Best lighting for fish and plants?

[scottie]

Hi there, this is my first posting on the board.

I have a 33 gal tank, planted, with fancy Guppies.

For lights I’m using a lighting strip.. it has one 25" 20W 14,000K "Power Glow" bulb.

Also I have just added a second strip that I have removed all of the guts to and refitted it to take 3 household type bulbs. I’ve also added a reflector along the inside. In this fixture I have been using 3X20w 6,500K CF bulbs. It’s very bright!

Here are my Questions:

1. Without CO2 equipment.. am I at risk of alge? I believe that I’m using 80w in my 33 gal tank.

2. I notice that when I turn off my 6,500 lights, the fish look so much more colorful with just the 14,000k bulb. The brightness from the 3X20 6,500 bulbs tends to wash the fish color out. Should I replace one of my 20x 6,500 CF bulbs with a 50/50 CF bulb? Those have much more blue color... like the 14,000 tube, Right?

Any thoughts???
Thanks.. I’m looking forward to learning, and helping out where I can.

 

[TankGirl]

Scottie-

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

If you use all of the light you have then you are definitely at risk of growing some algae. What I would do is to use the 60w fixture you have by itself and see how you do with that, and then if you want to use the other fixture go ahead and get some DIY CO2 going (provided you have adequate alkalinity in your water) prior to having more than 2 wpg running. That way you can sortof keep ahead of the algae.

If 2wpg is good for you (you really can grow a large majority of plants with that light) then you could use your 3x20w fixture for your plants and put an actinic bulb in your 25" lighting strip (I think it would be a 24" bulb, if it is what I think it is) and enjoy the added color. The plants don't particularly need it but to my knowledge it will not put you over the edge in terms of wattage and algae issues. Malkore likely knows more about this than I.

I keep a 50/50 bulb on one of my African tanks and it really brings out the color of the fish, to the point where I want to include an actinic bulb or fixture for my other tanks, so I understand where you are coming from

HTH

 

[scottie]

thanks Tank Girl, for the advice

Im thinking of replacing one of my 20W 6,500k blubs with a 50/50 or a actinic bulb.

When Considering how much light I have for my plants, would I also count the 20W actinic bulb? or if its a 20w 50/50 would I only count the White light, and not the very blue?

Thanks!
Scott

 

[malkore]

Welcome to AA!

Here's how I see it: even with the reflector in the new 3-bulb fixture, you're losing light due to restrike. I love screw-in power compacts, but I have yet to see an ideal reflector design for them. I'd say you're getting 75% of the listed wattage.
That still puts you at 2wpg with the other fixture. I'd suggest some DIY CO2, if you have enough Kh (3 degrees needed, or roughly 50ppm).

You'll hear that actinic bulbs cause algae. this isn't true. The issue is plants can't really use actinic light. I think algae can..and if you end up with a little nutrient imbalance (the true cause of algae outbreaks), the algae will have more light accessible to it than the plants.

That's just my theory, but there's some research and anecdotal evidence (such as the idea that the actinic light alone is what gives some people algae attacks) to back it up.

I know another member, Travis, who runs some actinic light over his cichlid tank, and has no real algae issues.