# t5 ho colormax or 6,700k can't decide which ones to use



## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I bought a t5 ho ballast and bulbs for my 55g but I can't decide if I should use the coral-life color max's or the 6,700k I know i need a 6,500-10,000k for the plants. but will color max grow plants? on the box it says enhances the natural beauty of fish and plants, but will it help the plants grow.? if it doesn't I'm not to bummed out. because I got 2-6,700k and 2 -color max bulbs. thanks petco for clearancing them down to $6.00 dollars. (normal cost at the LFS is 18.99-24.99, I got all 4 for the price of one.:snakeman:

so let it be a 6,700k in front and a colormax in back, or both 6,700k, or both colormax, or color max in front with a 6,700 in back?


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

so I saw what the color max looks like being lit up looks like, it's to purplish-pink. but it does give a normal tone in the aquarium, then I lit up the 6,700. nice bright tone. so i went with two 6,700ks.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

oh and I got to ask what type of lighting do I have with the lights. because the chain sword/dwarf sag for my fore ground is dieing. could it just be re-a-justing,or I need more root tabs?


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## plamski (Oct 27, 2009)

If you have red plants colormax is perfect - 1x colormax and 1x6700. 55 tank is deep and you can't have the same amount of light from top to the bottom. I did kill a lot of dwarf sag because of high light and lather one because of low light. You have to experiment with length of light period.


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

I'm currently using a pink bulb in the back and a 10,000k in front. Pink or in your case purple will often show up red plants better. It is my understanding that Colormax or Pink bulbs have about half the PAR of 6700k or 10000k bulbs but, in combination with a 6700k ot 10000k bulb you might still have enough to grow plants just fine.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

fishyjoe24 said:


> so I saw what the color max looks like being lit up looks like, it's to purplish-pink. but it does give a normal tone in the aquarium, then I lit up the 6,700. nice bright tone. so i went with two 6,700ks.


You should have gone with one of each. The purple/pink color means the bulb has lots of emissions in the blue and red parts of the spectrum - both of which are used for photosynthesis.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I still have 2 of each. I bought 2 6,700k,and 2 colormax... petco was clearing them out for $6.00 each I was going to do a low light setup on a 125 and got in a money bind and sold the 125.

I've got the color max in a corner of my bed room. so I will go swap out one of the 6,700k and put a color max in there real quick. okay I'm looking at it and i got to say I like it better with the color max, at first I didn't. now it looks more natural.

also this is a low tech tank.. crypt lutla, with some rotala and dwarf sag... well be taking out the dwarf as it's almost gone and melted. plus the rotala is not looking so good.. I'll do a ROAK on the rotala if some one will pay for shipping, and as long as I get a ROAK in return with some crypts or anbuis.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

okay so my next question.. is this low,medium, or high light.
2x39w t5 ho with single bulb reflectors... I thought this would be low light, so i put in some crypt lutea in my tank, with some seachem root tabs, and they are curving down what could my problem me. light - 10:30-8:30 should I break the light up to a am then a pm? I also have presured c02. but got to figure out what i did wrong when hooking it up.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

bump, the rotela is not looking so good it's going to light green. is it the lighting, or is it the ferts or is it the lighting period?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Joey,

If I understand your situation, you have 4 lights on your 55 gallon. I could go through all of your old posts but the information may not be current. Could you let us know the following please:

What wattage are your bulbs?

What is your photoperiod?

Are you adding CO2?

Are you adding ferts? If so what and how often?

What about water changes, how much, how often?

Do you do any H2O testing, if so what information do you have?

Thanks,
-Roy


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Seattle beat me to the questions. However, my first impression of light green was the plant is not photosynthesising and is probably lacking CO2. Too high of a light intensity could also cause this.

Let me make sure I have this correct: You have 78 watts of T5HO lighting on a 125? How long is your photoperiod.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

What wattage are your bulbs? 2x39 hagen glo ballast with 1- t5 ho 39w coral life 6,700k and 1- t5 ho 39w coral life color max. single bulb reflectors.(so i have a reflector for each bulb. they are mounted in my canopy which is 5.5 inches from top of the aquarium on a 55g long 48x13x20.

What is your photoperiod? 10:15 am to 8:15pm

Are you adding CO2? nope, I have the equitment but i need a diffuser.

Are you adding ferts? yes If so what and how often? seachem root tabs in the substrate(soil master select) and seachem flourish - ever other day... I need macros. which i plan to order.


What about water changes, how much, how often? onces a week 20%

Do you do any H2O testing, if so what information do you have?
ammonia - o nitrite - o nitrate 10 ph 6.8 api liquid test kit.

filter - hagen fluval 205

fish - 4 ottos,5-6 platys, and 5 peppermint corys.

let me know if you need any more info.

oh if it does help I remember that I bought as light green from a LFS and it seem like the where fresh cutting that just came from flordia and had no roots to them......


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Well, the lighting is OK, a tad on the low side. Doing the math in my head on 1/2 cup of coffee I'd say its equal to approx 2wpg NO. The photoperiod is good.

pH is good, KN03 is accepable but the test kits can be way off so I'd dose a bit higher.

What about PO4? and GH and KH?

You can get ceramic glass diffusers cheap at www.fish-street.com or on eBay.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

What about PO4? and GH and KH? I don't know where would I buy test kits... I just have a test for ammonia,nitrite,ph,high ph, and nitrate.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

up date change of fish list don't know if it will matter. sold the angelfish. now I have 4 ottos, 5 pepermint corys, 5-6 platies, and 20 red minor/serpe tetras. 

the plants i got in my tank are low light will they a just to higher light... was about to find a 8.5 oz of seachem flourish for 3.99 at petsmart. I will still need macros won't I ?


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