Question of lights

loggerbomb

Just a quick question about the lighting that came with the new aquarium I bought.

I want to try real plants for the first time and know I need the proper light for said plants. (haven't decided on what plants I am getting) The bulbs I got with the hood are 2 Life-Glo 2 - 40 watt "high intensity lamp" that have an output of 6700K. The box says that they are suitable for plants, though I don't put much faith in advertising and wondering if anyone else has had any first hand knowledge of these lights, or if they will suffice for plants.

Jay

Hey loggerbomb,

...The key factor for plants is the intensity and duration of the light, it needs to be close to full spectrum (contain all the colors) and since measuring lumens (light intensity) is tough for hobbyists we use the crude guideline of watts per gallon of tank water.

The approximate ratio of 2 watts per gallon will grow most plants.

So if you have 80 watts that would be sufficient for a 40 gallon aquarium.

The K rating of a light is a comparison of the Color of the light to a laboratory standard flame. In other words, how we see the light. 6700k is a warm yellowish light like morning sun. The higher you go the more "white" the light appears and slightly more blue. I personally do not like the color of 6700k tubes, others love it...it makes no difference to the plants.

Hope that helps a bit.

Regards,
Jay

pappyy3

Hi

The lighting you have is fine for growing plants. Just remember to provide about 10 to 12 hrs of lighting if you want to maintain the health and growth of your plants.

Jay

I can't find the part about how big your tank is which would make a big difference in how much light you need.

IMO and IME 10-12 hours of light in a minimally planted tank is asking for algae trouble

Let us know ...

Jay