Another lightbulb question...

[Animal-Chin]

So i replaced my T5's last night and I'm really not happy. I had 4 stock bulbs that came with my lighting system. They were 2 "aquawhite" and 2 "aquablue" so I tried to replace with what I thought was going to produce the same light. I bought 2 10000k bulbs and 2 actinic blue bulbs. When i switched them all the the colour in my aquarium is totally different. It went from a bright cool white light to a warmer brown light. Yuck.

So to achive the old look I had, the bright whiter look what bulbs do I need? I think the blues are right, when I run them solo I get a nice florescent look but aren't 10000k as white as you get for t5s?

 

[carey]

You can get more white but the spectrum will be off. The whiter you go the more yellow or brown the water becomes. I like to use 12k or 14k bulbs for my whites and pure blue ones for my actinics.

 

[Animal-Chin]

so my tank now has a browner look because my 10000k lights are whiter than the ones I replaced?

 

[carey]

Very well could be, my 20g is not very pretty to look at with two 10k and 2 regular actinics. Way too yellow.

What kind of bulbs did you actually get? And which ones?

Regular actinics dont seem to cut through the white/yellow as good as some really really blue ones, that could also be the color difference.

 

[Animal-Chin]

I got the coralife ones that were on sale. 4 39w T5HO 36inch. It actually changed the color of the liverock to a more browny than the grey from before.

 

[Animal-Chin]

What if I swap out a 10000k for another blue so I'd have 3 blue and one white, would that effect the coral at all? Is 39watts just 39watts no matter what color?

 

[carey]

You can add another blue but if it were me I would get 2 higher spectrum bulbs for the whites. Like an ATI aquablue special or an ATI coral plus. Those will knock the yellow right out of the tank

 

[Animal-Chin]

Tnaks Carey!

 

[carey]

Anytime.

When you change out the bulbs take some before and after pictures. You will be amazed at the difference.

 

[Animal-Chin]

I don't think i want to remember the "before"...lol