well, i just bought a T5HO setup. hopefully it will be worth the investment. I bought a pink and white bulb, I read that a pink bulb increases the height of the plants.. but it doesnt have any "k" rating. What does that mean?
Proper lighting system for planted 90 gallon
- Thread starter dcp5082
- Start date
I have had heavily stocked planted tanks thinking the fish were able to cut it for the plants, but I have found that adding CO2 to the tank the plants really come alive and hit the surface fast. The brighter the lights the higher the need for CO2 in the tank. I would pick up a small CO2 indicator and you can see for yourself if you have the CO2 or not.
dr_sudz;5006383; said:
How do you dose Co2 in the tank? I've seen liquid dosages by companies like API, otherwise it seems like you have to buy yet another fixture. Ive got like... tons of stuff on my tank already, I'll need another power-strip
dcp5082;5006375; said:
K is color temperature, I think pink is for budding and flowering where white/6700k is for growing.
The K rating if to let you know the temperature of the the bulb. 6500-10,000k is in the natural sunlight colour temperature, where as if you were to go more to the 20,000k blub it would produce a more blue hue or temperature. The pink bulb just has a lower Kalvin rating due to the fact its more along the red spectrum and knowing it is a pink bulb they tend not to say it's K rating, because it is for a different purpose then the sunlight bulbs.
dr_sudz;5006403; said:
so the pink bulbs purpose is to cause flowering? ok. if I want to cause my plants to grow UP. i would want double white bulbs then?
The simplest way to get CO2 in your tank is to make it. I use the pop bottle design and run a defuser which you can make yourself out of a maxi jet and gravel washer. Just change your solution every week or two. I use cane sugar, seems to get a great reaction, 1 cup. Tablespoon of regular yeast that you can get in your baking section.
Pink bulbs help with flowering and long leaves, blue bulbs help with short and wide leaf plants. White bulbs help in over all growth, and plant food consumption/gas production. Remember when the lights turn off tho that plants off gas co2 and use 02 so be careful in heavy planted tanks that your fish get enough air at night, maybe have power heads stir the water at night.dcp5082;5006411; said:
dr_sudz;5006421; said:
yeah i have a koralia evolution 1400 powerhead on around 12 hours a day. i also have an xp3 canister filter than stirs the water up, along with a aquaclear 110 that stirs up water too. my fish are growing like crazy, i just want my plants to do them same.
