deeper aquariums (But lighting is less evenly distributed than with Fluorescents).
generates a lot of light in one spot, so more heat gets transferred into the aquarium water (fans and chillers may be necessary).
90 lumens per watt.

LED
Dimmable many can reproduce sunrise and sunset (even the lunar cycle as well)
Longer life more than 50,000 hours
Virtually no heat transfer to aquarium water
Light is very directional (like laser pointer) optics(lenses) are necessary to spread the lighting
First led systems on the market are close to 90 lumens per watt.
Very Expensive Hardware.

Reflectors
A good quality reflector will direct approximately 20% more light that is already being produced down into the aquarium.
David Stewart

Fishroom w/ 1000+ gallons with a little of everything, OK well still mostly plants

Posted with David Stewarts permission


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## holly12

Wow! Information overload lol! I think my brain just exploded! (Seriously though, thanks!)


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## singlee118

But,we must understand that red light is not good in tanks,blue is great.


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## singlee118

Blue light is 410-520,but now many people prefer 460-470nm.


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## holly12

I got a Floramax light and it is really dull. It gives off a purplish/blue hue. Not liking it. Waaay too dark. Going to go with a Life Glo because I like the brighter, white hue.


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## sanling

What light is most suitable for aquariums in the current market ?


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## susankat

T5HO's are what most high tech tanks has on them. But I think a lot of people are looking into the led's.


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## singlee118

sanling said:


> What light is most suitable for aquariums in the current market ?




led of course!


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## dgluton

I have a 55 Gallon planted tank, I want to put some better lights than what it came with cause the plants dont seem to like it, how many 48" HO-T5 bulbs would you recommend??

I'm a little new, its been 9 years since I had a decent tank going.


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## jrman83

dgluton said:


> I have a 55 Gallon planted tank, I want to put some better lights than what it came with cause the plants dont seem to like it, how many 48" HO-T5 bulbs would you recommend??
> 
> I'm a little new, its been 9 years since I had a decent tank going.


What type of fixture do you have?


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## dgluton

I am looking for a new fixture now, I am looking at 2, one holds 2 bulbs, the other holds 4 and has built in moonlights.


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## dgluton

Amazon.com: 48" Black T5 4x 54 Watt High Output, Moon Lights, Legs, Splash Guard & Free Bulbs: Kitchen & Dining

Option 1

Amazon.com: Nova Extreme T5 X2 for Freshwater 48Inch: Kitchen & Dining

Option 2


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## Avocado Man

I went with a Nova Extreme 24" T5 bulb for my 20-gallon, lightly planted tank. The plants love it, but now I am battling algae (I think I need to add some more plants and reduce the hours it's on even more). I never had an algae problem before I cranked up my lights.

I don't know about your other option, but the Nova one works well for me.


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## Razmear

Some more useful info on color temps:
LED facts and Kelvin Color Temperature Charts

eb


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## Galvatron898

great info thanks!


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## Lowkey485

Ok, I have 2 questions. I am wondering which are the best bulbs and where can I buy them. My preference is Current USA, however can not find the right size for my light fixture. I have a 48" T5HO fixture.


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## susankat

Try marinedepot.com


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## Mr_Pat

So 10k = usless for plants or will work for plants ?


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## jrman83

If you mean 10000k, it is the upper limit but will work great for plants.


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## wartown72

I am starting to put plants in my 55 gallon tank. What would be the best light bulbs to put in it. Like suitable ones. It's a 2 bulb fixture.thank you


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## Anthony Clark

Hello fish lovers.I feel has though I have come to the right place with my question! I have rejoint after 40years working. 
I have been using daylight for lighting my 40x40x65cm tanks Cold & Warm. even though we receive lots of sunshine here in southern Spain the plants do not look happy after one year. I have now installed a LED lighting tube. How many hours should I have the tank light on ? 10 watts 6500k. which is very bright.


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## Galvatron898

Really depends on what kinds of plants. My planted has micro swords dhg and various other swords my lighting is on 6 to 7 hours a day at 3 watts per gallon. And I am using a DIY CO2 not sure what the math is on led lighting or what size tank


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## jrman83

I would start with 6-8hrs, see how the plants respond, and adjust from there.


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## FrshwtrAR

A lot of the lighting terminology is way beyond my understanding, but based on the info above, couldn't I build an led light using a string of red LEDs, a string of blue LEDs, and a string of white (to increase visibility)? It seems like that would work, since plants like the ble and red ends of the spectrum, and we see things well in white light. Am I missing something, or would it be worth a try?


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## clep.berry

FrshwtrAR said:


> A lot of the lighting terminology is way beyond my understanding, but based on the info above, couldn't I build an led light using a string of red LEDs, a string of blue LEDs, and a string of white (to increase visibility)? It seems like that would work, since plants like the ble and red ends of the spectrum, and we see things well in white light. Am I missing something, or would it be worth a try?


I doubt it's worth a try. I have TMC Grobeams in my tank and they are exceptionally well designed. Compared to loose LEDs, they're drawing about 3W per LED and all are 6500k. They are also very directional so while they are putting out 80 lumens per watt, it's more like 140 lumens of T5 equivalent because no reflector can come close to the directionality of a LED with it's lenses.

LEDs can give you the right spectrum, direct all the light in the right direction and be more efficient at the same time. I have 24W on a 15g running for 4-5 hours per day and won't need to change a bulb in over 5 years.

There is a downside though - they require very good ventilation to operate for these long periods so ideally, not in a hood.
cb


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## petehall

I have a relatively new tank with plants and not too many fish. I have been pretty overwhelmed with algae, despite a couple of otocinclus and an aggressive water replenishment routine. I have a 29 gallon tank and have been replacing about six plus gallons a day of water to help keep the nutrients down. I have eco complete as a substrate. Is their a happy medium between amount of light for needed for some relatively easy plants and not growing a great algae crop? Not that I don't like green but.......


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## clep.berry

Pete,
algae is a sign of an imbalance between Light, CO2 and nutrients.
Of the 3, CO2 is the only one that too much of doesn't cause algae - so long as the CO2 levels are high and stable.
So... you're limited by CO2 and need to light/feed accordingly.
You can turn off some of the lights, decrease the photoperiod, add CO2 or do all of the above.
An alternative is to use Seachem Excel in the tank which will increase bioavailable carbon allowing the plants to beat the algae.
Or you can do all 4.
cb


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## petehall

I appreciate the quick reply. I am not currently adding CO2 to the tank. And frankly because I am still new to this was not quite ready to go there yet. 

Anyway the ph tends to run low (6.2 or so) and my understanding is adding C02 to the tank might drag it down even further. I had the lights on 12 hours a day and already reduced it to 8 hours. I am enthusiastic about having plants and am afraid if I cut back on light too much the plants will suffer.

I will try the Seachem. At least the fish seem happy in their green little world.

Thanks very much. 

Peter Hall


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## clep.berry

Pete, are you running the grobeams?
I'm running mine for 6 hours at a time.
My tank is about half the size of yours so double what I'm doing and you should be OK.
I'm running a soda bottle reactor into a 200l/hour $10 filter and dispersing the bubbles across the tank. If you run 2 of these (2 cups sugar 1 tsp yeast) you should get good CO2 dispersal.
Excel and reduced light will likely save you though. At one stage I was running 4 hrs as those grobeams are intense!
cb


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## petehall

Yes I am using those lights. I made a hood and mounted them. I like the quality of the light. 
Thanks again for the advice. I will let you know what happens.


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## Aquarius

I have a 29 gallon (~30 inches Wide) that I am looking currently try to buy new lights for. I was looking for a dual T5 HO system. From what I have seen, most of the "higher reviewed" items are 48 inches long. I'm guessing that the lights for this are either 28" or 24" as those seem to be the common sizes for bulbs. Any ideas or recommendations? I am planning on having a medium planted community tank.


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## petehall

I would have to say I really like the quality of the LED lights and certainly they are cheaper to run, but at more cost initially. I keep them on about 7 hours a day. In the beginning I had a terrible algae problem, but with time that seems to have cleared up as the plants became established. Perhaps the Seacham helped. To be honest I was thinking the plants and substrate were a bad idea.....but after a couple of months every thing has settled down and the tank turned out really pretty. The advice on this site was very helpful. Without it I might have ended up with a sterile looking tank with a gold fish or something. Thank you everyone.


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## Aquarius

I also like the idea of LED's. In a ~29 gallon tank, do you need to have more than one set? I have seen them in a "pod" shape and also in strips. There are so many types of LED's I'm not sure which get. I've seen some with red, blue, green and white strips as well. I understand the purpose of the colors but are they necessary? Why are some colored and why are some more blue/white? Is is just for those people looking to feed plants with different spectrum needs? OR is the coloration more gimmick??


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## Raymond S.

Water depth plays a big part in how much light the plants need. The LPS by me that I rate a 9 on a 1-10 scale is owned/operated by an ex school biology
teacher. He regularly points out that all his 55 gallon tanks have regular T8 lights on them and the plants do just fine. But he is referring to the two bulb
shop light type fixtures and not which kind of bulbs he uses. I'll check on that the next time I'm there.
For a 55 I would start/w one Zoo Med Flora Sun max plant growth bulb and one 10,000K.
I have the T8 (but on a ten gal) and I like those because the fixtures are one bulb. They can be on separate timers that way. I have one (a Zoo Med Flora grow)
on from 9A till 6P in summer. The other bulb is a Zoo Med Ultra Sun 6500K and it is on from 11A till 3P in the summer. You likely would not think that two of
the Zoo Med Flora Grow bulbs are enough visible light for your viewing the tank. An option for a less expensive one is the Aqueon Full Spectrum (8000K) but
it has substantially less light(visible) than the 10,000K but may be a suitable alternative to the ZM Flora Grow as it advertises it has good plant light.
With two bulbs in a T5 set you will need to limit your light to 7 hrs to keep down the algae. Really any two bulb fixture because you can't regulate each bulb.
BTW: I don't remember where, likely in a review of a bulb, but I read recently that a person said he had tried the 10,000K (it was a T5 and I presume it
was a two bulb set) and found that he got better plant growth/w the 6700K bulbs. As far as I know only Coral Life Nutra Grow comes in 6700K in a T8.
Have never tried one of those as "if it works then don't mess/w it" is keeping me buying the ZM Flora Grow 6500K. My "other bulb" changes from time to
time but that one stays.
Zoo Med AquaSun T-5 HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood at PETCO


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## pineappleswordies

Ok so I have a question. I have a 10G lightly planted, mostly anacharis. I have a 18" 15w zoomed ultrasun. I found a aerogarden in my basement and have gotten the light from that to sit above the tank. The light says it is a aerogarden grow bulb rated at 26w. But the thing is on this new bulb I looked up the kelvin rating and its only around 4000-5000k. I know the 6500k of the ultrasun is better but the aerogarden one puts out more watts. I just put the aerogarden one on this morning but which do you guys think would be better?


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## Raymond S.

Watts can be deceptive as some bulbs put out more for less so to speak. The K rating say's that the aerogarden is less than what we normally
would use on most tanks but on a ten which is only about ten inches from top to the top of the substrate, that may be enough.
I'm curious as to why you wouldn't use both of them as I have two 18" x 15W bulbs on my ten's. I used to use that ultra sun as one/w a zoomed flora grow
as the other bulb on each tank but now I am experimenting/w different ones on each. Just curiosity to see which combination works best on the plants.
A caution though. This level of light causes algae a bit more than just one bulb.


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## pineappleswordies

Yeah well the aerogarden one takes up a big top of the tank. I have a florasun bulb as well. I might try to have both the florasun and the ultrasun. I also have diy co2 and dose with seachem comprehensive


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## Reefing Madness

The more blue the lighting is, the more useable light actually gets to the plant or coral. The reds scatter almost immediately when they enter the water surface.


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## Reefing Madness

singlee118 said:


> Blue light is 410-520,but now many people prefer 460-470nm.


Not totally accurate
10k is a blue light
20k is much bluer
22k is Blue straight up.
The 420nm lighting is more in the purpleish range


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## Bigjd1988

I have a 125 gallon tank lights are 1 t8 actinic blue light 48in a day one 48inch daylight 32 watt what would be the best light setup for me I want to grow dwarf hair grass


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## Raymond S.

Bigjd1988,
This may be useful info for you. If the "daylight" is 6500/6700K you have a good balance of light though in a 125 it likely is a slight bit less visible light
than you might want to have. Just a guess on my part about that aspect though. Seems to be enough for the Dwarf Hair grass according to this.
Dwarf Hairgrass (Elocharis acicularis)


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## Reefing Madness

Both at 6700k lighting range. Or T5 unit. Depends on how fast you want it to grow.


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## Bigjd1988

At reefing madness and Raymond thanks for the info I dnt know if the lights are 6500? How would I find out tho


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## Reefing Madness

Bigjd1988 said:


> At reefing madness and Raymond thanks for the info I dnt know if the lights are 6500? How would I find out tho


It should be on the lamp end.


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## Raymond S.

There should be printing on one end of the bulb giving at least the manufacturer's name. If that label doesn't give the K rating then you
might Google it(the manufacturer) and see if the site gives that info. If no such info is available that way, you might just ask a Pet store
person when you next go there if they heard of that brand. If after a reasonable effort to find it out fails you may want to get two bulbs
which you know are in that range. A great price on that range bulb can be found at Loew's in a GE bulb marked "Daylight" 6500K.
Aquarium bulbs are usually much higher priced than these...cost me $8 in 18" but due to volume sales the 48" is cheaper usually.


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## Bigjd1988

Ok yes it is the ge daylight bulb so I have one of those and the Atlantic blue bulb both 48in hanging over the tank so them should be efficient enough for dwarf hair grass righf


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## Botiadancer

I have a whole folder filled with scraps of paper and printouts that took years to acquire... and is a pain in the butt to sort through and find anything. Also a bunch of bookmarks in my lighting folder on my computer with many deadlinks inside... and you have made all that obsolete.

THANK YOU SUSANKAT!!!!!!!


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## Raymond S.

Sometimes it is when the tank is short but it may not be enough in your tank without both bulbs being 6500K.
Put the grass directly under the light and see how it does. It might be enough.


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## greybear

Very nice thread...so many info...thanx


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## eljefe0000

im in need of replacing my bulbs for my planted tank anyone use these or think they might be appropriate for a planted tank ViaVolt 4 ft. T5 865 High Output Fluorescent Grow Light Replacement Bulb 6500K-VT54B at The Home Depot


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## coralbandit

eljefe0000 said:


> im in need of replacing my bulbs for my planted tank anyone use these or think they might be appropriate for a planted tank ViaVolt 4 ft. T5 865 High Output Fluorescent Grow Light Replacement Bulb 6500K-VT54B at The Home Depot


They are the correct temp(6500K) so they should be fine.


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## eljefe0000

do lumens play any part in this process ? do other tubes with the same specs have the same lumens does it matter ?


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## coralbandit

PAR is really the standard of measure that is most accurate.
This is the most informative link to lighting planted tanks.
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts
It has some values listed for specific bulbs/or fixtures.


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## eljefe0000

anybody ever try these for their aquariums ? also what would be a good combination i was thinking the grow and bloom combo 

T5 Bulbs T5HO High Output Fluorescent Lamp 2 4 ft Grow Bloom UV 1 4 8 25 Packs | eBay


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## Fishtail76

I am only going by research that I've done, I've not personally used these, so if I'm wrong I'll leave it to others to correct me. The "grow" (6,400k) would be good, but the "bloom" (3,000k) is out of the spectrum that is most beneficial to plants. If you want another to go with "grow", "finisher" (10,000k) or "super veg" (5,400k) should be good choices.


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## vinniesmith1989

so i have this hood Marineland Marineland LED Light Hood for Aquariums Aquarium Hoods i was thinking of adding this light Marineland Marineland Hidden LED Lighting System - 6,500K White / 460nm Blue Aquarium LED Light Fixtures think this would be sufficient lighting for a decent planted tank? No CO2, 20 gallon long tank


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## coralbandit

vinniesmith1989 said:


> so i have this hood Marineland Marineland LED Light Hood for Aquariums Aquarium Hoods i was thinking of adding this light Marineland Marineland Hidden LED Lighting System - 6,500K White / 460nm Blue Aquarium LED Light Fixtures think this would be sufficient lighting for a decent planted tank? No CO2, 20 gallon long tank


You can grow low light plants with both of those.
I actually have the first one you link on a 10g and although plants didn't grow much they certainly did survive for over a year before I stripped the tank for fry.


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## vinniesmith1989

cool thank you


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## Daven

I am new to all this and have a couple questions if you guys dont mind. First, my tank has a single flouresant tube that im assuming is stock. Measures 23" from end to end and, looking directly at it, the light output apears to be white with a slight purple hue to it. I havent taken it out to look at the bulb for model numbers, but im asuming i could go with a better one when i decide to get some plants together. 

So i just need to look for something rated for 6500k on the colour spectrum and higher wattage is better? Is there an efficiency to look for or is that moreso between the different types of bulbs (Flouresent, LED, etc)? And since im asuming this is a basic setup, can i get too powerful a bulb for my socket? Im just likely going to have some basic lowlight plants like amazon swords and java moss. Sorry for all the questions. Its a whole new world in the aquarium scene!


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