# is 15,000 k to much?



## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

it is a good bulb as long as it shines the color you want it to.

a lot of folks seem to say that anything between 6500k and 10000k is good...
i think as long as you have enough light it is okay. i really think that there would be a very trivial, non noticable difference in the health and growth of two plants grown in identical conditions side by side in two tanks with the same fixture, one using a 6500k and the other with a 10,000k bulb. 

the intensity of light seems to be about 95% of what matters.
that being said, i choose bulbs based on how they shine in the tank.
i mix and match what is available to me to make it look right to my eyes.
right now im using one aga 8000k, one ge 6500k and two phillips hi vision (i think these are 4500k)

anyway, to me the 8000k brings out a nice "snap" into the red plants in my tank and it seems to cast an ultra clear look into the tank water.

the 6500k bulbs seem to do a good job making the greens of the plants come alive, but they cast a neon turquoise looking tint to the water that i dont realy care for.

the 4500k's make up for what the others are lacking and brings in a warmth to the reds that the 6500k seems to sort of wash out.
the combination of these bulbs makes an eye appealing color to me.

i think that the 15000k will be good company for your other bulb. 
usually the "standard" fluoresents for home use are all somewhere between 35and 4500k. 2500 would be very orange


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## i love planted tanks (Apr 27, 2008)

yes my other bulb is very orange but it looks very nice in the tank with 15,000k bulb. good explanation discus thank you


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It depends on where the "peaks" are in the bulb's color spectrum. The problem with most bulbs with a Kelvin that high is that they often were developed with SW corals in mind, so have peaks in the blue area of the spectrum- which won't support FW plant growth. Every manufacturer can be a bit different, however, as I'm currently using an 18k bulb over my tanks that has a very large red peak- which is perfect for plant growth. The kelvin rating really has more to do with the color appearance of the light to the human eye.


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