Lighting question for 5 gallon

[TKOS]

Please feel free to move this if needed.

During the past week I tried to use another forum to help with this question but got crazy responses so here goes again:

In my 5 gallon tank I have 1 Betta and some watersprite which is doing fine. I replaced 1 of the bulbs with a screw in flourescent (13 watt) and therefore seem to have plenty of light. I left the other bulb (incandescent) in to provide a more even lighting but of course it makes things quite yellow. I was wondering about putting in a coloured aquarium bulb, probably blue, and didn't know if there was a reason I shouldn't. I assume the Betta will be fine with things, but will the plants be okay? And will it become too blue? Any ideas? I know they aren't super expensive but I hate buying things that I don't end up using.

Thanks

[kveeti]

I don't think the one incandescent bulb, no matter what colour, will hurt or help your plants one way or another. Doesn't the incandescent add a lot of heat though? I found it really fluctuates the temperate in a small tank, that's about the only downside I can see. I used to put in those coloured bulbs. I know at various times I tried red, blue and green, and even mixing them. It was a long time ago, but I do think they were pretty deep coloured - but mixing it with the flourescent would soften it. They do have supposed "plant" incandescents for fish canopies, they are a bit bluer/whiter than the regular ones but also a bit more expensive.

[TKOS]

Heat hasn't been an issue in that tank. It stays around 74F. I live in a basement apartment and it is just the betta in that tank. The heater rarely kicks in though. The incandescent grow lights that I have tried in the past for growing house plants just end up making long stringy plants. They just put a coating on the bulb that is supposed to amplify the UV but really doesn't do that much.

Do the coloured bulbs make a huge difference in colour or just subtle. I am looking for subtle, a little closer to daylight light rather than the happy yellow world it has become.

[kveeti]

Hopefully somebody who has used them lately will answer you definitely. As I recall, you would certainly be able to tell the light in the tank was blue - not daylight, if you were just using them alone. I think mixed with your flourescent it would give more the result you are looking for, in the middle, although the far side might look blue. Again, it was a long time ago.