Color temperature?
Matt Hanson
I use the 10,000 K bulbs that came standard with my fixtures. I really
like the way they look, and my plants seem to do very well. Everything
that I have read suggests that I should be using between 5000 K and 6700
K bulbs. I know that the K rating is an indication of the bulb
spectrum, but what is the overall effect? Is sheer intensity,
regardless of spectrum enough, or do I need to pay more attention in
this area? Other factors aside, (such as algae potential) would the
lower K bulbs be more appropriate, and why?
I'm ashamed to say, that while I understand some of the higher chemistry
of keeping tank, I'm a little off balance here. Can somebody tell me
where the ideal range would be for my tank? I'd like to try the lower K
bulbs, (they're certainly cheaper) but I don't know enough to make a
decision.
Thanks for your help!
Chad Sutton
bulb. I'm looking at power compacts that have 9.3K daylight bulbs and I'm
told that while there is a big spike in the spectrum at 9.3 there is also a
big spike in the spectrum in the 5.5 range. I'm told that the 5.5 spike
would be great for the plants, the spike at the higher range adds to the
visual looks (would also be great for reef which is what I used to do).
Bulbs that would be 5.5 only are available but would visually look more
yellow, as I am told. Since my tank is in the building process now after a
gap of 10 years in aquariums, I'm going by spoken word and internet
searches. If the plants grow well and you like the look the bulb gives, it
seems like you've got a good bulb for your needs.
I noticed a wichita in your address. Is that Wichita KS? I'm just south in
Derby.
"Matt Hanson" <mth...@wichita.infi.net> wrote in message
news:3CE34452...@wichita.infi.net...
Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
spectrum. They were green looking in the tank. It wasn't nice to look at.
Plants did OK, but they were plain flourescent tubes - nowhere near enough
light.
I'm guessing the bulbs you were talking about (which I think you actually meant
were the 9325 K bulbs that come with the All Glass Power Compact) are the same
ones that I have in my hood. They look great. But are they really what I want
for a planted tank? Sure, the plants grow, but so does the algae. (I've got it
regulated now, but did I have to go through all that?) And is this optimal for
plant growth? Does it matter?
I still feel a little stupid on this matter. It seems like something that I
should understand. I just don't ever remember learning anything about this.
Either I was absent or asleep that day...
Dave Millman
> I'm still a little confused about Kelvin ratings of power compact bulbs.
Most of us are. Anecdote: A buddy of mine used to have a reef tank with the
super blue lighting they like. When he put those bulbs over his 18" deep
freshwater planted tank, he noticed everything grew really tall: even c.
wendtii, which is a low foreground-middle plant for most of us, grew 12" or
more, straight up. We're guessing the plants "sensed" the spectrum, and
assumed they were in deep water.
That story would tend to indicate that plants can tell the difference!
Matt Hanson
quite annoyed lately by plants growing out of the tank, and I use the higher K
bulbs, that you would normally use in a reef tank. I don't use the actinic,
just regular full spectrum. I've got a 24" deep tank, and I can't keep amazon
sword plants from losing leaves, because they grow out of the tank, then the
tips dry out, die, and effectively kill the rest of the leaf. (they look like
true "swords" - most leaves about 2" wide and about 26" long) I don't know
what possessed me so long ago to want a banana plant, but the leaves are almost
as big as my head, and it makes 4-5' runners in some cases. My dwarf sag is
supposed to reach 6" max, but it didn't stop there...
That's an awesome piece of information. I think I'm getting it... I'm very
curious now to try using the 5300 K bulbs that sell on AH Supply.
Scott Lewis
Did a little surfing last night reading about the proper lighting
for plants. Based on what I found, yes they can tell the
difference.
I was under the impression that plants only used a couple/three
different frequencies (colors) of light. Those two colors were
around 440 (blue) and 640 (red) (625 and 645 for the three
different color version) for the most productive plant growth.
Seems it is quite abit more complicated than that.
Apparently, according to the studies, plants actually can use a
much broader spectrum than just the two or three peaks I
mentioned above. So, if there is green in the lamp bulb
spectrum, it is not going totally to waste. The interesting
thing about the colors is how the plants tend to react (different
plants do not all react the same way to different colors) to the
intensity of the different colors vs. intensity of the color.
In general, the blue light tends to make the plants grow up and
'reach' for more light. The reds tend to cause the plants to
fill out more and start thinking about reproducing. That is,
they will get bushier and flower if that is their nature.
Infrared even gets into the act. In some plants, this will kick
start the plants into the flowering mode.
Another interesting thing I came across is the fact that too much
light can cause the plant to think it has reached the surface of
the water and start to flower and spread out/get bushier before
the leaves have reached the surface. This could have interesting
possibilities for growing flowers underwater. Note that most
plants wait until their leaves have reached the surface before
going into the flowering mode.
Just so you know, a lot of plants have two or three stages of
leaf growth; submerged, surface and emergent. It is the surface
and emergent growth that was happening prematurely underwater
rather than above the surface that was happening with too much
light.
I think if I had three 110 watt bulbs available, I would replace
one of them with a very red (very cool) bulb and only turn it on
every 2-4 months to try to simulate summertime and flowers.
--
Scott
-- Microsoft Outlook, the hacker's path to your hard disk.
LeighMo
super blue lighting they like. When he put those bulbs over his 18" deep
freshwater planted tank, he noticed everything grew really tall: even c.
wendtii, which is a low foreground-middle plant for most of us, grew 12" or
more, straight up. We're guessing the plants "sensed" the spectrum, and
assumed they were in deep water. <<
Interesting. I'd always heard that blue light made plants grow tall, and red
light made them grow bushy, but I never thought about the reasons for this.
Your explanation sounds very logical.
I recently replaced the PCF bulb on my smaller tank. I went from a 10,000K
"surface" bulb to a 8800K "3-5 feet below the surface" bulb. Should be
interesting to see if that changes the plant growth any.