# lighting(which bulbs)



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

As recommended i was on the hunt for 6700k bulbs straight pin for my new setup of a freshwater planted community tank (80 gallon) and came across a seller (13 + sales 98.6 positive feedback)on eBay that offers FOUR bulbs for $35 shipped.
he offers to ship any combination of 
o Actinic 460nm
o 12000K Premium Daylight 
o 6700K Ultra Daylight
o 50/50 ( Half 12000K daylight. Half Actinic 460nm)

i will obviously get at least 2 of the 6700k's but wonder if i would have any use for any of the other colors or should i just order 4 of the 6700k


----------



## mk4gti (Jun 15, 2010)

You might want to throw 1 1200k light in there just to brighten it up a little bit, i run 4 6700k and 1 10000k on my 90 gallon.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I would suggest 6500k tubes from your local home depot/Lowes.

that is if t-8/t-12 4' tubes can be used on your tank.

Those tubes are $6 for two tubes or so.
my .02


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

Hmmm, normal fluorescent bulbs. 
The fixture i have uses two 4 pin bulbs so those wouldn't work BUT:
I wonder, i can i use a "normal: fluorescent tube fixture for the tank?
it has a nice wooden canopy that would hid the fixture, i could even attach the fixture to the canopy so that the lighting would "lift" when the canopy is raised.
Are the tube bulbs generally available in all the colors at cheaper prices?


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Brando said:


> Hmmm, normal fluorescent bulbs.
> The fixture i have uses two 4 pin bulbs so those wouldn't work BUT:
> I wonder, i can i use a "normal: fluorescent tube fixture for the tank?
> it has a nice wooden canopy that would hid the fixture, i could even attach the fixture to the canopy so that the lighting would "lift" when the canopy is raised.
> Are the tube bulbs generally available in all the colors at cheaper prices?


Not all the colors, I suppose, but here is a 6500K T5 bulb for a 36" fixture. I just replaced the light fixture in my hood with this 36" T5 dual bulb strip I bought at home depot. The only problem I've had is 36" bulbs are less common, hence why I'm looking at ordering them.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

my canopy can fit 48" width without issue, are 48" bulbs easier to find? Id just assume mount a 2( may 4) bulb fixture right to the canopy justy so it doesnt sit right on the top in the way.


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Brando said:


> my canopy can fit 48" width without issue, are 48" bulbs easier to find? Id just assume mount a 2( may 4) bulb fixture right to the canopy justy so it doesnt sit right on the top in the way.


You would have to check to insure a 4' utility light would fit in your hood.

but if it does a 4' 2 tube 32 w/tube utility fixture is $10 at home depot.

2 6500k 32 w t-8 tubes are $6 or so.

So for $16+tax you get2x32w=64w.

2 fixtures will fit over a 55g, 3 over a 75g. So you should be able to get 2w/g.


that would be more then enough of a FW planted setup.

and the light color is very nice at least to my eyes.

my .02


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

ok 2 watts /gallon are the bulbs available in higher wattage to reduce # fixtures perhaps? or is heat an issue?

Just curious.
what about "moonlight" ive seen mentioned..what color is that?


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Moonlight, from what I understand, is just low-intensity blue LED light(s) that simulates the moon when the normal lights are turned off. Mostly, it's just for effects (I have one and it makes a cool night light in my room), but I've heard tell moonlights can also promote breeding and other nighttime activities that certain fish may have.


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Beaslbob's suggestion is probably a bit better given your tank size. 
A 48" bulb is a lot easier to find, and if you can fit them, T8s are much more common. You would add enough fixtures/bulbs to hit the wattage you want. Generally hitting about 2Watts/gallon lets you grow plants well, but slowly. People who want to turbo-charge their plant growth will aim for 3-4 Watts/Gallon, a high tech CO2 injection system, and dose with fertilizers. I'm too cheap. 

The 'moonlight' lights I've seen built into some hoods look like they're probably some blue LEDs to look nice when the rest of the hood is off. I think it would be nice, but if you're on a timer, all the lights will go off, not just the tubes.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

ok, going to look into the 48" fixtures and the 6500K tubes, is mositure an issue here? Is there something i should do to protect ? Like Vaseline on the electrodes of the tubes or something?


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Never heard of Vaseline on the electrodes, but might be worth doing if you REALLY know what you're doing. Best way to stop splashing is get a full glass hood (unless your tank is a monster), but otherwise the rest of the crew here will be much more helpful than I could dream to be with these lights.


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Well, a lot of planted tank people dont use hoods, and just mount their lights suspended a little above the tank (maybe 6" high?). On my 10G and 2.5G the hoods had regular bulb sockets and I just screwed in a spiral CFL bulb for them. For the 30G I am being very bad, and using a broken glass top which exposes some of the florescent fixture just above the water. I need to either suspend the hood and remove the glass top, or replace the glass top. There are glass tops sold in aquarium stores and mail-order places, or you can just buy something like acrylic or glass at the home depot and make it fit if you have the know-how.

Now that I've admitted my glass top is broken and the light fixture exposed I'm feeling guilty *r2


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Brando said:


> ok, going to look into the 48" fixtures and the 6500K tubes, is mositure an issue here? Is there something i should do to protect ? Like Vaseline on the electrodes of the tubes or something?


gee vaseline has two uses?

Yep but usually for just the screw in bulbs. Helps prevent corrosion so you can successfully unscrew the bulb years later.

Some do use silicone to water proof the ends of the utility fixtures.

But for normal output tubes in planted setups I don't.

Besides if they rust out over a couple of years so what? In a hood you can't see the rust and replacements are only $10 or so.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

Question about T5 lamps...most i see at HD or Lowes appear to be "low" output..28 /32/ 21 watt. 
i am going to mount the fixture(s) in to the canopy but space is limited.

I am going to be trying to plant and 80 gallon, 
I see things about 2 WPG, and using these low wattage lamps , assuming i need 160 watts means more fixtures than i can get in there, (4).
Am i misinformed about needing 160 watts? or where can i get HO bulbs locally ( i can get them online it seems).

Plan is to mount four single bulb fixtures that i can control individually through timers and a strip of blue LED's for the "moonlight effect".

Edit, im finding only two bulbs fixtures at Lowes, and they are rated at 40 watt max, but still cant find 40 watt bulbs


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Watts per gallon (WPG) is a relative term. Generally it will suffice, but if you have T5 6700K bulbs, you won't need as much wattage, in my opinion.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

WPG is a worn out term and doesn't really apply anymore for most setups. I would do some research and try going to a planted forum and ask your questions there....not that someone couldn't handle it here.

What you need to figure out is where you want to be for the type of plants you want. Too high of light and you may want CO2 eventually. Some will say X amount of light means you need CO2, but I have 260 watt CFLs over a 75g and I have no trouble (no CO2 yet)


Not sure how much you wanted to spend on lighting, but this place has some really good prices for T5HO fixtures:

4Ft/4Bulbs fixture

EDIT : Just re-read and saw you already have the fixture. You can also go here to retro-fit:
Catalina Aquarium T5 HO Retrofit


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

I like the fixture from the first link, though they are sold out at the moment, i am going to inquire as to availability, the units in the second link are way out of my price range.
I am going to inquire at a planted tank forum just to see what else they say.

Out of curiosity how do you have your CFLs installed? A picture would be great for perspective.

Appreciate your input.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I have the Coralife Aqualight and it just lays on top of my glass canopy. I bought the legs that raises it up about 4-5", but I haven't installed them.

I believe this pic will show it enough...just lays up there. Just keep in mind that you'll need to play around with the hours you have the light on. If your lighting will be high lighting, then it will be even more important because you'll have some serious algae problems if you don't. I would get all the plants you want in there from the beginning and it will elimate some issues and help with cycling. My light is only on about 5-6hrs a day and I fertilize using the EI method twice a week. I did go through some periods of GBA and BBA before I found the right period and fertilization plan that worked for me. My tank still has no CO2. I have a system sitting on the floor next to it, but I've been in no hurry and unsure if I even want to mess with it.
<a href=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6094><img src=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=6094&size=1 border=0></a>
<a href=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6093><img src=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=6093&size=1 border=0></a>


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Pretty tanks! But don't you have issues with heat buildup when you've got the light fixture just resting on the hood like that?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Thanks. The glass gets a little warm, but not hot to the touch or anything. I can touch any part of the light and it is not hot to the touch, as most florescents aren't. I assume it does create a little surface warmth on the water, but it hasn't been an issue at all. I plan to put those legs on it, just been lazy.


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Brando said:


> Question about T5 lamps...most i see at HD or Lowes appear to be "low" output..28 /32/ 21 watt.
> i am going to mount the fixture(s) in to the canopy but space is limited.
> 
> I am going to be trying to plant and 80 gallon,
> ...


They're right that the Watts per Gallon is antiquated, but there isn't really a better way to do it that doesn't involve a $300 PAR meter to measure light output. If you go with T5, my understanding is that you can lower wattage to about 1.5 WPG, so for an 80G I would think 120Watts would suffice. A little more wouldn't hurt. As for the HO bulbs, I do not _think_ they would work in a normal fixture. I haven't tried, but I would think a bulb trying to draw that much current would fry the electronics if it were made for lower wattage bulbs (and mine was). If you need to go HO, I see ahsupply mentioned a lot as a good quality way to retrofit your hood. Looks like good stuff to me. In their gear, I would probably aim for the 4x55W setup for $129.99 to hit a good wattage. Now you see why we're buying cheap stuff at home depot.
*r2


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Go to plantedtank.net and to the lighting forum. There is a par discussion that is stuck to the top of the forum (sticky). Read through the thread and the other posted below it...awesome info.

If you don't have the HO ballast, you won't get HO. I wouldn't put a HO bulb in a non-HO fixture. It's just a waste.

Like I said, you have to decide what range of lighting you want to be, low, medium or high. The cost grows quite a bit the higher you want to go. This should be driven by the plants you want or may want in the future.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Pretty tanks! But don't you have issues with heat buildup when you've got the light fixture just resting on the hood like that?


This is a question i have as my fight fixture will be inside and underneath a hardwood canopy with just some ventilation in the back.

i think i am going to go with the two bulb version:
T5-ho 4ft / 2LAMP Aquarium lighting


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Personally, I'd want more. If you have about a 3" substrate you will still have about 17" to the top of your tank and then another 2-4" to your bulbs. That light may limit you on certain plants used for ground cover or foreground plants. You will be able to grow tons of plants with that light, don't get me wrong. Just could be limiting. The cost difference between the 2 and 4 is pretty low. I know they may be out of stock, but if I remember right they may have all taken off until the new year anyway (may have been catalina). You could call.

Just a thought. Not sure what your planted dreams are.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> Personally, I'd want more. If you have about a 3" substrate you will still have about 17" to the top of your tank and then another 2-4" to your bulbs. That light may limit you on certain plants used for ground cover or foreground plants. You will be able to grow tons of plants with that light, don't get me wrong. Just could be limiting. The cost difference between the 2 and 4 is pretty low. I know they may be out of stock, but if I remember right they may have all taken off until the new year anyway (may have been catalina). You could call.
> 
> Just a thought. Not sure what your planted dreams are.


 You have a good point. i am going to look in to the 4 bulb unit. I am going at this build with the mindset that i don't want to look back and say" I should have..." Not sure what my "dreams" are, i dont want to go overboard, but some ground cover would be nice to have if i choose .


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

I'd side with jr on this. If you're going to spend good money, make it something that will grow with you if you need more lighting later. You can always remove bulbs if you find it too much light (making algae). Let us know how you like the fixtures from that place.. it looks like a great price for an HO.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

i will , just curious, i see i can order any combination of white or blue bulbs, is there any benefit in getting one blue bulb in a freshwater setup?


----------



## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Brando said:


> i will , just curious, i see i can order any combination of white or blue bulbs, is there any benefit in getting one blue bulb in a freshwater setup?


What you want is white bulbs with a color temp of 6700K. Some people will mix a 6700K and a 10K which works, but isn't quite as good for the plants. The higher the number the more "blue" the light, which is pretty appealing to the eye. I find 6700K very nice though, if you have enough of it.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You don't have to remove bulbs. An alternative could be to hang it from the ceiling and just move it up higher than what it was, if it comes to that. I may be doing it that way. You'll need to play around with your lighting period and get a good timer to set it up. Personally, I'd start with 8hrs and adjust from there. Depends on your plants and your preference. Mine are on when I'm home. In the weekdays usually from 5-10/11pm. On the weekends, 8-10am, and again 6-10pm. A timer will work good for when you may be out of town also.


----------



## aalina387 (Feb 14, 2011)

You don't have to remove bulbs. I think you should just hang it up higher than before.


----------



## aalina387 (Feb 14, 2011)

I think you should try florescent light.The LED grow light is a very efficient source of light and has a very long life.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> <a href=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6093><img src=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=6093&size=1 border=0></a>


Question..what is the larger "bushy" plant(s) that are growing right of center?


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

i came across a fixture that has 3 lamps/2 switches made by Catalina.
If i buy i have a choice of bulbs, for sure it will have two 6500K controlled by one switch, but then ill have a third bulb at is controlled with the second switch.
Any recommendation of K rating of third bulb for a medium planted tank?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Well damn...thought you and your tank up and quit, lol.

Either a 3rd 6700k or a 10000k. A lot of people like both in their tank. Anything outside that and you're not doing much for your plants. CA always put multiple switches on their lights unless you ask them not to. I have 4 of their fixtures.

Oh, and that large bushy plant is Wisteria. Got plenty if you want some.

More recent pic.



Better shot of the plant in a different tank.


----------



## Brando (Oct 6, 2010)

Been on hold for a while with the tank...few other family things take priority. Got most everything ready to set-up.

Going to replace the carpet in the room where the tank is going...something we were going to do anyway, might as well do it before the tank is set-up.

last thing to buy is the light.

here is some of the substrate, pea stone form HD. rinsing in the pool( broom works awesome. On the corner of the pool deck you can see about 110LBS of Texas Holey Stone i picked up on Craigslist for $30, wont use it all, but i thought that was a pretty good deal.


----------

