Walmart "plant & aquarium light"

[RLHam3]

hey everybody, so i just went to walmart and picked up a new light for my 10 gal. The older light (probably like 3 years old) was the original light that came with the fixture. I don't really know anything about the old light. The new light that i picked up is called "plant and aquarium" light. 15 watts and 510 lumens. but it's definitely not as bright as the first light so i'm not sure if it will be as good. It also's got a brownish/orangish tinge. Should i leave in this new light or return it and go buy a real one from a pet store?

PS- i know this isn't good enough for a real planted tank. The only plants in this tank are low light plants(anacharis, hornwort, and duckweed)

 

[benzjamin13]

The light is fine for the plants that you keep. They aren't high demanding plants.

 

[AOmonsta]

I buy my lights from Lowes. Usually a lot cheaper, check em out if you get the chance.

 

[RLHam3]

thanls for the tip!

my main concern is whether or not to use the new light or the brighter old light light. doesn't brighter old light probably mean more watts?

 

[RLHam3]

does brighter light equal healthier plants?

 

[JamesF]

Brighter light has nothing to do with watts. Watts is how much energy it takes to run the bulb. All fluorescent bulbs of the same length and diameter will be the same wattage.
Did the bulb you buy have a Kelvin rating on it or the package? It might be worded as bulb colour.

 

[RLHam3]

well it said cri: 90k?

sorry, i don't know if that's actually what you were talking about. i've kept freshwater fish for several years, but i'm just starting to get interested in the plant aspect of it. (i kept mainly cichlids so i couldn't have too many plants...)

 

[jcardona1]

Those 'plant & aquarium' lights are very yellow, and ugly, and have no place over a fish tank. You're better off using a 'daylight' bulb that is around 6500K. You can find these almost anywhere, including Lowes and Home Depot. No need to overpay at a fish store. You only get bulbs from a fish store when you want more bluish/violet colored bulbs.

 

[JamesF]

CRI is colour rendering index. It tells you how much items look under that light like they would under natural daylight. A CRI of 100 means it would look identical.
What you need is the Kelvin rating.