What quality of light shows off fish colors AND grows plants well?

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shoreliner

shoreliner

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Mar 3, 2007
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Virginia, USA
www.vdh.virginia.gov
I currently have a 29g tank with a mixed community of fish, but the fishes' colors don't show up well under my lights. The bulb is a full-spectrum fluorescent. I am also growing low-light plants and will be adding a new light, but I want to buy the right type of bulbs to really show my fish and plants to best advantage.

What quality of light works best to show off the fish but still grows plants well? In particular, I have neon tetras, a vibrant blue betta, and red velvet swordtails. They are all healthy.

Thanks!
 
Nolapete

Nolapete

Monster Tank Builder
May 29, 2007
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New Orleans, LA
6500K is about where the spectrum gets more white and pleasant for us to view the inhabitants. I plan to get 9325K bulbs from lightbulbsdirect.com when my budget allows me to upgrade.
 
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phanmc

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Jun 24, 2004
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Depends.

Lots of people like 6500k, white light that's still warm with a tint of yellow.

6700k in my experience tends to bring out the greens more.

10000k is very white with no hint of yellow, makes the blues stand out more but washes out red.

Then you have the specialty bulbs like Hagen PowerGlo or the GE 9325k lights, they bring out the reds.

If your hood supports dual bulbs, mixing different bulbs can make a big difference.
 
Coral Keeper

Coral Keeper

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Aug 24, 2007
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West Sacramento, CA
I got a T8 bulb on my 10 gallon tank. A T8 bulb is the exact same thing as a regular fluorescent bulb.
 
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phanmc

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T8, T12, etc. are the size of the bulb. Longer shop lights usually use T10 or T12 while the shorter bulbs under 2ft can be found in T5 and T8s.
 
pinkertd

pinkertd

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May 29, 2007
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I've been using a 9325 in my 29G heavily planted (good plant growth) and wanted to go a little bit brighter if I could so a 6500 full spectrum was suggested and I hated it, everything looked green! Sticking with a 9325! Have one on my discus show tank and colors look good and plants grow.
I'll understand this light thing someday:confused: .
 
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