Best type of lighting for silvery/irridescent fish?

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T

ThePBM

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 26, 2007
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Hawaii / Wisconsin
I was in a local pet shop and was kind of taken back with all the choices of light bulbs for aqariums. Red, Clear, Blue, 50/50 something, etc.
My question is, what color temp / color / whatever light should I get if i want the greenish irridescence and orange eyes of my moonlight gouramis to stand out? I'm in no need for actinic plant-favoring type stuff since I have fake plants and java moss (low light). Looking for something at about 30-40 watts only, since it is for a 10 gal.
Thanks in advance.
 
6700K will give you a greenish/yellow light. Check out Triton bulbs. They seem to be the hot ticket with the 20" tanks.
 
I'm looking for something with the standard light bulb screw base. That would just be most convenient for my setup.
Is color temp and wattage the only things i need to consider? Are bulbs labeled specifically for the aquarium just marketing hype?
 
any of the screw in floresent bulbs, even the 50/50 would be great(would probably be the best)
<Is color temp and wattage the only things i need to consider? Are bulbs labeled specifically for the aquarium just marketing hype?>
yep, anything over 5500k are work nicely, and the "daylight" cf bulbs from home depot, wally world etc work
 
btw i took a look at the FAQ section before posting this thread, but was surprised- it appears i'm the only one out of the loop on the myriad of lighting options and marketing mumbo.
 
So i went to home depot and got a n:vision brand daylight spiral fluorescent bulb. it's 40W equivalent (uses 9). the color temp is 5500k according to the package. it's a nice white color, but still doesn't have that glowing effect that i see in the pet shop's aquariums. will there be a big difference between my 5500k and a 6000k? or a 6500k? is my wattage the problem?
 
i got a GE energy smart Daylight 6500k "60"watt cfl from wally world today and it wasn't that much diff from the 5500k. still no fluorescence to be seen on my fish.

is there a diff between a bulb with a specified color temp and a full spectrum bulb? this is making me kinda sad.
 
CIMG1755.jpg


This is precisely what I want my aquarium lighting to bring out. The green sparkle along with the glowing orange eye. This pic was taken with sunlight.

Hopefully this pic helps somehow. Still looking for a definite answer on what bulb will do my fish justice.
 
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