# Is PowerGLO 18'000K okay for planted tanks?



## SNAKEMANVET (Jan 6, 2011)

I would disagree,That will have alot of blue color to it,which I understand really isn't used by plants.I am useing 6000k to 10,000 k bulbs.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

You're actually suppose to use that bulb in conjunction with one of their lower spectrum bulbs, so if you got a single bulb fixture I would stick to using the Life Glo bulb instead.


----------



## mmelnick (Mar 5, 2010)

It's more about what looks good to you. That one combined with a lower K rating (6500K or 10,000K) would be great IMO. But I don't like a yellow tank. I like a bit of blue.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

I accidentally replaced one of my life glo's with a power glo and I can tell you that it ISN'T good for a planted tank. I initially liked it a lot because it made everything look so cool, BUT the tank, which was previously algae free, developed a ton of algae in a couple days. I exchanged it for a ZOO Med 6500 k bulb and everything went back to normal.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I quite like these bulbs.

It's what I have on my 10gal ATM.

I do agree that they tend to look best in combo with other spectrums, though.


----------



## redfishsc (Aug 29, 2010)

The bulb will work fine for growing plants but probably doesn't look nice by itself. 




SNAKEMANVET said:


> I would disagree,That will have alot of blue color to it,which I understand really isn't used by plants.I am useing 6000k to 10,000 k bulbs.


Actually, plants use blue light to a very, very high degree. Blue and red are the colors that plants prefer. 

Your color combo--- 6,000K and 10,000K, will have a lot of blue, even if it doesn't appear that way. It's also a very nice looking combo IMO. I love a 10,000K bulb thrown into the mix over a planted tank, I think it "cools down" the harsh yellow of many of the bulbs we use.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

redfishsc said:


> Actually, plants use blue light to a very, very high degree. Blue and red are the colors that plants prefer.
> 
> Your color combo--- 6,000K and 10,000K, will have a lot of blue, even if it doesn't appear that way. It's also a very nice looking combo IMO. I love a 10,000K bulb thrown into the mix over a planted tank, I think it "cools down" the harsh yellow of many of the bulbs we use.


Plants do prefer blue and red wavelengths. However, it has to be within specific ranges of each color spectrum. The red wavelength produced by the Power Glo is probably useless to most aquarium plants, as is the massive spike in both the green and red parts of the spectrum. 

I actually found a PAR value on it earlier and it's extremely low, as it was outperformed by several T8 bulbs.... I'll post it in a bit.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

The PAR/Watt value for the Power Glo is 0.77

The value for the Hagen Flora Glo T8 was 1.41

The data was compiled by a moderator on the TFH forums. I can attach the compiled data if anyone is interested.

BTW,this is an excel spreadsheet so I hope for your sake you aren't interested!!


----------



## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

Both blue and red are used by plants, and most in-between is not. The wavelength for red that plants use is between 650-675 which the PowerGlo bulb does have. 

I have used this bulb in combination with other "Glo" bulbs with good results.

As stated above "K" or Kelvin is just used to represent how the bulb will look.

This site/thread is a great reference with a lot of info.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/38014-lighting-spectrum-photosythesis.html


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

snausage said:


> The PAR/Watt value for the Power Glo is 0.77
> 
> The value for the Hagen Flora Glo T8 was 1.41
> 
> ...


Or you can just link to the whole thread... http://forums.tfhmagazine.com/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=27589 :biggrin:

Unfortunately, Cor didn't have access to a PAR meter (he lives in South Africa and gadgets like that just aren't accessible) so he did have to base his calculations on manufacturer specs. [He worked very hard to get those from Coralife, directly, too!]

Another thing this chart does not take into comparison is the functional, usable light differences achieved through different fixture designs- so that's something you still need to factor in when determining the light level in your own individual tank.

It's a great comparison of just the bulbs.


----------



## sanj (Jan 11, 2004)

They are fine for plants. Plants will adapt to most light, but will you like the look? That is really the only question.


----------



## mountaindew (Dec 10, 2008)

sanj said:


> They are fine for plants. Plants will adapt to most light, but will you like the look? That is really the only question.


Tom barr also stated this when I asked it as a direct question.

Why would a manfacturer even publish or measure the spectra of any bulb if it made no difference?

I think more experience with this would prove different. True plants will adapt. But thrive, grow and look the way do in nature, IME NO WAY.


mD


----------



## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

snausage said:


> I accidentally replaced one of my life glo's with a power glo and I can tell you that it ISN'T good for a planted tank. I initially liked it a lot because it made everything look so cool, BUT the tank, which was previously algae free, developed a ton of algae in a couple days. I exchanged it for a ZOO Med 6500 k bulb and everything went back to normal.


^-- This was the *exact* same thing that happened to me! Color looked pretty washed out too, very blue. 

Best combo from Hagen for plants IMO is LifeGlo/FloraGlo combo for t8's, For T5's I'd recomend the lifeglo either by itself or combo'd with a zoomed flora sun for best growth and a natural color. I'd only use the powerglo if it was 1 of 4 bulbs i'm running and even then, only if it's on a reef.


----------



## sanj (Jan 11, 2004)

mountaindew said:


> Why would a manfacturer even publish or measure the spectra of any bulb if it made no difference?


I could be synical and say aquatics manufacturers want to establish a market they can sell you stuff nicely packaged and more expensively and tell you they are better than the alternatives.

Yet if you want to believe them hook line and sinker, why then is this well established manufacturer marketing them as suitable for plants?

You never have optimum conditions in an aquarium, somthing is always limiting, to be able to determine that a Powerglo is going to give worse plant growth than another bulb... i dont believe it would be appreciably noticable within the confines of an aquarium. 

I have used them in the past they grew the plants well enough, but better/worse than my other tanks without them... I couldnt say so.

However I dont like the light they give off just using them alone. Were i ever to use them again it would be in combination.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Agreed.

And to my knowledge no one has ever scientifically established a link between kelvin ratings and algae, so I'm personally dubious that the power glo was really the key factor.


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

schtals said:


> Is HAGEN PowerGLO 18'000K okay for planted tanks?
> Says it's perfect for marine and planted tanks on the packaging.
> Some people disagree with that.
> Any comments and opinions on this?
> ...


the short answer here is yes. it grows plants just fine. 

i've been using one for a while now and have come to like it a lot. i use one in conjunction with a 10,000K bulb. it really makes the blues and reds in my fish pop. it's not so much blue as the color chart leads you to believe. it's a violet color.


----------

