Does They K Value Of Lights Make A Difference?

[Duzzy]

Hi there,

the lights I am looking to get come with 10,000k tubes/globes I was wondering if thats ok or do I need to change them? will they affect the look of the tank? and will they affect plants?

Regards Darren

 

[raptorrex]

Hi there,

the lights I am looking to get come with 10,000k tubes/globes I was wondering if thats ok or do I need to change them? will they affect the look of the tank? and will they affect plants?

Regards Darren

they will be very white, but your eyes will adjust so, to someone looking at the tank, the wattage of the bulbs will have more effect on the look than the Kelvin rating. for growing plants, well traditional thought says these tubes will be fine, though tubes of anything over 6000k will supply the type of light needed. it may though, cause algae, especially in a new ish tank. i

 

[Wolfenrook]

The Kelving of a tube only makes a difference at the extremes. Anything between 4,000 and 10,000K is usually fine so long as you have enought wattage. It's all a matter of taste though, some colour look either too pink, too orange or too green.

Ade

 

[Duzzy]

Thanks I will give them a go and see....

The Kelving of a tube only makes a difference at the extremes. Anything between 4,000 and 10,000K is usually fine so long as you have enought wattage. It's all a matter of taste though, some colour look either too pink, too orange or too green.

Ade

 

[raptorrex]

The Kelving of a tube only makes a difference at the extremes. Anything between 4,000 and 10,000K is usually fine so long as you have enought wattage. It's all a matter of taste though, some colour look either too pink, too orange or too green.

Ade

thats the point, your eyes will correct any cast from the tank. it can however affect the colour saturation and tone of some of the fish in there. but after a second of so you yourself will not notice any difference!

 

[Duzzy]

I would like my plants to look green and lush ane the reds red and healthy, what k would be best?

 

[raptorrex]

I would like my plants to look green and lush ane the reds red and healthy, what k would be best?

the k value is not just for looks, as your tank is planted anything from 5000k to 10,000k should be fine. it must be noted though, that the higher the kelvin rating, the more likely you are to have problems with algae. i am aware it is not the only cause of this, but it is one of the main ones. some people mix lights, say one 5-10k tube and one of say 3.5-4.5k. just to muck this up, the ambient light will also have an effect on the , apparent, colour and look of your tank too.

 

[SuperColey1]

the reason most of us mix the tubes is not to get a low K and a high K to inhibit algae. Its more of a balance for our own visual perception.

The pink lights (4000-5000K) are balanced by a daylight (6500K-10000K) On their own the pink gives a pink look to the tank and the daylight gives a green tinge, but the 2 together look more like we perceive the natural look to be (each person will have a slightly different preference here)

The K within the 4-10K doesn't matter as long as there is sufficient light (1WPG is fine for many of us) then stick within 4-10 and get a combo you like the balance of.

I use a 4500K pink light combined with a 6500K daylight.

Algae grows when there is a defficiency within the tank. The light just gives the plants the opportunity to grow at a certain speed, then they need enough carbon and other nutrient to be able to grow to this speed. This is why the more light you have the more CO2 and ferts you need. If anything goes defficient then the algae grows buit it is not because of a Kelvin rating.

Andy

 

[raptorrex]

Algae grows when there is a defficiency within the tank. The light just gives the plants the opportunity to grow at a certain speed, then they need enough carbon and other nutrient to be able to grow to this speed. This is why the more light you have the more CO2 and ferts you need. If anything goes defficient then the algae grows buit it is not because of a Kelvin rating.

Andy

i broadly agree with you here, except that if the kelvin rating of the bulbs is much below 4000k, photosynthesis, will be greatly reduced. and to a certain extent the opposite is true of increasing the kelvin rating. so whilst it is not the only factor it is, without doubt one of them.

boboboy
your eyes will correct any cast from the tank. it can however affect the colour saturation and tone of some of the fish in there. but after a second of so you yourself will not notice any difference!

the above however is an incontrovertible fact, not my thoughts. adjustments lights in the red to blue to white range will, after a few seconds be unnoticeable to the human eye.

 

[Duzzy]

I was going to use 6500k but wasn't sure if it altered anything, the lights come with 10k globes/tubes

Thanks all

 

[Dave Spencer]

Don`t worry too much about the k rating. Get lights that are pleasing to your eye, that give the best daylight look. Any tube with a decent green spike in the spectrum will get you in the right area.

The other consideration is intensity. How much light do you want? It is the light that will drive your tank.

Try lampspecs for cheap tubes if you are in the UK.

Dave.

 

[Duzzy]

Thanks Dave....