What Light bulbs should I get for a T-5 setup

[divemasterjim]

Im going to buy four 39 watt T-5 lamps but dont know what bulbs to buy.
This is for a 60 gallon tank with plants and fish
Should I just get four 6500k lamps? or should I mix it up.
Please tell me what you think

 

[malkore]

6500k is fine. remember K temperature is how the bulb's color looks to our eyes. it really isn't a good way to judge it's spectral output.

i personally like a mix of 6500 and 8800, 8000, or 10000.

 

[divemasterjim]

So I should get two 6500K and two 10,000K to ballance each other out and make a wider spectrum?

 

[fish_4_all]

I say get one of each! When I finally build my t8 hood, I will be using as many different bulbs as possible.

Two 6500's on the outside with 2 different ones inside would work also. Then again, you might not like the color spectrum to be that "white". I do and that is why I will use all the spectrums to get a balance. You might like a bluer or redder spectrum so it is really a personal choice. The plants will grow with any of them.

 

[divemasterjim]

Ok Im gonna do two 6500K and two 12,00K
That should cover the full spectrum and give a nice color to the eye

 

[fish_4_all]

I can't say I would recomend 12,000 K . I don't know enough to say ti would be a bad idea and maybe it wouldn't be but I think the 10,000 k would be more than enough. Let some one else comment before going that high, I just don't think it is the best choice. Or at least let someone agree then I can eat my words and look for something close to that for my t8's when I make them.

 

[Purrbox]

Anything between 5000K and 12000K should be fine. It's really all about personal preferance as to how it makes the tank look. Closer to 5000K will appear more yellow while closer to 12000K will appear more blue. The bulbs closer to 5000K tend to make the plants look better while the ones closer to 12000K will bring out the colors in the fish.

 

[Alshain]

When I bought my fixture I just decided to try something so I got 2 6700k PC bulbs. In a few years when they need replacing, I might try two 6700/10000k bulbs. I suppose its color preference as long as you have the temperature range your plants need.