the flourescent light vs the actual grow light

onefish2fish

ok so heres my deal, im new to this forum and somewhat new to planting and i have amazon sword,anacharis,java moss, and a palm plant? idk about the palm plant i think it isnt an aquatic plant but it seems to be doing ok any how im curious if i should invest in an actual growing light with the full spectrum deal or should i keep the standard flouresent guy thats on my tank now.. any advise?? thanks.

Jay

Hey onefish2fish...welcome to our forum!


The rule of thumb is a minimum of 2 watts per gallon of full spectrum fluorescent light. You do not need to go to expensive exotic lights when compacts, T-8, T-5, etc. high output lights are more than sufficient.

The only decision you need to make is the K-temperature you want to use. K-temperature in the 5k to 6K has a yellow cast while 8K to 10K is more blue/white like high noon.

The plants in your tank are a mix...The sword needs more light intensity 2.5 wpg and up. The anacharis likes light or it will get stringy. The java moss is a lower light plant.

FYI watch out for the java moss, it can be very aggressive, invasive, and hard to get rid of.

There are some good threads in the planted tank sub forum on light. I hope you will do some searches and some reading.

Regards,
Jay