Lighting for fish colour

[DrRockzo]

hello,,, i have a 4x 46" T5 lamp and i currently have a 1 daylight and 1 colormax bulb.. i am looking to maximize the colour of my fish, any suggestions? .. also i am needing to replace my bulbs and i am will to fill all 4 bulbs spots if i have to and looking to grow plants soon any help will be appreciated

Thanks

 

[swifty]

If you're looking to grow plants soon you're better off getting all daylight bulbs. Daylight bulbs are commonly in the 5000-7000k temperature range, which is ideal for plant growth and still makes your fish look great.

 

[Luananeko]

Agreed with above poster. Fill the slots with 6500K bulbs until you have the right amount of watts per gallon that you want for your plants. 6500K is the best spectrum for giving your plants what you need while still bringing out the colors in your fish.

If you're still not happy with how things look you can add one Actinic bulb for a little extra "pop" after you've got enough light for the plants, but it will do little to nothing for them nutrient-wise. It may also encourage algae growth, so you'll need to be very accurate with dosing the right ferts and CO2 for the plants to out-compete it.

 

[DrRockzo]

thanks peeps ,,, i shall head out at get some daylight bulbs