SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
does floresent light work for plants
Does Floresent Light Work
- Thread starter SeanTrollope
- Start date
Yes fluorescent is a good choice.
Try to make sure the colour temperature of the bulbs is in the 5000 - 10000 range. 5000 will be more white, 10000 bluer. It's up to your personal preference which to get but avoid the lower kelvin rated bulbs ('warm white' and such at 3-4k or less).
Try to make sure the colour temperature of the bulbs is in the 5000 - 10000 range. 5000 will be more white, 10000 bluer. It's up to your personal preference which to get but avoid the lower kelvin rated bulbs ('warm white' and such at 3-4k or less).
The other thing is what type of fluorescent? I am still using the "basic" T8 tubes over my tanks as I understand them, having tried many different tubes in T8 over the past several years. T5 is the other readily available fluorescent, but this can be problematic. The more common tubes are HO (high output) and were originally intended for marine tanks where bright light is needed for corals; T8 requires more tubes to achieve this. If you can get NO T5 tubes, these are very similar in intensity to T8. I recently had to repair my 5-foot T8 fixture and could not find any so I made my own by inserting a dual tube shop fixture into the housing.
If you intend a high-tech planted tank with diffused CO2, T5 is a better fluorescent than T8. But if you intend a low-tech or natural planted tank, I would stay away from T5 and use T8. If your tank has a hood with a fluorescent fixture, it is likely going to be T8, though not necessarily.
Colour temperature is important as daize mentioned. If you are restricted to one tube, you need to be very careful in what you get. With two tubes you can mix types. I have found a 6500K plus a 5000K to work well over non-high tech tanks. Studies have shown that light between 6000K and 7000K promoted the best response (= photosynthesis) from the plants. I like the 6500K/5000K mix as it adds a bit more warmth (red), but I had a mix of 6700K and 10000K over my 115g for a year and it was a cooler white but plant growth was fine. You do not want only 10000K or above, as this is too blue with too little red for plants and algae can be troublesome. With single tube fixtures, you also have to get better tubes, as these will produce more intensity than standard. This depends upon the type of plants you want, as different species have somewhat differing light requirements.
There is a lot to this lighting, but this may get you started.
Byron.
If you intend a high-tech planted tank with diffused CO2, T5 is a better fluorescent than T8. But if you intend a low-tech or natural planted tank, I would stay away from T5 and use T8. If your tank has a hood with a fluorescent fixture, it is likely going to be T8, though not necessarily.
Colour temperature is important as daize mentioned. If you are restricted to one tube, you need to be very careful in what you get. With two tubes you can mix types. I have found a 6500K plus a 5000K to work well over non-high tech tanks. Studies have shown that light between 6000K and 7000K promoted the best response (= photosynthesis) from the plants. I like the 6500K/5000K mix as it adds a bit more warmth (red), but I had a mix of 6700K and 10000K over my 115g for a year and it was a cooler white but plant growth was fine. You do not want only 10000K or above, as this is too blue with too little red for plants and algae can be troublesome. With single tube fixtures, you also have to get better tubes, as these will produce more intensity than standard. This depends upon the type of plants you want, as different species have somewhat differing light requirements.
There is a lot to this lighting, but this may get you started.
Byron.
OP
OP
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
thanks
the tank already has a T5 6400K is that fine
the tank already has a T5 6400K is that fine
OP
OP
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
for a natural planted tank
Byron said that T5 is more suitable for high-tech planted tanks and T8 is better for lightly planted or low-techs, I think that's good advice. But since you already have a T5 you can work with it.
Put a timer switch on your lights and run them for about 6 hours a day. Having a regular, limited lighting time will help to reduce algae. You can also consider using floating plants to help shade the tank a little if necessary.
Put a timer switch on your lights and run them for about 6 hours a day. Having a regular, limited lighting time will help to reduce algae. You can also consider using floating plants to help shade the tank a little if necessary.
Byron said:
T5 and T8 tubes of comparable wattage are generally pretty identical so its not quite as simple as saying that T5 is better than T8 for high tech planted tanks.The more light plants get the more CO2 and ferts they will require so you need to be careful you don't get yourself in a situation where you need to pump more CO2 and ferts in just because you went for high wattage lights. The more light you have, the more CO2 and ferts you need and therefore the more high tech you get. Often is better to have less light so there is less plant growth, less trimming required and less expenditure on CO2 and ferts!
You tend to find that T5 tubes of the same length as a T8 will have a higher wattage rating which means you could get two 40" T8s with a combined wattage of 78W whilst the T5 equivalent would have a combined wattage of 108W so it really depends on your lighting requirements. T5s tend to be more expensive and require different kit to the T8s so aren't interchangeable without replacing the lighting unit.
What the OP should be telling us is the size of the tank and the size of the tube (and wattage) so we can estimate what light levels he's getting.
I agree I think, but I am a bit confused with some of this so please allow me to detail it further just so we are all on the same page.
First, wattage is not a good indicator of intensity/brightness, unless you are comparing tubes or bulbs that are identical in all respects except wattage. For example, a GE Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb of 13 watts will be brighter than the same bulb in 10w. But a T8 GE Daylight 4-foot tube of 32 watts will not be as bright/intense as a Life-Glo T8 4-foot tube of 32 watts.
Second, T5 HO (which is the common type of T5) is approximately 1.5 times brighter than T8 of the identical type (example, Life-Glo T5 and Life-Glo T8). Wattage has less to do with this than how the tubes are manufactured. But the NO (normal output) T5 tend to be pretty close to T8, but T5 NO are not all that readily available, presumably because the HO is the real advantage and people wouldn't change from T8 to T5 NO and gain nothing.
Most T8 tubes now use less power to produce the same or perhaps even more light; the older 4-foot were 40w but today these are being made with 32w yet they tend to be a tad better. This is an issue of improving manufacture to use less energy. And watts is simply the measurement of energy (electricity) that a tube/bulb uses to produce the light.
Daize is also correct on the timer issue, very important; constant daily period of light/dark is essential for fish, and plants are also affected. Won't go into all this about circadian rhythm but it is there.
Byron.
First, wattage is not a good indicator of intensity/brightness, unless you are comparing tubes or bulbs that are identical in all respects except wattage. For example, a GE Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb of 13 watts will be brighter than the same bulb in 10w. But a T8 GE Daylight 4-foot tube of 32 watts will not be as bright/intense as a Life-Glo T8 4-foot tube of 32 watts.
Second, T5 HO (which is the common type of T5) is approximately 1.5 times brighter than T8 of the identical type (example, Life-Glo T5 and Life-Glo T8). Wattage has less to do with this than how the tubes are manufactured. But the NO (normal output) T5 tend to be pretty close to T8, but T5 NO are not all that readily available, presumably because the HO is the real advantage and people wouldn't change from T8 to T5 NO and gain nothing.
Most T8 tubes now use less power to produce the same or perhaps even more light; the older 4-foot were 40w but today these are being made with 32w yet they tend to be a tad better. This is an issue of improving manufacture to use less energy. And watts is simply the measurement of energy (electricity) that a tube/bulb uses to produce the light.
Daize is also correct on the timer issue, very important; constant daily period of light/dark is essential for fish, and plants are also affected. Won't go into all this about circadian rhythm but it is there.
Byron.
T5HO are a nicer light....and you dont have to have a high tech planted tank just because you have T5HO on a tank
I still do run T8's though, slowly changing them over to T5HO lights.....though i may just put adapters in the T8 units so they will take T5 tubes
I still do run T8's though, slowly changing them over to T5HO lights.....though i may just put adapters in the T8 units so they will take T5 tubes
OP
OP
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
geee its 8W in a 44 L
OP
OP
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
its a T5 6400k
Yep as you had already added above i believe 
The best way is to experiment with plants to see what you are able to grow and what fails.....some basics that are pretty hardy, Val, Watersprite, Elodea, Crypt wendtii, Swords, Anubias, Java fern (all types), Bolbitis, Java moss, Peacock moss, and i am sure there are others too, just cant think of em at present lol
The best way is to experiment with plants to see what you are able to grow and what fails.....some basics that are pretty hardy, Val, Watersprite, Elodea, Crypt wendtii, Swords, Anubias, Java fern (all types), Bolbitis, Java moss, Peacock moss, and i am sure there are others too, just cant think of em at present lol
OP
OP
SeanTrollope
Fish Addict
thanks i think the java fern and swords to start with
You should be OK. Plant as much as you can at one go. This disadvantages algae, and in new tanks the biological system is still in fluctuation so algae is ready to take advantage. The duration may have to be kept less, as another member I believe mentioned. And make sure there are floating plants. Java Fern is a low-light plant that will readily develop brush algae if under direct overhead lighting that is more than minimal. The photo below is of my present 33g, which has Java Fern (along with Java Moss and one crypt) and a fairly heavy layer of floating plants. And the light is one T8 Life-Glo 2 tube. I thinned out the floating plants once, and brush algae appeared within a week on the large JF on the left.
Byron.
Byron.
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