Phillips Plant & Aquarium Light

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da jig iz up

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Aug 25, 2007
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So I went to Home Depot to buy the right bulb that will help my plants grow because they looked like they were dieing. After reading on here the K ratings I needed, I was looking for 5000+. Then I see this Phillips Plant and Aquarium light with the side reading " The right spectrum for growing indoor plants" and "Ideal for freshwater aquariums"

on the other side it reads

" This plant light has a unique spectral range and color that is designed to enhance the growth of indoor plants and aquatic vegetation."

Perfect, right?


Well seeing as how none of the other bulbs were 6500 - 10000K I said this is the one I need. I later look at it and it's rated at a temp of 2700K and 410 lumens. Which is totally contradicting what I read here. Is Phillips lying to me?

How is this GOOD for my plants?

cuz I can return it..
 

phanmc

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Jun 24, 2004
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Plants don't care about lumens or K ratings, that's more for you and how you'll perceive the light.

I'm guessing this is Phillips version of the gro-lux bulb which has high spikes in the red and blue wavelengths but low in the green and yellow, making the bulb appear pinkish or purplish and very dim compared to other bulbs. I'll bet it grows plants just fine, but you may not like the look of the color.
 

da jig iz up

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Aug 25, 2007
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really? plants don't care about K ratings?
this is good news, but i'm even more confused now. What do they care about, wattage?
 

Nolapete

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May 29, 2007
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Get the 6500K High CRI Phillips Bulbs. They work great and come in a 10 pack for $28 at Home Depot.

K is the color of the spectrum. While plants are content at the lower end of the spectrum where the reds are, we don't like how that looks, so the higher the K the crisper white we see.
 

da jig iz up

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What I was replacing with it is a westinghouse CW (cool white?) light with no K value written. Are you saying that was better?
 

da jig iz up

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Aug 25, 2007
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I feel like a DA but is what was said before true?

That it's only the wpg that matter and not the K value of the bulb as far as plant growth is concerned?



Thanks
 

ThePBM

Rich Hobo
Jul 30, 2007
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I run one of these bulbs (except it's the GE) and that's around 3295k. But i run it along with a 9235k and a daylight 6500k. You'll probably want to run it along with a daylight 6500k cause lighting from that plant light alone won't be attractive.
 

ThePBM

Rich Hobo
Jul 30, 2007
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Hawaii / Wisconsin
I feel like a DA but is what was said before true?

That it's only the wpg that matter and not the K value of the bulb as far as plant growth is concerned?



Thanks
No, the K value of the bulb matters. wpg sort of matters, but it's a very rough rule of thumb as it doesn't apply to smaller tanks as accurately. meaning, you can't stick a 15w bulb over a 5 gal and claim 3wpg.
 

phanmc

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If the k rating does matter, it's effect is minimal if even noticeable. You supply enough wattage and it doesn't matter at all.

Cool whites usually have a K rating in the range of 4000K and up, whiter than warm white which is around 3000k. Most cool whites grow plants fine, but tends to still be more yellowish in color than most people like. You take a PAR meter and measure the actual beneficial light to photosynthesis and you'll find that they are comparable to higher K rated lights, in rare cases they're better but that's more due to the materials the manufacturer use.

I see people say the same thing about bulbs with very high K rating. People used to say 10000K was too high, and people still say that over 10000k is too high. The popular (and overpriced) Hagen PowerGlo and AquaGlo are rated at 18000k and grow plants just fine.

As long as the light is white it will grow plants. That said, the K rating means a lot to your viewing pleasure. I do shell out the extra bucks for the 10000k and the 9235k bulbs as I find even the 6500k bulbs a little yellow for my tastes.

Check out this old light comparison link:
http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm
 
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