blue or white? -- Questions on Light bulbs

[Evaunitone]

Quick question: If you get a lighting setup that has two lights in it should you get both blue lights? both white? one of each? Also, just randomly wondering why lights are measured in Kelvin? I mean a light that says 12000k on it doesn't heat up to 12000k degrees, so why is it measured in kelvin? I guess I didn't known kelvin could be a measure of anything other than temperature.

 

[meegosh]

Well it depends on a couple of things. If you want a planted tank then you will probably want to shoot for a 6700K bulb. Kelvin in planted aquariums refer to the color temperature of the bulb. If you are not concerned with growing live plants then it is really up to you. I think normal shop lights' (T8's) bulbs are around 10000K and are the really white bulbs. Some people like the look of actinic bulbs (the bluer ones) but they are really for saltwater setups.

Its all up to you really what you prefer. I personally like the look of the 6700K bulbs. I read online somewhere that 6500K is like a summer day (lots of sun), just to give you an idea.

Here is a link to a good article about aquarium lighting (it explains the Kelvin thing some more):
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

 

[newfound77951]

The Kelvin rating refers to the spectrum of radiation (AKA light) given off by a black body at that temperature....basically a lot of physics jargon.

As meegosh said, what kind of bulbs you use is dependent on the kind of tank you have, with refinements for preference. For a fish only tank (fresh or salt) or a FOWLR, any bulbs will do. For a planted FW tank, 5500-10000K bulbs will work. The lower the number, the warmer the color put out by the lamp. For reef tanks, bulbs with Kelvin ratings higher than 10000K are needed, usually along with some actinic (blue) bulbs, as these replicate the light spectrum at deeper depths on the reef where many of the corals common to aquaria are found.

From what I've seen, most Home Depot (ie household) bulbs are less than 5000K, most around 2100-3300K. House bulbs are much more "yellow" than the bulbs needed to grow plants or corals. If you stuck a 10000K bulb in your living room lamps, you'd think you were in an operating room - the light is very white and not very "homey" feeling. You may find some plant bulbs in Home Depot that have appropriate ratings.

 

[Fromthelbc]

The Kelvin rating refers to the spectrum of radiation (AKA light) given off by a black body at that temperature....basically a lot of physics jargon.

As meegosh said, what kind of bulbs you use is dependent on the kind of tank you have, with refinements for preference. For a fish only tank (fresh or salt) or a FOWLR, any bulbs will do. For a planted FW tank, 5500-10000K bulbs will work. The lower the number, the warmer the color put out by the lamp. For reef tanks, bulbs with Kelvin ratings higher than 10000K are needed, usually along with some actinic (blue) bulbs, as these replicate the light spectrum at deeper depths on the reef where many of the corals common to aquaria are found.

From what I've seen, most Home Depot (ie household) bulbs are less than 5000K, most around 2100-3300K. House bulbs are much more "yellow" than the bulbs needed to grow plants or corals. If you stuck a 10000K bulb in your living room lamps, you'd think you were in an operating room - the light is very white and not very "homey" feeling. You may find some plant bulbs in Home Depot that have appropriate ratings.

i got mine at lowes, along with some clip on light fixtures for my 55 gallon, cost me 46 dollars for 120 watts of lighting. the bulbs had a 6700k rating.

 

[Evaunitone]

I'm planning to buy my light setup and lights from fishneedit.com or something like that. The light has two lamps and you have the option to get two blue lights, two white lights, or one of each (pink is also an option). So if I want to have a planted freshwater tank, which colors should I get? It sounds like the blue lights are probably actinic and thus I don't want those for a planted tank. So both white? Or should I consider using a pink blulb or two? I can choose either 6700, 10000, or 14000. So what would be the best combination? Two white 10000k lights? ?

 

[jsoong]

For best plant growth I would use all 6700. Some like to throw in a 10000 for the bright look - looks brilliant with a white sand substrate.

Personally, I won't go for pink - ugh! Supposed to have the spectrum for some plant, but a full spectrum 6700 has all you need.

BTW - Full spectrum 6700K are common in HD & other hardware store. Usually called Daylight or Full Spectrum bulbs. Phillips make them & I get mine at HD for a fraction of the price of a lfs.

 

[meegosh]

I second the 6700k bulbs. The blue, white, and pink bulbs all look weird compared to the 6700k ones. How many Watts is the setup you are looking at? What size tank is it going on?

 

[Evaunitone]

This: T5-ho 3ft / 2LAMP Aquarium lighting is the setup I was hoping to buy. I don't know how to tell how many watts it will be. It'll go on a 20gallon long. Does this seem like it will work?

 

[jsoong]

36" T5-HO is 39W. You would have over 5 wpg of T12 equivalent. If you are going for a high light, high tech setup that is a great choice.

 

[Evaunitone]

So I'll be able to grow almost any plants, thats what I want. How high tech am I going to have to be? I know I'll need CO2 and I'm hoping to do that DIY. Other than lights, CO2 and a substrate (I'm thinking eco-complete and pfs) do I need anything else. I have a heater and filters already. What are the disadvantages of a high light setup?

 

[mfdrookie516]

i doubt diy co2 will do very well with that high light setup. they arent consistant and you may have some algae issues... imo, it would be worth it to get a pressurized co2 setup for that tank

 

[Evaunitone]

bleh, they're so expensive It wouldn't be disastrous if I did diy CO2, right?

 

[joy13]

If you stagger your bottles then you will be able to be more consistent with the CO2 I have seen people have fantastic results with it but it is a lot of work. This is something you should consider by the time you get done paying for the yeast and sugar for a year you will have enough in the tank for a pressurized one. Keep your eyes out on forums and craigslist for people either upgrading or getting out of the hobby.

I am not 100% sure but I believe this is a set up that would work with a few lines and a diffuser. Beer Tap &Regulator &CO2 Tank Some HOB filters actually work to help diffuse the CO2 pretty well as long as the water level is kept high.

 

[Purrbox]

Don't forget your fertilizers. With that much light and CO2, your plants are going to be using up the nutrients faster than your fish will produce them. You'll need Nitrates, Phosphates, Potassium, and a good micronutrient blend.

 

[Evaunitone]

Hmmm, now I'm getting worried. It sounds like a high light setup is kind of a lot for a beginner in planted tanks to take on. Maybe I need to rethink this whole thing. I don't want a low light tank, but maybe 3.9 wpg is too much to start with. I don't really know what my options are though. I guess I need to look for a different lighting system than the T5 I was going to buy. If I get the setup I was planning to get I could have both white lights for 3.9wpg, or just have one white and one blue light for 1.95 wpg. Can I grow anything exciting with that amount of light? Jeez, this is starting to feel like a marine tank setup lol.

 

[jsoong]

A high tech planted tank can be more complicated than a reef! You will be doing daily monitoring & fert dosing, playing with the CO2, etc, etc.... That is supposed to be the fun of it!

Back to the question ... You ahve MORE than 3.9 wpg with that light. T5HO's are more efficient than a standard fixture, and will put out more light. <Hence the High Output designation.> As a rough guide, you need to bump up the wpg by at least 50% to compare with a normal output fixture. So if you use that fixture, you will be running like 6 wpg. A very high light setup. That is the reason for the warnings for DIY CO2, etc.

Yes, you can run one white & one actinic in the meantime. That would cut your light back to high medium (~3wpg). You can do most plants at that light level, but prob still should consider CO2 & fertilizer. Once you get a pressurized CO2 setup, you can then swap out the actinic to increase your light.

 

[Evaunitone]

Ok that's what I'll do. I can handle doing the fertilizers and CO2 etc, I just don't want a super high light tank and have the plants growing like crazy. That's funny, I always thought I would never consider a reef tank because I thought I wouldn't be able to understand how to do it. I will definitely get one white and one blue bulb.

This should probably be on another post, but what are the completely necessary water chemistry tests that I need to have? Also, what is the easiest fertilizer to use (as far as fool proof etc)?

 

[jsoong]

Easiest way to dose fert would be in solid forms. The EI method is a good, no monitoring needed method. This is a simplified version:
EI light: for those less techy folks

If you want the full details, go read the "real" EI article (and many other related ones) at the Barr Report:
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/62-The-Estimative-Index-of-Dosing-or-No-Need-for-Test-Kits

 

[Evaunitone]

Thanks for ALL the help!