View Full Version : lighting
acidburn470
10-12-2005, 10:05 AM
Do I need special lighting for planted tanks or will a regular florescent work?
mkpeters6
10-12-2005, 10:21 PM
the better the lighting, the better the growth and health of your plants - a regular florescent would work for some plant species but if you want a heavily planted tank i would get either a few standard florescents or even better some power compacts in the 6000 - 8000k range
sohfatfish
10-13-2005, 3:33 AM
Power compacts are good for squeezing light intensity over a small tank. However i feel that lights with a colour temp of 8000K to 10000K look better as it gives the water a more 'clear' and bluish look. And also because Kelvins decrease over time with usage.
HarleyK
10-13-2005, 10:07 AM
Do I need special lighting for planted tanks or will a regular florescent work?
Howdy,
it all depends on what level of planting you want to reach, and how tall your tank is. I had great Echinodorus and Cryptocorynen in a 10 gal with just two light bulbs. On the other hand, I now have a 220 gal with compact fluorescent lights. The light intensity decreases when it is travelling thru a deep water column, so you have to put a bit more power in. What size tank do you have, and what plants do you want to keep?
HarleyK
guppy
10-13-2005, 12:07 PM
In another thread I think you were talking about a 20g? If so and you stick to the type plants that Harley was talking about, cryptos, vals, saggitaria like dwarf swords, and maybe caromba or elodea, you standard lights will work fine. If you have incandescant fixtures try "full spectrum" or "growlux/aqualux" bulbs.
acidburn470
10-13-2005, 4:26 PM
Yea this is just for my 20 gal. and i really only want to plant the back to provide a backdrop view instead of the bricks in my dorm room.
HarleyK
10-13-2005, 5:09 PM
Yea this is just for my 20 gal. and i really only want to plant the back to provide a backdrop view instead of the bricks in my dorm room.
How about a background in addition to plants ;)
HarleyK