Direct Replacement Bulb

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Hi there,

i know you probably get asked it all the time, but dont know much about lighting.

I've started doing a planted tank (2ft tank), with nutrafin co2 and some ferts out a bottle.


I was wondering if there is a direct replacement tube i could use that would benefit plants more?

Could I put in an arcadia t5 tube or does that need a seperate ballast controller thingy? i was hoping for just a replacement tube.


Thanks for any help.

 

[zig]

The answer depends on a few different things, tank size, what plants you want to grow, how you want to fertilise the tank, do you want a highlight or lowlight setup.

Anyway there is a pinned article on lighting at the top of this section of the forum and that should point you in the right direction.

 

[Dubby]

countdown,

If your tank has a tube already, then you can readily replace that with another 'more plant friendly' tube without buying ballast etc. But if your tank has an incandescent bulb, then to switch to a tube you'll need to purchase the ballast.

With a 2ft tank you probably have a 15-18W tube. Look for tubes with high intensity (lumens), a K rating of around 6000 and a high CRI (greater than 95%). If your tank supports only one tube, be careful before you buy a 'plant light' as they give off a pinkish tinge and are not bright to the human eye. I would say look at the effect of the light (at the store) before purchasing it.

 

[countdown]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys

The answer depends on a few different things, tank size, what plants you want to grow, how you want to fertilise the tank, do you want a highlight or lowlight setup.

Anyway there is a pinned article on lighting at the top of this section of the forum and that should point you in the right direction.

I've had a read at the pinned article,
I was wanting to plant these

http/www.tropical-aquarium-plants.co.uk/...ce5c328fcc4c856

I was going to use root tabs and plant gro stuff out of a bottle. The nutrafin co2 is currently running. I've got a couple of plants in there just now that seem to be doing ok, the elodea densa fairly grows.

countdown,

If your tank has a tube already, then you can readily replace that with another 'more plant friendly' tube without buying ballast etc. But if your tank has an incandescent bulb, then to switch to a tube you'll need to purchase the ballast.

With a 2ft tank you probably have a 15-18W tube. Look for tubes with high intensity (lumens), a K rating of around 6000 and a high CRI (greater than 95%). If your tank supports only one tube, be careful before you buy a 'plant light' as they give off a pinkish tinge and are not bright to the human eye. I would say look at the effect of the light (at the store) before purchasing it.

Thats really what i wanted to know thanks. Didnt realise they would be less bright to the human eye. I'll try and check out some in the LFS. I was thinking about the arcadia freshwater tube.

 

[Dubby]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys

I was wanting to plant these

http/www.tropical-aquarium-plants.co.uk/...ce5c328fcc4c856

I was going to use root tabs and plant gro stuff out of a bottle. The nutrafin co2 is currently running. I've got a couple of plants in there just now that seem to be doing ok, the elodea densa fairly grows.

The Red plants may not grow all that well if your lighting is less than 2W/gallon. Otherwise you should be fine. Best of luck!