would this bulb work in a planted tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
my suggestion is to try it for a few months, and change it only if you don't like the results . . . I ran a planted nano-tank for a year with 50/50 bulbs and growth was actually quite good, but as the bulbs aged, algae became a problem . . . when it was time for new bulbs, I switched to straight 10K bulbs
 
Go look at the absorbtion peaks of photosynthesis and decide for yourself theres a lot of misinformation out there about actinics and plant growth.


plants use energy from mainly the red/orange and the blue/violet (mainly orange and violet) actinic light is mostly violet (no flourescent light can ever be monochromatic) and therefore gives off much more usable energy per watt than say a 6700k bulb or 10000k bulb.



blue/violet phosphors do wear out faster than the other wavelengths so you'll need to be on top of replacing them every 6-9 months(standard change period)


actinic lights do look very nice in aqauriums though so as Sab_Fan said only change it if your displeased with growth.

Theres a very heavily planted tank at my local fish store that uses 50/50 bulbs and the tank is one of the best planted tanks ive ever seen.
 
I have a 36" t5 setup from glo that has two 6700k bulbs and another 36" t8 setup that has two 30watt actinic bulbs. I love the look and have no idea if this will work. I'll post a pic in a second.
 
nevermind, i'll post them tomorrow. I have pics with actinics and without.
 
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