Custom Seallife Smart Lamp 24'

[JamesMJ2]

I just purchased a Custom Seallife Smartlamp(24') Comes with a 65watt 50/50 10,000k Lamp, Ultra Actinic. I was wondering are these pretty food lamps. I want to grow light/moderate light plants. My tank specs are in my sig, thanks for the help.

 

[loganj]

That's a good light, but you'll want to get a different bulb. Anything from 5500k to 10000k should work. You really don't need the actinic in a planted tank as it is for saltwater inverts. I don't know if it would hurt the plants, but I'm thinking they would benefit more from a "daylight" bulb. Corvuscorax can tell you more about this I'm sure as he is very much into planted tanks.
Logan J

 

[JamesMJ2]

Thanks Logan. I replace the bulb when it burns out, should work ok for now..

 

[Guest]

Actinic will grow plants, it's just that many people (including myself) think it makes plants look funny, too pink/purple, kinda unnatural. Other folks like them! All amatter of personal chioce.

I replace the bulb when it burns out,

Actually, the "quality" of the light will decline drastically long before the bulb actually burns out. replace bulbs every 6-10 months whether they burned out or not. at least once a year.

Also, you have over 3 watts per gallon, you can grow whatever kind of plants you want, just be careful of size, a fair amoutn will get too big for a 20 gallon.

 

[JamesMJ2]

<laughs> First I can't get them to grow, now they could grow to big. I'll end up with a plant tank.. Actinic was one of the reason I like the lamp.. Since it produces a LOT of blue light. If I understand correctly the plants like blue and red light, neither lamp produces a lot of red, but it looked like enough to grow medium light plants. Funny thing all the lamp I looked at have a ton of green light.