Actinic Light for freshwater.

[mitchfish]

I have a dual t5 coralife light, and it looks super bright with the 6,700 k and the colormax lamps in it. Do you guys think an actinic light would look better than the colormax? My fish store does it like that for all their tanks and it looks good to me. Does anybody have any experiences with these on freshwater tanks?

 

[blert]

The ColorMax will make all colors more vibrant. The Actinic will make blues and light colored stuff really pop.

 

[mitchfish]

But the colormax and the 6,700 k look too bright. Has anyone experienced a 6,700 k(or 10,000 k) with a actinic blue light together. Does it look good even for freshwater?

 

[jlk]

I have a single 10k actinic bulb in one of my lights. It has a definite bluer hue to it but its WAY brighter than the 67k bulbs. If you like the appearance of the bluer light, I dont see any reason why you couldnt switch out a single bulb.

 

[blert]

Yes, it will look brighter and more blue.

 

[Coursair]

If you have live plants stick with light you have. If you switch, SAVE your receipt in case you hate it.

Also some shyer fish will stress out with super bright lights and may need floating fake or live plants to feel safe.

 

[Cornstar]

I have it with my 55g tank and I think it looks great with my kribs.

 

[Convict2161]

I also run actinic lights on my 75g

I have a Solarmax extreme. 4 bulb T5 HO fixture.



View attachment 82069

 

[mitchfish]

Its not so much that I like the color of blue, its just that i like how it balances out the white to make it appear darker and more pleasant. (IMO) Because it is never that bright in their natural habitat. Does anybody think the same way?

What i might get: Coralife Actinic Fluorescent Bulbs at PETCO

 

[mitchfish]

I really like your guys tanks btw!

 

[Convict2161]

Thanks Mitch