Lighting Suggestions for a New Picotope 3 Gallon Aquarium Kit

[The_Wolfman]

Hey guys, got a question for you. Me and my girlfriend are setting up a new freshwater shrimp tank and we just bought a Picotope 3 Gallon Aquarium...the light that comes with it isnt really that good for plants so i was wondering what a good replacement light would be

This is the aquarium
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15493

[DeeSeven]

that light should be fine wolfman just know that Actinic does nothing for your tank. You also might want to keep a close eye on dosing ferts and water changes and watch the temp. It's completely do able I've seen some incredible planted tanks

[Flying_Diamond]

if you don't like the 50/50 light, just get a 10w compact flourescent light bulb that they sell at walmart in the fish section, they're longer, so it'd fit better than a normal compact flourescent.

[SubRosa]

that light should be fine wolfman just know that Actinic does nothing for your tank. You also might want to keep a close eye on dosing ferts and water changes and watch the temp. It's completely do able I've seen some incredible planted tanksActinic bulbs produce their peak output in the 420-460nm range which is right in the range of blue that plants use for photosynthesis. The misconception that it doesn't help plant growth is based on the fact that the blue end of the spectrum encourages stocky, bushy growth, while a 5500-6700K bulb peaks more in the red end of the spectrum which encourages elongation in plants. Both ends of the spectrum are necessary for healthy growth, and the blue tends to make things look more pleasing to the eye, although that is of course a matter of taste.

[DeeSeven]

actually it completely depends on the bulb since it has to be around 420 and 440 nm anything past that you'll get algae. But with no spectral graph of the bulb, no way to really tell