bummed...

[newfishies]

so i just bought a new power compact strip for my 20 gal long, and it doesn't quite fit in the spot in my hood, but i think it will be okay. the big bummer is that the bulb it came with is a 9325K 55 watt bulb. so i guess i need to find one with a lower K temp? please offer any suggestions you have!

 

[Lateral Line]

In a single lamp setup, a full spectrum 5000 - 6700K is what you really want for plants. I don't know what types of PC's you have in the US so cannot specify a make or model.

Lamps with a lot of output at the blue end of the spectrum can encourage algae and at the same time, do not cover the plants absorption in the red part of the spectrum. This is why high "temperature" lamps are a bad idea for planted tanks.

 

[jimbooo]

yep agree with Lateral line, you'll grow some lovely algae with that bulb.

 

[newfishies]

thanks guys, that's what i was afraid of! arghhh!!!!! i was so excited to get this hood!!! at least my plants aren't coming until tomorrow, so i have time to find the right bulb!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I know plenty of folks who use a higher K bulb- up to 10,000k on freshwater tanks and the plants do just fine. Intensity is more important than spectrum. It is really more of an issue of what look you like best. Your bulb will appear more "white" than those in the 5-7,000k range.

 

[Lateral Line]

1000's of lumens at a frequency not used by chlorophyll will have no effect whatsoever.

You'll see an awful lot of plant lamps which appear very dim to human eyes because they lack the yellow/green that our eyes are most sensitive to, but will grow plants great because they have the right spectrum.

 

[guppygirl]

What brand of fixture do you have?
What configuration is the lamp? E.g, straight pin or square pin.

 

[newfishies]

the bulb is a 4 pin (straight) compact flourescent. i was surprised that it came with such a high K bulb, i checked the listing on line and it didn't say anything about what level it would be, i was just assuming it would be the one i wanted! i am off to the stores tonight to see if i can find one, cause i really don't want to pay shipping (AGAIN)!!

edit: the light strip brand is all-glass!

 

[Nospherith]

I have that same light fixture (and probably same tank too), newfishies. The 55w didn't fit the hood I originally got for the 20H (it was for a 15w fixture), so I went to HomeDepot and got a plexiglass sheet and first cut it with a jigsaw to fit on top then I cut about 1.5" off the back to accomodate the hob filter, cables, ect and still leave enough room for both the 55w and the 15w to fit over the plexiglass completely. The cut kindof looks like this:

Front of tank
__________________
|..................................| <... 15w
|---------------------------|
|---------------------------| <--- 55w
|___|'''''''''''''''''''''''''|___|
Back


I'm really glad I switched to a plexiglass hood (or cover ). For some reason, the plexiglass is really clear, not coated with precipitate like the old factory hood was. The light seems to shine through really well.

I've heard that plants tend to respond to ~10,000k light by shortening distance between leaf nodes, creating a really bushy like appearance. I can vouch for this as the ludwigia leaves in my tank are really close together. It's a good light that you got, and you can always replace it with a lower k bulb later down the line. That's what I'll do at least. I figure the best lighting for my tank is a 6700k 55w and a 10,000k 15w. Anyway, congratulations and good luck!

 

[guppygirl]

Grrrr, you have the same problem I have. Straight pin for me, with a 65 watt bulb 6700 K or somewhere near that is almost non-existent in stores! Even Foster and smith doesn't have it. I do know they manufacture it, coralife has one on their website.
Here's a link. Link
I have no idea where to get one though, I'd have to do some searching around. But not right now, I gotta go to bed.
HTH!!
EDIT: Nospherith, that's what most plants do when they get higher intensity light, so I've heard and read. But, newfishies, I think your plants will survive (and they may flourish!) with the light you have now.

 

[newfishies]

www.lightbulbdepot.com

i just found this website and got the 55 W 6500K 4 pin (straight) bulb.

$12.95 plus like $8 shipping


... hope its the right one....

the new light strip just hangs over the plexiglass of the hood that i already had. i just rigged up some aluminium foil to make sure that no water got into the back of the light fixture and now i've got my fingers crossed thanks for the plexiglass idea, nospherith

 

[guppygirl]

Cool! Good luck with the plants and fishies!!