Need Help Choosing a New Bulb For a Planted Aquarium

[MemnochsKat]

I'm a bit confused on the how to determine the lighting requirements for a planted tank. I have a standard 29 Gallon. The hood came with an Eclipse F18T8 Natural Daylight bulb. Here's what I've gathered so far.

This is NOT enough lighting for a planted tank, unless I only use low light plants.

It's a T8 so I need to get a T8 bulb to replace it. Is this right? Or would a T12 also fit.

I've been looking at the Dr's website, which has a really nice link from there Deluxe All Glass Hood, that tells you which bulbs are compatible.


Okay that's about as much as I know. Here are my questions:

I have no idea how many "K" my current light gives off.
I have no idea how many "K" I need to support a planted tank.
I am not fond of the color the current light provides and would like something a bit more natural and not so high school fluorescent lighting like.

Just from looking, but not really knowing what I'm looking for, this seems like a decent light.

Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Aqua-Glo Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Please excuse my complete ignorance on this subject. If someone could link me an article or post that explains the ins and outs of lighting I would love it. I'd like to learn, so that if I get a deeper or bigger tank I don't have to ask all over again.

 

[lauraj]

drsfostersmith.com site has some articles on the subject that may help you. Sorry I don't know the direct link. From their home page, click on articles (top left of screen), than fish, than lighting under the equiptment list.

 

[Lotus]

A bulb in the range of 6700K to around 8000K usually gives a nice color for a planted tank. Below that, the light is more yellow to the eye, above that it is more blue. The K (Kelvin) is the color temperature of the bulb, it doesn't refer to how much light you have, but the color of it.

Your bulb is an 18 watt bulb, which won't really give enough light for more than low light plants.

If you want a wider variety of plants in your tank, you will need to upgrade the light fixture itself. I'm very happy with the Coralife Freshwater Aqualight compact fluorescent fixtures I've bought, and they do give enough light for more demanding plants.

 

[MemnochsKat]

Thanks lotus. Are there fixtures that I can upgrade to that will work with my current deluxe hood, and don't cost an arm and a leg?

How many watts would I need to keep up with more light demanding plants?

 

[Lotus]

You could use a retrofit kit for your hood. AHsupply.com has some of the best ones. If it's a nice wooden hood, it would probably be the better choice. If it's a plastic hood, I'd go for a Coralife Aqualight. I think the 30" single Aqualight is about $60. The Coralife basically replaces your hood (with the addition of the legs).

A 65 watt fixture would give you enough light to grow most medium and medium-high light plants.

 

[lauraj]

I'm in the process of upgrading (saving money for) to the exact light fixture Lotus referred to(Coralife aqualight). For my 20 long tank, the fixture runs between $56-70 depending on where you get it. I also found that I needed to change to an "all-glass versa top" hood because the light fixture is wider than the glass portion of my original hood.

 

[slacker88313]

thanks for the link to the AHsupply.com site....ill be getting my kit from them