# 10w 6500k vs ~14w 5000k



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Dskudera124 said:


> So today I switched my 10w 6500k bulb out for a 5000k bulb that uses "the amount of energy similar to about 14w."


Sorry, vague enough to be meaningless probably.. That aside, you probably will, all other things being equal, increase PAR slightly...To be definitive it would have to be measured.. 


Dskudera124 said:


> I've read that 6500k is where I need to be but I've also read that kelvin doesn't matter. I'm trying to raise up my PAR value. Will the new bulbs lift my par value quite a bit, or is it a minuscule change? I have a 5.5g. The picture uses a much higher watt bulb and a much better reflector but it's the idea that light temperature didn't matter much.


A "typical" 6500k CF:









your 5000k probably has more phosphors in the yellow peaking area.. Bottom line you probably added some more "effective" light but probably
changed the "look" more-so..

light temp only matters when you know what goes into the mix.. It matters more for aesthetics than anything else.. You can create plant grow lights that are very high PAR and have no "definable" color temp..


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## Dskudera124 (Nov 12, 2013)

Yea I was thinking that. So are you suggesting that kelvin rating is only going to be light color but isn't enough of an indicator to say one is better than the other?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Dskudera124 said:


> Yea I was thinking that. So are you suggesting that kelvin rating is only going to be light color but isn't enough of an indicator to say one is better than the other?


Yes....


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Have you considered getting a 23w 6500k bulb? I have strictly used these cfl's over my tanks and they proved to be effective and relatively affordable when i first started the hobby.


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## Dskudera124 (Nov 12, 2013)

I think a 23w would be a but of over kill. Also my tank temperature has risen about 4 degrees with this new bulb and that's only a 3 watt difference so a 10W difference may be a little uncomfortable for the inhabitants. It's only a 5.5G.


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