New Light Fixture Newbie

[Andy91]

Hey Everyone!

So today I bought a double T5 HO blub fixture/ moonlight LEDs, now I am new to this so these should be simple questions.

So the fixture I understand has two blubs. One is white and the other is blue... So my questions are... What is the diffrence between the two? and Which sould I keep on longer or should I keep both on at the same time?

Since they both are on diffrent switches I was wondering if they had a diffrence to them.

Thanks for the Help!

 

[HalfMoon B]

Is this on a reef saltwater tank? Or a planted freshwater tank?

 

[mfdrookie516]

What size tank is this? What wattage are the bulbs? Actinic bulbs (the blue one) are for looks, or for coral growth in a sw aquarium. They do very little for plants. The white one, depending on the spectrum, is for both plants and corals. Typically, you want bulbs that range in the 6500k-10,000k range, though the spectrum of that bulb may or may not be suitable for plants (but generally is if it falls between the two).

Some info on your setup, what you plan, whether co2 and ferts are in the picture, and the questions on the tank size and bulb wattage should help determine if you even need to replace the actinic bulb or not.

 

[Andy91]

The tank is a 20H and the one white bulb is 10k 24w, so if the blue light is just for looks then it doesn't matter to me it looks pretty cool. I also have a DIY Co2 system and in the next few weeks ill slowly be mixing my gravel/sand with fertilizer for the plants.

Thanks

 

[mfdrookie516]

That's helpful. I'd start with just how it is. Once you get the hang of things and want to try some more light demanding plants, you can switch the actinic out for another daylight bulb and you'll be able to grow any plant you want. I wouldn't do that until/unless you're ready to do pressurized co2. You should have no issue with most plants, but I'd steer clear of any that need high light.. mainly carpet plants like HC.

I wouldn't really worry with mixing anything in your substrate. I'd either swap it out for something like flormax, or leave it how it is. IMO, unless you're going for a high tech tank, planted substrates don't do a whole lot. A little clay down in the bottom and some root tabs under heavy root feeders like swords will do all you need.

 

[aqua_chem]

IMO, unless you're going for a high tech tank, planted substrates don't do a whole lot

People spend so much time reading about the nuances of planted tanks that they overcomplicate things. This is definitely one of those matters.



IMO, if you can't keep plants alive in inert gravel, the fancy substrates aren't going to help you. They are the difference between thriving and amazing, not dead and alive.

On another note, if you insist on T5HO, I would think about doing two 2L DIY CO2 bottles. That's going to be a lot of light, and considering those tanks are 16" high, that will put you into high light and you're going to want the CO2 to beat back the BBA.