Plant lights

[Bizbaz]

Do I really need to buy new lights for my aquarium to grow nice plants I have two natural 45 watt juwel t5 bulbs with reflectors on and just want to grow low to medium light plants like java moss and so on

 

[BBradbury]

Your Lighting Question

Do I really need to buy new lights for my aquarium to grow nice plants I have two natural 45 watt juwel t5 bulbs with reflectors on and just want to grow low to medium light plants like java moss and so on

Hello Biz...

Here's the info. I used for setting up a larger, planted tank. Match the plant to the tank lighting. If possible get the lighting close to 2 watts of light per gallon of tank volume, so you can grow most of the aquatic plants available.

The bulbs should be 6500 K, T8s if possible. These are closest to natural lighting at 5500 K and provide good intensity and distribution.

If you don't have a lot of fish in the tank, then you'll need to dose a commercial fertilizer in dry, liquid or granules and dose according to label instructions

A high level of minerals needs to be maintained in the tank water, so you need to remove and replace a minimum of half the tank water weekly, with pure, treated tap water.

There are other methods and materials used, but this has worked for me.


B

 

[Bizbaz]

So are t5 for the bin then

 

[Bizbaz]

What plants can I put in 6.5 ph water

 

[GodFan]

T5s are better than t8s....

 

[BBradbury]

Aquarium Lighting

So are t5 for the bin then

Hello again Biz...

If you have T5s, then use them and see how they work. T8s work best for my larger tanks. The T5s provide a more intense light, but shine it over a narrower area. The T8 is just a personal preference.

B

 

[BBradbury]

You pH Question

What plants can I put in 6.5 ph water

Biz...

Plants prefer more acidic water, so a pH of 6.5 is ideal for a planted tank. However, most plants will adapt to the majority of public water supplies.

B

 

[aqua_chem]

Hello again Biz...

If you have T5s, then use them and see how they work. T8s work best for my larger tanks. The T5s provide a more intense light, but shine it over a narrower area. The T8 is just a personal preference.

B

The light spread isn't a function of the bulbs. T5NO will put off more light than T8s, but whether it covers more area strictly depends on the fixture design and its reflector (or lack thereof). Without knowing how the fixtures are built, you can't make that kind of judgement.

 

[BBradbury]

The light spread isn't a function of the bulbs. T5NO will put off more light than T8s, but whether it covers more area strictly depends on the fixture design and its reflector (or lack thereof). Without knowing how the fixtures are built, you can't make that kind of judgement.

Hello aqua...

Don't know the specifics of the different bulbs or fixtures. My comment was based on using the bulbs in my tanks. Have noticed the plants in my taller and narrower tanks grow better with the T8s than T12s and the plants in the shorter, wider tanks grow better with the T12s. It looks to me like I get wider light distribution with the 12s, but brighter light with the 8s. The lights are all 6500 Ks, the only difference is the watts. The 8s are 32 watts and the 12s are 40. The light strips accomodate a single bulb and are the ones that come with the tanks, nothing fancy.

B