i have a well planted 5 gallon tank but i need to open the window for natural light to come in and i was looking for a aquariam plant light becuase at my LFS and petsmart there are only plant lights for larger aquariams do you know what light bulb should i get or where can i get it?
aquariam plant light bulbs
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echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
It depends on the needs of your plants.
But in general I always suggest for a five gallon tank a fixture that allows mini pc fluorescent lights. That way you get to purchase the cheaper incandescent style hoods, but use powerful pc fluorescent lighting.
But in general I always suggest for a five gallon tank a fixture that allows mini pc fluorescent lights. That way you get to purchase the cheaper incandescent style hoods, but use powerful pc fluorescent lighting.
lfs and petsmart usally dont know much. i agree with echoofformless. just put the fluorescent bulbs that screw into reg light fixtures. i saw someone who on a bigger tank put 8 of them in his hood. i think they are 14watts or so.
With a glass top on the tank you can buy a fluorescent light fixture that simply lays on top and shines into the tank (either an aquarium fixture or even a shop-light fixture would work). I had one on my 5g and I was able to grow all the low and medium light plants.
for spectrum, get one with a Kelvin rating of 5500-7000 K. they look better because they simulate natural daylight, and are more readily availble for photosynthesis by live plants. you can go higher, like up to 10,000 K but those look too pink to my eye. but plants should still do fine in that range.
i use a mini-compact flourescent screw-in bulb in my 2.5 gal betta tank, and it looks great (6500 K). those do tend to run a bit warm, though, so you might want to take that into consideration.
i use a mini-compact flourescent screw-in bulb in my 2.5 gal betta tank, and it looks great (6500 K). those do tend to run a bit warm, though, so you might want to take that into consideration.
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well, some parts of the light spectrum are not as optimal for photosynthesis, like blue and green. plants are green because they reflect those parts of the spectrum, rather than absorbing them. the Kelvin rating has to do with the appearance, and therefore which parts of the visible light spectrum are predominantly produced by the bulb. so in that way, Kelvins do have to do with photosynthesis.attack11 said:
yes, plants will photosynthesize in basically any light, but may not do as well (e.g. may grow slower) depending on what wavelengths are available to them. someone is free to correct me if i'm wrong.