Tubes for my planted tank

[mojoman]

I am about to replace the tubes on my aquarium, I am after info on brands/ outputs for various combinations for three tubes and what everyone else uses and works for them.

I currently have 1 x 10000k tube and 2 x 14000K tubes

 

[Darkblade48]

You might want to try a slightly lower colour temperature bulb, somewhere between 5500 and 10000K instead (14000K is a bit too high for plants)

 

[Timmain42]

Well, technically, the Kelvin rating doesn't matter to the plants, only the wattage. Kelvin rating is more important to how *you* view the tank... if you like more whites/blues, go high (6700k-10000k), or if you like more yellow, go lower (less than 6700k).

Realistically tho, you might want to consider 10000k as an upper limit. 10000k is *extremely* white. I've got 4 tanks with kelvins ranging from 4000 to 10000 and I find I enjoy the look of the 6700k+ bulbs a lot more.

 

[Captain Hook]

If you want cheap bulbs, go to Home Depot and buy the Daylight Deluxe ones. They come in T12 and T8 (better, more intense light) and are 6500K.

 

[mojoman]

I would love to go to Home Depot, but I am from Australia don't have it. Are u guys saying in the thread tha K's don't matter, what should I then be looking for when buying tubes for a planted tank.

 

[Timmain42]

Make sure you've got enough wattage, I think is the answer to that one. That will all depend on what size tank you have and what kind of plants you want to grow.