Lighting A 10Gal With Cfl Light

[snowflake311]

I have a 10gal planted tank with 2" of pure plant substrate. The low light plants are doing awesome. I added some Didiplis diandra aka water hedge. It did well for a week under a 17watt 8t. My Cabomba carolinian also is not doing so well. I add flourish excel everyday.

So I added 2 CFL they use 13watt and a 20watt but they are as bright as a 60watt and 75watt. So the Lumens are 830 and 1190 so that's 2,020 lumens . So what would you call my tank low light, mid light, or high light? I am thinking it's mid light? Also they are day light bulbs will they be good for plant growth?

I have a little oto that keeps the plants spotless and they are growing like weeds well the Anubias barteri,Cryptocoryne pontederifolia, java moss, And Cryptocoryne spiralis. But I really want the Cabomba and water hedge to do well.

 

[RadaR]

Well lumens is irrelevant for plant growth. Lumens are a measure of how humans perceive light. It is not a measure of how plants use light. Daylight bulbs mean the kelvin is around 6500K, which again doesnt bother the plants. Kelvin just effects how we view it.
If you are dosing Excel daily then you should also be doing weekly water change of 50%. Macro nutrients (and micro) should also be dosed daily.
I'd say your tank was high light.
Check this out

 

[snowflake311]

Well lumens is irrelevant for plant growth. Lumens are a measure of how humans perceive light. It is not a measure of how plants use light. Daylight bulbs mean the kelvin is around 6500K, which again doesnt bother the plants. Kelvin just effects how we view it.
If you are dosing Excel daily then you should also be doing weekly water change of 50%. Macro nutrients (and micro) should also be dosed daily.
I'd say your tank was high light.
Check this out

Thanks. I have some HC on the way and I thought I had a enough light just had to check. I do weekly wc of 80% I use excel everyday and I have a few other fert the basic flourish and flourish iron. I am thinking I will try some DIY co2 since I have the light for it.

 

[RadaR]

But what about macro nutrients (NPK)? The most important.
I wouldnt bother with DIY CO2 if you are dosing Excel. There's no need and you could create unstable CO2 because yeast doesnt have a constant out put. Up to you.