lights

[Demonknight]

ok so atm my 10gal tank is way over killed on light as I have one of my 125 lights sitting on it (10K/Actinic - 34 in. - Square Pin - 96W)..aye, over kill..java moss hates it to the point that its almost died away and gone, water looks like the HULK [moderator edit] in it and 50% pwc daily has done nothing to help...

and now that my 125 is slowly being reborn i need my light back..so a couple of questions, first I'll need a new light/hood for my 10, but not real sure what to get in order to keep my low light plants happy while killing off some of the green algae.

And second would a different bulb be better for a planted tank? they offer that one above as well as a 6700 and 10K, think someone said the actinic part is more for saltwater?

*edit* ah see what it was..like I said sorry

 

[mfdrookie516]

IME, a standard 15w fluorescent bulb does fine for lower light stuff in a 10g. I kept medium-high light plants with the stock fixture, though they didn't carpet quite like they're supposed to.

As far as the 125, you will want to replace the actinic bulbs with something in the 6500k-10,000k range. I prefer 10,000k over 6500k, but its all personal preference. Typically, there's no noticeable difference growth wise, the 'k' rating is just the visual color. The real science behind it is spectrums, and those correct spectrums are typically found in bulbs ranging from 6500k-10,000k.

You are correct in thinking the actinic does nothing for plants. Doesn't hurt anything, but the plants cant use them.