# did i buy a good light?...



## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

i bought a marine glo light bulb-strip it says 105 lux 40w.i know nothing about lighting.i have a eclipse natural daylight bulb-strip f40t10 also.now my ?is can i use the marine one for freshwater plants?i only have java ferns right now.are these 2 lights low light?for low light plants.see i have a 55 gallon with a nocternal fish in it and i think the marine light would better for him because it's blue  you know not as bright as regular light.well tell me what you think?thanks in advance


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

if the marine glo says 50/50 or anything about 'actinic' ...then no it's not really suitable for freshwater plants as a primary light source. it won't have adequate spectrum for plants...even simple low-light java ferns would suffer.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

This bulb is supposed to be used for marine tanks. While some like the blue light it emits, it won't help your plants, and it will be a little too much to be used as moonlight.


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## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

*yea i brought it back...*

i got a flora-glo 220 lux and 2800k.see i asked the lady who worked there for help and she said to get this one.now when i think about it i dont think it will be enough light for a 55 gallon.what do you think?i'm gonna look dumb bringing another light back :icon_redf .i do only have 2 java ferns right now.thanks alot, nina


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## Cheeseybacon (Feb 13, 2005)

Word of advice, never ever ever take any advice from people at the LFS store without first verifying it elsewhere. That might sound pretty cynical, but I have been burned sooooo many times by taking the word of the LFS employees. I am normally a fairly trusting person, and I kept giving them the benefit of the doubt, but all I got out of it was a lighter wallet and a bunch of products that didn't work. 
Also, keep in mind planted tanks are something that not too many LFS are familiar with. All the LFS in my area know plenty about reef tanks, cichlids, and fish-only freshwater tanks, but when you ask them about plants all you get is a blank stare. You pretty much need to go in those kinds of places knowing ahead of time exactly what it is you need to buy.

Lastly, have you read Rex's Guide yet? It has a lot of clear, concise information about the ins and outs of the many aspects of planted tanks... especially the lighting.


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## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

*ok...*

the light i bought is only 2,800k and i need 5,000-10,000 right?so i will have to go back to the store.it says it's for plants.the 110 watts i dont know how i'm gonna do everything there is 40 watts.this hood is a month old and only holds one light strip.i could get a life glo-6,700k but only 40 watts.how bout coral life?i am so confussed.somebody just tell me what to buy :icon_cry: .i'm looking at petsmart or petco.geez me so dumb,thanks for dealing,nina


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

queenbee said:


> i got a flora-glo 220 lux and 2800k.see i asked the lady who worked there for help and she said to get this one.now when i think about it i dont think it will be enough light for a 55 gallon.what do you think?i'm gonna look dumb bringing another light back :icon_redf .i do only have 2 java ferns right now.thanks alot, nina


Is that a 32w T8 bulb? If you do ODNO 4x plus AHSupply reflectors, you'd be surprised how many plants you can grow. I have a single tube(not this particular one) on my 55 gallon. I have used bulbs 2700k and 3100k. They worked fine for plants, but looked very yellow.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

If your 55 gallon tank has the single bulb 4' strip light on it then go to www.ahsupply.com and buy a 2x55 kit and two bulbs. It will be the best $110 you have ever spent.

No messing around with finding parts, no messing around at all. Follow the directions and you will have enough light to grow a lot of different plants.


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## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

*i am new to this...*

what do you mean by t8 bulb?and ODNO x4?dont want to buy a new top this one is new ,i just have some java ferns right now.so would like something i could get away with.not much of a plant person more of a fish person.and nice to see i ran into the spell check person.thinkin i might try to get that 6,800 k light and that reflector.what do you think shalu?thanks,Nina


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## Cheeseybacon (Feb 13, 2005)

queenbee said:


> what do you mean by t8 bulb?and ODNO x4?


T8 simply refers to the diameter of the bulb. The most common sizes you'll usually see are T12, T8, T5. The smaller the number, the smaller the diameter of the bulb, and usually the lower the power consumption (wattage) as well.

ODNO stands for Over Driven Normal Output. Basically, when you overdrive a bulb you pump in more electricity than it normally receives, improving the amount of light that comes out of the bulb. The 4x means, you're putting 4x more juice into the bulb than it would normally receive. ODNO is a cheap and effective way to get more light without spending a lot of money. You'll need a new ballast and do some wiring. ODNO is not for the faint of heart, but if you're up for it, you can get a lot for very little.

Another route you could go is to get a 2 x 55-watt kit from AHSupply like Rex suggested. AHSupply's kits are what are known as "retrofit kits." This means you pull all of the guts out of your current light strip and install the AHSupply components into it. AHSupply kits do require some wiring, but the wiring is quite easy to do, will allow you to keep your current hood, and will give you the most light per watt. 

The last route you could take would be to just buy a commerical fixture like the Coralife 2 x 65-watt Aqualight. These units replace your existing hood completely, involve no wiring, splicing, or other messiness. On the downside, they don't have the best reflectors, and don't provide the best light per wattage.

Any of these routes will work for you. You need to research them some more and figure out which one will work best for you.




queenbee said:


> not much of a plant person more of a fish person


Ah ha! The truth comes out. Aquatic plants have very special lighting and nutrient needs in order to survive and grow. It is more involved than just buying some new bulbs and letting the plants do their thing. Unless you are willing to dedicate some time and money to providing for your plants, you may want to stick with a fish-only setup and forget about the lights and the plants. The reason why I say this is because plants can be a little tricky to keep, and in addition to better lighting you will need to invest in both C02 and ferts, as well as more plants, if you don't want to have a huge mess of algae on your hands.

On the bright side of things, if you've had trouble keeping fish in the past, I can tell you that keeping plants makes keeping fish waaaaaay easier than if you were to just keep fish on their own. Plants absorb a lot of the nasty toxic things that hurt your fish, and they make your fish relax and act more natural. For the most part, if you take care of the plants, the plants will take care of the fish.


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## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

*thank you cheeseybacon...*

see i have a 55 gallon with one 14 inch carnivior marbled sand goby,and it's kinda a boring looking tank so i thought add some plants.your post is very helpfull ,and you are right about sticking with fish i have about 5 tanks with fish and one turtle tank.it's just i bought these java ferns and won some money at the casino and wanted to buy a good light bulb,for the ferns.would they be ok with the 6,800k just a 40 watt?let me tell you though someday i'm gonna do a nice looking planted tank :icon_bigg thanks,nina


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## Cheeseybacon (Feb 13, 2005)

queenbee said:


> would they be ok with the 6,800k just a 40 watt?l


Java ferns are one of the hardiest aquatic plants, so they should at least survive. Do not expect them to grow, flourish, or otherwise improve from their present state, and do not be surprised if they whither away and die.


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## malkore (Nov 3, 2003)

Yes, LFS's rarely know much about plants. Our high light, CO2 injected tanks are a small niche in the aquarium hobby. People tend to either go cheap adn have fish only, or go elaborate with a reef/marine tank. FW planted tanks sit somewhere in the middle on price to setup...but since 'marine fish are so pretty' we usually lose out.

Luckily many people have had success with heavily planted tanks, and cichlids...the most colorful family of FW fish, which can rival a good marine tank any day of the week.


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

So it sounds like you are mixing wattage, light, and color. The first in the power printed on the bulb. A 4' T12 is 40 W and the T8 is 32. The amount of light is measured in lumens or lux. You want to focus on getting enough light. The last is the color in K which is at best misleading, and at worst wrong. The rule of thumb is that 6700K will be about the same color as the tropical sun at noon. Lower numbers are "yellow" and higher are "blue." But comparison is not constant between people or bulbs for the K rating does not mean much. Aim for ~ 2WPG watts per gallon as rex suggested.


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## queenbee (Apr 13, 2005)

*you people have been very helpfull...*

i just bought a aqua glo 18,000k 40 watts.i know i need more watts but i'm gonna try this for my java fern's for now.won't the light bulb get real hot with 110 wattts?my top is the plastic one not glass.i did learn alot from this thread.And i agree that cichlids are very pretty and smart,i have a african tank and other cichlids in other tanks.planted tanks are so cool looking and can't wait to start one.maybe have to try on the 20 gallon in the future.me thinks i get the idea now.thanks alot ,Nina


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## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

The 18000K might work ok, but we generally prefer bulbs in the 5000k - 10000k range for plants, although 2700k also worked for me. Those $3.5 32w T8 philips daylight bulbs might work better though.


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## BlueRam (Sep 21, 2004)

queen:

Planted tanks are driven by lights so it is not surprising that many (here) will consider "stock" lighting dreadful. Kinda like under-gravel filters for digging cichlids... The point is that there is no "magic" 4' T12 at 40 W bulb you can buy that will make your plants go. The sad part would be if this experience left you frustrated and you abandoned the planted hobby.

So you need more light (in Watts), the 18,000k bulb should be really blue so go to home depot or Lowes and buy either a T12 or T8 bulb at 6700K for ~$5 a pair. Aquire a glass lid and a second fixture to run 2 lamps. This is still ~1.5 WPG but your plants will die less fast. When you are ready, upgrade to the 2X 55W power compact (PC) fixture mentioned earlier. With 2 WPG you plants should start to grow. If you can, find "betta bulbs" or the like from you LFS (petco sometime has them) these are Aponogeton and longifolia primarly that will get big but otherwise do ok. 

So keep asking questions (and read the guide at rexgrigg.com)!


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