Is my lighting good enough?

[em_witt]

My light in my 37 gal seems a little dim. And I want to know if I need a better fixture.
The bulb is 24" long
It says 22watt
and a "natural daylight"

 

[Jesselav1233]

Is it old? They have to be replaced every couple of years or so I think.

 

[em_witt]

Is it old? They have to be replaced every couple of years or so I think.

No it isn't very old. It is on my cycled 9-10 month old tank

 

[blert]

T5 bulbs need to be replaced every 8-12 months depending on the quality of the bulb. If it is a T8, T10 or T12 bulb maybe even more often.

 

[em_witt]

T5 bulbs need to be replaced every 8-12 months depending on the quality of the bulb. If it is a T8, T10 or T12 bulb maybe even more often.

I cant tell what it is. It doesn't say on the bulb. What is the kind that you normally get with a new aquarium kit?

 

[blert]

Depends, likely T8. Is there any printing on the bulb?

 

[em_witt]

Depends, likely T8. Is there any printing on the bulb?

No printing but I think I will go ahead and get a new fixture.
How this sound?
AquaSun T5 HO Double Light Linear Fluoresent Hood-30"
Bulbs not included
$58.11

Also while looking at bulbs I found some to say like 420nm and 700+nm what does this mean? Do I need to worry about it?

My tank is 26" tall does a 10,000K sound good? 6,500K? More? Less?

 

[blert]

Do you have live plants?

 

[em_witt]

Do you have live plants?

Yes quite a few actually.

 

[em_witt]

Yes quite a few actually.

Sorry had to get a full list as I wasn't home

5-amazon swards(1big rest small)
2- horemanii swards
1- onion plant
3-aponegton
1- grasslike (unsure)
1-unsure

 

[blert]

No printing but I think I will go ahead and get a new fixture.
How this sound?
AquaSun T5 HO Double Light Linear Fluoresent Hood-30"
Bulbs not included
$58.11

Also while looking at bulbs I found some to say like 420nm and 700+nm what does this mean? Do I need to worry about it?

My tank is 26" tall does a 10,000K sound good? 6,500K? More? Less?

Sounds like a decent deal.

420nm is actinic and not very useful in planted freshwater. Mostly used in marine tanks and people sometimes use them in African Cichlid tanks to pop colors.

For plant growth stay between 3000K and 10000K. The lower end being very yellow and the higher end being very white. 6500K is about high noon looking. I prefer 8000K myself. The important thing is that the bulb says "full spectrum" somewhere on the package. You will be told to only go with 6500K or 6700K bulbs by many people. Unless you are looking to get into optimal growth rates, CO2 and a strict fert regimen then just stay with a color temp (K rating) that you prefer.

Since you are considering going T5HO keep an eye out for algae and nip it in the bud early before it gets out of hand.

 

[em_witt]

Sounds like a decent deal.

420nm is actinic and not very useful in planted freshwater. Mostly used in marine tanks and people sometimes use them in African Cichlid tanks to pop colors.

For plant growth stay between 3000K and 10000K. The lower end being very yellow and the higher end being very white. 6500K is about high noon looking. I prefer 8000K myself. The important thing is that the bulb says "full spectrum" somewhere on the package. You will be told to only go with 6500K or 6700K bulbs by many people. Unless you are looking to get into optimal growth rates, CO2 and a strict fert regimen then just stay with a color temp (K rating) that you prefer.

Since you are considering going T5HO keep an eye out for algae and nip it in the bud early before it gets out of hand.

Thanks for the response
So should I buy it? Or get an 8000K?
Good with 700+nm or what?

 

[blert]

700nm is going to be very red. That is the limit of the human eye (400-700nm). I would not use it at all and have no idea what it would be used for.

Stick with a typical full spectrum bulb. They will have a 'K' rating (for Kelvin).

The best bulbs for the money are ATI bulbs, IMO.