# plant grow and actinic?



## ddavila06

so i usually run a 65k, a 85k (plant grow) and a 10k. comes out pretty good and growth is fair.
these im talking T5 HO from catalina.

last week the 65k went off and the only thing i had around was an actinic. i put it on and the color together with the 85 and 10ks is fine. easy on the eyes and bright.

my question is, does actinic provide any benefit to the plants??
could i run 2 85k (closer to what plants need in the red spectrum) and the actinic successfully?
any imput appreciated!
thanks


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## Newt

Actinic bulbs provide light in the blue wavelengths which is easily utilized by plants during photosynthesis. Blue light on its own will make plants more compact and bushy. Some actinics are specific in wavelength output; namely 460nm. These bulbs are just off the absorbtion curve for for plant photosynthesis.

I usually tell peope who want to use actinics to get a SW tank. However, mixing them with bulbs that give off red wavelengths would/could result in fine plant growth. I say if you like the visual appearence try it for awhile and see what you get for plant growth. 

Keep in mind that blue light can cause photoreduction of iron (see Walstad's book > Ecology of the Planted Tank).


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## ddavila06

excelent answer, and if i may i would like to copy paste and show some peeps who were asking on a cichlid forum as well.

so 460 nm no good???

so, photoreduction ah..meaning the capability of the plant to absorb iron will be reduced? 

i will keep it as it is now, see what happens. it is very easy on the eyes with 10k and plant grow, is like white.

thanks for the answer =)


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## Newt

Some actinic bulbs emit light only at 460nm or a very narrow wavelength band at the 460nm range.









Photoreduction of iron has to do with blue light reducing/eliminating the iron chelant thus making the iron FREE and available to algae.


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## Left C

There are also accessory pigments associated with photosynthesis. Some of these use slightly different portions of the color spectrum.


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## ddavila06

ok, i was never good at chemestry nor science lol, this means if that the use of some actinic IS good and helps with plant growth right.


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## Newt

As long as you are augmenting the actnic with full spectrum bulbs you should be OK.

Let us know how your plant growth develops with the current light configuration.


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