mandimoron said:
i haven't got a picture right now- i've been dragging my feet on getting new batteries for the cammera- i owe you guys a picture of my black
plakat too- but i'll get you one as soon as i can.
wpg in a 10 gal
- Thread starter new2tanks
- Start date
i haven't got a picture right now- i've been dragging my feet on getting new batteries for the cammera- i owe you guys a picture of my black
plakat too- but i'll get you one as soon as i can.
so this might be a dumb question, but I thought I should ask.
the other day I was in home depot shopping for other things and I stopped by the lighting department and saw some flourescent bulbs that looked liek they might be viable for a 10g planted tank with a regular fourescent hood. the one I was looking at was a 18" long, 15 watt, 5000k bulb that was labelled as "natural sunlight". I can't find a link to it or I'd post it. anyway, I expect this would be ok for a low light type setup, but I noted the temperature of the light was in the range I've seen suggested for planted tanks (4000-6700k).
my LFS sells a similar bulb, same length, same wattage, but at 3500k I think for about 4 bucks more which is labelled as good for planted tanks. now I know 4 bucks is only 4 bucks, but I was wodnering which of these 2 are superior for growing plants.
thanks for any insight into this. it's been nagging me all weekend
the other day I was in home depot shopping for other things and I stopped by the lighting department and saw some flourescent bulbs that looked liek they might be viable for a 10g planted tank with a regular fourescent hood. the one I was looking at was a 18" long, 15 watt, 5000k bulb that was labelled as "natural sunlight". I can't find a link to it or I'd post it. anyway, I expect this would be ok for a low light type setup, but I noted the temperature of the light was in the range I've seen suggested for planted tanks (4000-6700k).
my LFS sells a similar bulb, same length, same wattage, but at 3500k I think for about 4 bucks more which is labelled as good for planted tanks. now I know 4 bucks is only 4 bucks, but I was wodnering which of these 2 are superior for growing plants.
thanks for any insight into this. it's been nagging me all weekend
They'd probably both work - the question is how does it make things look.
Even with my 6500K i am not 100% satisfied as it doesn't seem to contain a lot of red.
You'd be amazed how much different your choice of light can make your plants and fish look. (in my case it bothers me because of the fish)
Even with my 6500K i am not 100% satisfied as it doesn't seem to contain a lot of red.
You'd be amazed how much different your choice of light can make your plants and fish look. (in my case it bothers me because of the fish)
Lots of people buy cheap lighting like that at hardware stores- it's way cheap but tends to take up more space- still it's an excelent way to light a tank on a budget
do some searches on www.plantgeek.net since we still can't search this site and you'll find relly good suggestions on which specific bulbs are best from hardware stores and guidlines for what to look for . . .like K, lumens , watts, t-8 or t-12, etc.
hope that helps!
do some searches on www.plantgeek.net since we still can't search this site and you'll find relly good suggestions on which specific bulbs are best from hardware stores and guidlines for what to look for . . .like K, lumens , watts, t-8 or t-12, etc.
hope that helps!
cool thanks 
I'm looking to set up a 10g planted in the not to odistant future and I'm trying to learn as much as I can beforehand so I don't mess things up too much
I'm looking to set up a 10g planted in the not to odistant future and I'm trying to learn as much as I can beforehand so I don't mess things up too much
i hear ya
ever since i decided to go from low tech to high tech on my planted tank i feel like i've been thro the ringer 10 times for every piece of equipment and having unique water with low KH has been the icing on the cake!
research till your face turns blue and then a little bit more- and good luck!
ever since i decided to go from low tech to high tech on my planted tank i feel like i've been thro the ringer 10 times for every piece of equipment and having unique water with low KH has been the icing on the cake!
research till your face turns blue and then a little bit more- and good luck!
