# Lightbulb questions



## Suzanne (Jun 10, 2011)

I'm not sure if this is the place for this post, but it's about a bulb on a planted tank, so...

I noticed lately that my 20g tank doesn't seem as bright as it used to, so I had a look at the lights. The fixture sits on a glass top, and there are two bulbs. One is a Coralife 6700k (no wattage listed on it), and the other is a Glo Power-glo 24w T5 HO.

Here's the tank. It looks darker in person than it does in the picture, which was taken with no flash but a slightly long exposure.


And here are the plants. By the way, if anyone knows what the one that isn't Anacharis is, I'd love to know!



My questions:
1. Is the Power-glo supposed to look kind of purple (when lit), or does that mean it's burning out? The other bulb looks totally white when lit, so if the purple one is going that might explain my perception of the tank darkening. However, I've also changed the gravel and lots of other things, so it could just be perceptual.
2. These both get really hot, and although I have some (non-central) air conditioning in my house, I'm having a hard time keeping the tank under 79 F; are there comparable things that would be less hot (and not cost a ton)?
3. Also in the realm of replacing one or both of these, are there lights that would be better for my plants? I've had flourish under these in the past, but a lot has changed since then and (again, not too expensive) upgrading is always good. Although I will say that my biggest barrier to plant growth right now is, I believe, a low pH - but that's another issue.

Thanks for any advice/input.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Suzanne said:


> My questions:
> 1. Is the Power-glo supposed to look kind of purple (when lit), or does that mean it's burning out? The other bulb looks totally white when lit, so if the purple one is going that might explain my perception of the tank darkening. However, I've also changed the gravel and lots of other things, so it could just be perceptual.
> 2. These both get really hot, and although I have some (non-central) air conditioning in my house, I'm having a hard time keeping the tank under 79 F; are there comparable things that would be less hot (and not cost a ton)?
> 3. Also in the realm of replacing one or both of these, are there lights that would be better for my plants? I've had flourish under these in the past, but a lot has changed since then and (again, not too expensive) upgrading is always good. Although I will say that my biggest barrier to plant growth right now is, I believe, a low pH - but that's another issue.


1. Yes. Anything 6,700K and lower gets into the pink-red hue, while anything above 10,000K gets into the violet/purple hue. I think Power-Glo is 10,000K
2. Prop the light up off the glass top with some blocks of wood or something similar. Might help with the heat issue.
3. I think T5HO is the best bang for your buck, since they're relatively effective and relatively affordable. Try changing both bulbs to 6700K - better for your plants, and less intense. Only drawback is they won't showcase your fish like a 10,000K or higher.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Oh, and the mystery plant looks like a few I have - I think they're crypts, but don't quote me.


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

When looking for some plants to buy, I saw those a lot.

'Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red'

Here's a pic:










I have the green counterpart. 

It's also just an educated guess. Since I'm no expert.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agreed with all the above.The plant is indeed a wendtii red.


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