bulb question

[noobaquarists]

hi guys quick question i have a floramax plant growth 24"L 17 Watt t8 bulb on a 30 gallon tank i was just wondering if this light will be strong enough to grow any plants or if im going to have to upgrade i want a low light low tech low cost setup

plants i have in the tank is hornwort and java fern plants going into tank water lettuce and java moss

 

[fishfanatic]

How tall is the tank? I am not very good at lighting but I think you should be able to grow what you listed.

 

[noobaquarists]

How tall is the tank? I am not very good at lighting but I think you should be able to grow what you listed.

the dimensions of the tank are 30"L x 12"W x 18.5"H

 

[fishfanatic]

IMO your Java ferns and Java moss will live but I don't think it will grow very much. I might be completely wrong. The best thing i can suggest is, just try it and see what happens. I wish i could help you better...

 

[smileyface9]

I have the same exact question! And funny thing is ..the same exact size tank! Hope you don't mind me tagging along to see more answers. i'd like to know what I can grow in this tank (same watts for the lighting) and if I have to get a higher light. And what else can grow in it. What have you had success growing in your tank so far? I'm trying out money wort right now. it's been about a week since I got it. So far so good!

 

[mohican]

That only puts u at 0.5 wpg, very low. I would definitely get more light to have a better chance of growing plants (and a variety of them).

 

[blert]

People seem to underestimate T8s quite often. Below is a pic of my 75 gallon planted tank with a single 8000k T8 bulb at 20 inches from the substrate. All the plants are live and, though they grow relatively slowly, they are healthy and growing. No CO2 in this tank but I do use root tabs, water column ferts and Excel. The plants in the tank are: Wisteria, Anubias, H. Corymbosa "Angustifolia", Java Fern, Rotala Rotundifolia, Bleheri Sword, Dwarf Sag and Crypts of unknown specific.

The first pic was taken on March 13th, the second pic taken today.

 

[smileyface9]

People seem to underestimate T8s quite often. Below is a pic of my 75 gallon planted tank with a single 8000k T8 bulb at 20 inches from the substrate. All the plants are live and, though they grow relatively slowly, they are healthy and growing. No CO2 in this tank but I do use root tabs, water column ferts and Excel. The plants in the tank are: Wisteria, Anubias, H. Corymbosa "Angustifolia", Java Fern, Rotala Rotundifolia, Bleheri Sword, Dwarf Sag and Crypts of unknown specific.

The first pic was taken on March 13th, the second pic taken today.

Wow! That's an amazing difference! Ok so my next step would be to save up for a better light!

 

[blert]

Wow! That's an amazing difference! Ok so my next step would be to save up for a better light!

No, what I am saying is that this is just under a regular old single bulb T8 strip light, not an expensive fixture. Just make sure you use a "full spectrum" bulb somewhere in the 5000-10000k color range.

 

[smileyface9]

No, what I am saying is that this is just under a regular old single bulb T8 strip light, not an expensive fixture. Just make sure you use a "full spectrum" bulb somewhere in the 5000-10000k color range.

Thanks, so what is the color range? Is that just like how bright it is?

 

[smileyface9]

No, what I am saying is that this is just under a regular old single bulb T8 strip light, not an expensive fixture. Just make sure you use a "full spectrum" bulb somewhere in the 5000-10000k color range.

I checked my color range and it's at 8,000k

 

[jondamon]

Thanks, so what is the color range? Is that just like how bright it is?

The colour range is also called the kalvin temp.

Anything from 5000k to 10000k will grow plants. The optimum kalvin temp for growing healthy green plants is 6400k.

So for instance you would go and look for a

17w t8 6400k bulb.



Jon

 

[fishfanatic]

Thanks, so what is the color range? Is that just like how bright it is?

So in simple terms (the only terms I know) the color range is basically just the color of light that the bulb will give off. I believe 6700K is about what "colors" the sun gives off (that is why it works so well for growing plants). I am the simple term kind of guy

 

[blert]

I checked my color range and it's at 8,000k

An 8000k bulb will work just fine, it is what I am currently using on that tank. The Kelvin value is more an indication of the color that the human eye will see and not really indicative of how it effects plant growth. The important things would be the PAR value (higher is better but it is not usually marked on the packaging) and that the bulb be "full spectrum".
If your bulb is pushing a year old it is time to change it as they degrade over time, try different bulbs to find the color you like but stay between 5000-10000k.

 

[smileyface9]

Thanks everyone!! XD