Oops, Wrong Bulb

[shortymet55]

I went to the aquarium store yesterday. My 29 gallon only has on 20W cheap bulb. So, while I was looking at the compact lighting and all, for a higher wattage. Anyways, all my dad cares about is how my fish look, so I asked a guy there for a bulb that will make the fish look good, and be the best option for plants as far as a low wattage light can go. So he picked this bulb and on the package it said good for freshwater fish and plants. I figured it would be good, but when I got home, I noticed it said 18,000K. I read thats way way way to high for plants. Am I going to have more issues than with a standard daytime bulb that came with the fixture? Or, will I be fine. My dad paid for the bulb, because he wanted the fish to look good, so I can still get a new fixture once I find one that works better, and fits on my perfecto hood. Recap since I ramble. Will this 18,000K bulb kill my plants?
Thanks

Edit: Its an Aqua-Glo bulb.

 

[Colin_T]

18,000K globes have a lot of blue light in them and can make certain things luminess. They are normally used on marine tanks with corals in them but can be used on freshwater tanks if they have red and green light in them as well. Most lights will have a colour spectrum chart on the packaging and this should show peaks in red, blue and green. If it only has a peak in the blue range then it has too much blue light and nothing else. Thus the plants won't do very well. They won't die but they require red and blue light to grow well.

A globe with a 6,000K to 10,000K rating is the best for fish and plants. Daylight globes are generally around the 5,000K to 6,500K rating.

 

[SuperColey1]

They will be fine as will all K. Its the wattage that matters. Not the colouring for my taste though. Like Colin I prefer 6500 to 10000K

Although full spectrum bulbs may be regarded as "best" light no data has been produced demonstrating this. Plants are adaptable and will change their pigment distribution and content to adjust to the available spectrum. It is this "widely regarded as best" label that emboldens vendors to charge scandalous prices for their bulbs. CRI is also completely irrelevent since this only applies to what humans percieve, not what plants need.

Additionally, very few if any aquatic plants ever see full spectrum midday sun, since they grow under the canopy shade and under murky waters in the rain forests of the world, thus rendering the value of Kelvin temperature or of full spectrum completely moot. In fact no bulb even comes close to the spectral distribution of the sun. Having a few peaks in a few narrow bands does not approximate the sun in any way shape or form. The term "Full Spectrum" is merely another marketing term used to suck people in. The Kelvin values of bulbs as well as the "best" term have only to do with what you like to see, not what the plant is capable of assimilating.

Andy

 

[shortymet55]

The chart shows a medium peak in blue, a small peak in green, and the largest peak around orange (changes from yellow to red). I mean my fish look pretty sweet, but im worried about plants. Will this do until I find a higher wattage light, like one of those compact ones?

 

[Colin_T]

The colour spectrum chart sounds pretty good. The plants will be fine.

The compact fluoros don't really have more light overall, you need several of them to provide light over the same area. You would be better off adding a couple more globes like you already have. However, if the light unit doesn't allow for more globes and you have to buy a new unit, get a T5 high output (HO) unit and matching globes. This will provide you with brighter light than the standard fluoros. And if you want to go the whole distance you could get a 75watt metal halide for the tank. But then you would need to add lots of fertilisers for the plants to do their best.

 

[shortymet55]

The lighting thing I have now only has one bulb. I dont see how I could fit another on top of my tank. I could get one of those All-glass covers, but then unless its the perfect size, I wouldnt be able to use it. Because one of the fixtures would surely block the feeding hatch thing. What are my other options?

Thanks

 

[shortymet55]

What if I buy these items:
Compact Light
Mounting Legs
Hood (But from Local Fish Store)

Would the work? Then I would only use this light. One question I have, if the light fixture is 30", my tank is 30", then how do the feet work? They seem to spread out to the sides, so is the fixture actually smaller? Do I really need the feet? I want to have a hood for fish jumping reasons.

Thanks

 

[shortymet55]

Can I set the light right on top of the All-glass cover? If I cannot, then Ill add feet, but do I go with a 30" or 24". Ive been reading on the internet and found two conflicting answers. The one said 30" because the feet hook about 3" in on the light, so they fit over the tank nicely, but the other said the feet attach at the ends, so I need a 24", so with the added length of the feet, the total comes to 30". I need help. Thanks

 

[shortymet55]

I think Im going to buy the light and cover, then set the lamp right on top of the cover. Anyone see any problems with this? Also, is this a good brand light. I think I should be fine with the included bulb. Is this accurate. Thanks

 

[Wolfenrook]

Shortmet is the tube a normal compact flourescent or a power compact? Or is it not even a compact at all as at 20 watts that sounds more like a T8 or something? If it is a power compact then these are actually based on T5 technology and have much higher output than normal compact flourescents or T8s. If it is a compact flourescent or a T8 then either grow plants that can tolerate lower lighting (java fern, mosses, amazon swords etc) or try to upgrade it to either a power compact or a linear T5 tube with reflector, as these will both do as good a job as 2 T8s/compact flourescents but in less space. You wont be able to do this with a compact flourescent or T8 fitting however, you will need to at the least replace the ballast unit and end caps.

As to the unit you linked to, I can't see this been much better than what you have already. Nowhere does it say T5 or power compact, so I would wager that it is a single T8 tube in there which will be little better than what you have.

Oh and the best way to improve light distribution without adding more lights is to add a good quality reflector.

Ade

 

[shortymet55]

Well the one I linked to is 65W. Right now I only have 20W. That seems like a big increase to me.

"The 30" Single Freshwater Aqualight fixture features 1 65 watt 6700K straight pin base compact flourescent lamp. Other features included: on/off switch, built in ballast, acrylic lens cover and highly polished reflector. Sleek aluminum housing. Excellent for freshwater and planted aquariums."

It says its Compact Flourescent Lamp. 65W 6700K Not sure the difference between that and Power Compact. Also from the picture it shows the bulb being really two bulbs from the same base. Am I missing something here? I dont know much about these lights, so pleas inform me.

edit: spelling which make no sense.

 

[shortymet55]

Will anyone tell me if this is a good fixture?

 

[wendywc]

It's a compact flourescent as opposed to a regular flourescent fixture. The reason why it looks like it has two tubes at the base is because it is one long U-shaped tube that only plugs in at one end.

See the second one down in the picture here: [URL="http/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Leuchtstofflampen-chtaube050409.jpg"]http/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...taube050409.jpg[/URL]

... As opposed to the single flourescent is the long cylinder tube with pins at both ends.
Many people prefer compact flourescent over the simple tubes, so it looks good to me.



Oh, BTW, I do like the Aqua Glo bulbs. They are good for either freshwater or saltwater tanks. If you only have a spot for one 20W tube, that is the best choice to make IMO.

 

[shortymet55]

I might get that fixture and set it on top of the All-Glass cover. I really need some more plant growth.

 

[Wolfenrook]

I might get that fixture and set it on top of the All-Glass cover. I really need some more plant growth.

Then look first to your fert dosing, water circulation and CO2 addition. Neglect these but boost the lighting and you will grow algae, not plants.

As to the light fitting, I missed the 65 watt bit. That will give you about 2.2 watts per gallong of lighting, which should be enough for most plants, again though address the above first, not after.

Ade