IS a 10000k PC bulb the right kind for FW planted tanks?

[BONESTOCK]

Or is there a special type of bulb used?

 

[Swank]

That 10000K bulb is going to be very blue...not the best for plants, I don't think. And certainly won't be great for highlighting colors in freshwater fish.

Most folks use bulbs in the 5500k (like morning light or twilight) to 6700k (like bright daylight) range, which are a little closer to the quality of natural light.

 

[malkore]

technically a 10k bulb will grow plants just fine. 10k describes the visible color registered on a special black background...it doesn't exactly define the amounts of red and blue spectrum present, which are the 2 spectrums plants need for healthy growth.

However, as Swank points out, 6700k bulbs are much more commonly used for planted tanks. I myself run a 6700k, an 8800k, and two 9325k GE bulbs, which are wickedly pink/purple.

 

[opiesilver]

There are also different kinds of 10K bulbs. You have the saltwater type which include the 10K Actinic which is dark blue and primarily used for corals, 10K Blue which is considerably brighter but still blue and the standard 10K which is only mildly blue and usually comes in MH only. For freshwater you will primarily find 10K "Daylight" bulbs which are a really bright white in color.

 

[travis simonson]

I'm a big fan of 10000K CF lamps, I like the white quality of the light. I've always felt that 6700K and below color temps were too yellow and gave an artificially greenish cast to the tank. Of course I'm red-green color-blind and probably don't have much room to speak when it comes to perceived color rendition. I would note that Luis Navarro, a regular award winner in the AGA competition often uses only 10000K lamps in his tanks, and he appears to have no problems whatsoever getting plants to grow with them. I like to use about 70-75% 10000K and 25-30% 6500-6700K CF lamps. In my eyes this reproduces natural midday sunlight the best and I really like the way the whitish light enhances the colors of my fish.