# Will plants be happy under a 10000K bulb?



## JerseyScape

Hi,

I recently bought a used Orbit setup really for extremely cheap and it came with a 10000K bulb and some other blue reef bulb. I am using this over a 30 gallon so I only have one bulb plugged in (10000k 96w) and it gives me 3.2 watts per gallon. It seems that this bulb is a whole lot different from my other 5500k that I used on the 15 gallon. It seems alot cooler and whiter in color. Will my plants live? I have a tiny bit of algae on the plants and you cannot notice it under this type of lighting, you actually have to go searching for it.

Any input on this type of bulb?

If this one is not good then where would I be able to get a decent priced 36 inch bulb for a Orbit system?

Thanks


----------



## dennis

10000k works just fine. I use this kelvin bulb on some of my tanks and I have no issues with growth. I know many others use the same and have wonderful grwoth


----------



## DaFishMan

6700k is the recommended color temp for plant growth and will give you the best results. (although opinions will vary) If you already spent the cash on a 10,000K bulb then use that but at replacement time try for a 6700K bulb. I have both spectrums in my low light (1.5 wpg) tank and there IS a noticeable difference in the plants, as well as under the 6700K bulb MORE light is penetrating down to the substrate. This is very obvious to me. 

With 3.2 wpg it won't really matter much, you'll have good results either way... I'm just being PICKY because it's Monday lol.


----------



## gnatster

> under the 6700K bulb MORE light is penetrating down to the substrate.


This is more dependant on the the LUX or PAR rating of the bulb, not the color temp as well as the quality of the reflector.


----------



## bharada

In almost all cases it'll come down to having enough light, not the color of the light. You can grow plants under a bank of 2700K soft white tubes as long as you have enough of them. It'll look like crap to you and me, but last I checked the plants don't have enough fashion sense to care.

As far as the 10000K bulbs are concerned, over shallow tanks (<18" tall) it can be very harsh and wash out colors. Having a taller tank (or thicker glass) seems to mellow them out a bit. That said I prefer 8800K bulbs, which are still white but a bit warmer than the 10000Ks.


----------



## Left C

JerseyScape said:


> Hi,
> 
> I recently bought a used Orbit setup really for extremely cheap and it came with a 10000K bulb and some other blue reef bulb. I am using this over a 30 gallon so I only have one bulb plugged in (10000k 96w) and it gives me 3.2 watts per gallon. It seems that this bulb is a whole lot different from my other 5500k that I used on the 15 gallon. It seems alot cooler and whiter in color. Will my plants live? I have a tiny bit of algae on the plants and you cannot notice it under this type of lighting, you actually have to go searching for it.
> 
> Any input on this type of bulb?
> 
> If this one is not good then where would I be able to get a decent priced 36 inch bulb for a Orbit system?
> 
> Thanks


Howdy,

If your Orbit still had the stock bulbs in it when you bought it, the bulb that you refer to as a 10,000K bulb is actually Current's dual daylight 6700K/10,000K bulb. It should be fine for growing plants.
Here's Current's info about the Orbit: http://www.current-usa.com/products/orbit.html

If at some point that you need more light, here's a good bulb that works well with the dual daylight bulb. It highlights the colors well. It's Coralife's 6700K/Colormax bulb. http://www.esuweb.com/cardfile.asp?ItemNumber=54324&IDProductRelationship=305

Big Al's usually carries this 96w square pin bulb. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=30039;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

I hope this helps you.


----------



## JerseyScape

Left C said:


> Howdy,
> 
> If your Orbit still had the stock bulbs in it when you bought it, the bulb that you refer to as a 10,000K bulb is actually Current's dual daylight 6700K/10,000K bulb. It should be fine for growing plants.
> Here's Current's info about the Orbit: http://www.current-usa.com/products/orbit.html
> 
> If at some point that you need more light, here's a good bulb that works well with the dual daylight bulb. It highlights the colors well. It's Coralife's 6700K/Colormax bulb. http://www.esuweb.com/cardfile.asp?ItemNumber=54324&IDProductRelationship=305
> 
> Big Al's usually carries this 96w square pin bulb. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=30039;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2=
> 
> I hope this helps you.


I am only running one bulb since that is all the necessary light that I need....the other bulb is not even plugged in. I am interested in the Coralife bulb that you are talking about but would I be able to run that by itself or would that be an addition to the 10000K bulb that I am already using?

Thanks


----------



## Left C

You can run it by itself or you can use it with another bulb. It's your choice.

One half of the 6700K/Colormax bulb is pinkish like the GE 9325K bulb and the other half is a regular 6700K bulb.

I bought a 2x65w Orbit. I replaced the dual actinic with the 6700K/Colormax bulb. I run the dual daylight 6700K/10000K bulb too. The color combination really makes the tank stand out.

What you have basically by using both bulbs is:
1 - 6700K bulb
1/2 - 10000K bulb
1/2 - Colormax bulb

It looks great!

Here's an idea that might work for you:
If you wanted to run both bulbs in your set up, you could have them on different timers where one bulb runs about 12 hours and the other bulb comes on for only 4 hours in the middle of the other bulbs cycle. You'll only be using both bulbs for 4 hours. You give the plants a good "blast" of light in the middle of the day.


----------



## JerseyScape

Thanks...I will definitely try that. Now I just have to wait for free shipping from BigAls of finding one on ebay.  

If I buy the bulb from bigals for regular price I will essentially be paying as much as I paid for the entire set up.


----------



## JerseyScape

Just ordered that 6700/colormax bulb from BigAls and I can't wait to receive it.


----------



## Left C

You have probably recieved your 6700K/Colormax bulb by now, what do you think?


----------



## JerseyScape

I should have but there was a bad experience with shipping and BigAls. The bulb came in broken!!! I had to order another one (two days ago) so they are sending it plus a return label for the one that is in pieces. I was pretty angry since I was really looking forward to receiving the bulb. The crazy thing is that when I called BigAls there was no apology or anything like that from the "phone girl" and all she kept asking for was my credit card number so they can charge me again until I return the broken one. I have dealt with BigAls a few times and this is my first bad experience.  :mad2: 

I will report once the new one gets here which should be Monday as UPS does not deliver on Saturdays.


----------



## JerseyScape

picture of my disorganized tank....it has an opened spot in the foreground since I will have my downoi growing there. I have posted this on aquabid since I need a trimming really really badly.


----------



## Left C

That's a great looking tank.

When I got my Orbit from Big Al's it was broken. It looked like it was someone's return and they shipped it back to me. It wasn't double boxed like the Orbits are normally shipped out. I was pissed too! 

It took about a month before I got a new one. I wasn't going to let them change me for another one on my credit card. It took a week and a half before I got the return label. I had to take the broken one to a UPS center. It took over a week before Big Al's received the broken one. It was in the warehouse about a week before they sent me a new one and then it took about a week or so for a new one to get back to me. I don't like doing business this way.

About a year ago, I got a broken Aqualight from thatfishplace. They said no problem. We'll send you a new one with a label so you can ship the broken one back. I like it that way!


----------



## JerseyScape

Left C said:


> That's a great looking tank.
> 
> When I got my Orbit from Big Al's it was broken. It looked like it was someone's return and they shipped it back to me. It wasn't double boxed like the Orbits are normally shipped out. I was pissed too!
> 
> It took about a month before I got a new one. I wasn't going to let them change me for another one on my credit card. It took a week and a half before I got the return label. I had to take the broken one to a UPS center. It took over a week before Big Al's received the broken one. It was in the warehouse about a week before they sent me a new one and then it took about a week or so for a new one to get back to me. I don't like doing business this way.
> 
> About a year ago, I got a broken Aqualight from thatfishplace. They said no problem. We'll send you a new one with a label so you can ship the broken one back. I like it that way!


I was impatient so I ordered another one on my credit card. I can always dispute the initial transaction (broken bulb) but I hope that they speed up the process. My bulb should be arriving on Monday along with a return label (I hope).....if there is not a label attached I will just call my credit card to dispute it as I don't feel like calling again to talk to some 12 year old girl that has no idea about customer service.


----------



## JerseyScape

Received the replacement bulb today and I am very happy with the color results. I need to take some pics soon to show you what dramatic changes occured due to lights. When I first plugged it in my girlfriend's first sentence went like: "You need to get some green plants because everything is red or pink". Consequently, everything looks much warmer but I need to change a few things around as the plants are too pink for me. My college roomates might think a little differently of me if I keep it this way if you know what I mean.


----------



## Left C

JerseyScape said:


> Received the replacement bulb today and I am very happy with the color results. I need to take some pics soon to show you what dramatic changes occured due to lights. When I first plugged it in my girlfriend's first sentence went like: "You need to get some green plants because everything is red or pink". Consequently, everything looks much warmer but I need to change a few things around as the plants are too pink for me. My college roomates might think a little differently of me if I keep it this way if you know what I mean.


It does make the reds really stand out when you run the Colormax/6700K bulb by itself but when you cut on the dual daylight 6700K/10,000K bulb with it, it "drowns out" the too much red effect and highlights your red plants. Kinda, sorta, but not really like mixing a 9325K bulb with the dual daylight. Since the pin arrangements are different between the two bulbs and I didn't want to change pins, I think that the combo looks pretty good. IMO it's the best looking combo that I've tried.


----------



## Left C

JerseyScape said:


> I was impatient so I ordered another one on my credit card. I can always dispute the initial transaction (broken bulb) but I hope that they speed up the process. My bulb should be arriving on Monday along with a return label (I hope).....if there is not a label attached I will just call my credit card to dispute it as I don't feel like calling again to talk to some 12 year old girl that has no idea about customer service.


Here's another case about the same sort of thing.

I got Aqua Buys to price match the Drs. sale price on another Orbit fixture. When I received my order Tuesday and opened the box up; I found a Satellite fixture in there instead of the Orbit that I ordered.

I emailed Aqua Buys right away and received an apology for the mistake. They are sending me the correct fixture with a label to return the Satellite back. They are not double charging me on my credit card. They are trusting me enough to send the Satellite back when I get the Orbit. The correct fixture was shipped out yesterday one day later. So, I'll have it in a few days.

When this happened, I was a little bent because I had a high light plant order on the way and needed the Orbit. I was told to go ahead and use the Satellite at their expense and to not let my plants die. I thought that was terrific of Aqua Buys!

It's conforting to know that there is at least one great company out here that is willing to work with you to make things right and keep you happy.

Sam at Aqua Buys really rocks!


----------



## JerseyScape

Good to know....BigAls kind of lost my respect after that little issue. :icon_hang


----------

