# Fluorescent vs. incandescent



## Joswan

Many hardy aquatic plants are ok with 10 watt fluorescent bulb isn't?
I mean both hardy and regular aquatic plants are ok with 10-13 watt fluorescent bulb?
I have 10 gall tank, I have 2 opening bulbs on my fixture, what is the best bulbs for my plants?
Still, the same plants I showed on my previous thread.

*And..should it warm or cold/daylight?
Thank you

*** I ask this question to yahoo answer and I get this answer:
An incandescent light fixture for a ten gallon tank is superior to the tube type florescent fixtures. Instead of tubes or incandescent bulbs you use two compact florescents (twisty bulbs) in a Daylight or if you find them, a plant light spectrum. 

With two tube lights, you will only reach about two watts per gallon, sufficient for low light plants. Stick with Cryptocorynes, Java fern, Java and other aquatic mosses, and other low light plants.

Replace the tube bulbs every six months because even though they still emit light, the human eye cannot detect the change in lumens and spectrum that means it no longer produces the intensity and spectrum the plants need and begins encouraging algae instead. That's another advantage of the twisty bulbs. They produce a steady light source for a year or more and then they die.
4 hours ago Report Abuse 

Do you believe what he said? Does he said a right thing?


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## LiveHumanSkeleton

I went through the same thing with my 10 gallon. I started with hardy low light plants and a 15 watt fluorescent bulb. Let me tell you, while most of the plants survived they did not grow at all. I switched to a incandescent hood with two 14 watt CFL bulbs and the change was immediate. All my plants took off and I had the ability to keep low medium light plants as well. It's certainly up to you what seems like the best idea, I guess it all depends on your taste for plants.


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## spypet

another problem with incandescent is heat.
enough incandescent to grow any plant will
give off so much heat as to cook the water.


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## Franco

I use 2 GE 15W 6500K CFL bulbs (2 pack for $5 from walmart) in my ten gallon natural planted tank in an incandescent hood and they give me at least medium light. I don't dose anything or CO2 and do like 30% water changes twice a month. The plants grow great. I could never even get java moss to grow using the 10W incadescent bulbs made for the hood and the tank always looked dark. The light fixture also has an awesome reflector in it so that probably helps a lot. Now I grow christmas moss, echinodorus tenellus, 3 or 4 species of crypts, ludwigia repens, etc and have to do a major trim every 2 months.


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## Joswan

Yes, franco! that is the very incandescent lighting I'm talking about. I have the same bulbs too! From wallmart! It works for my Java fern but because I also have anubias nana and sword plants, the rest of my plants aren't too happy with incandescent bulbs. That's why I change them to 13 watt bright light fluorescent with 450 each lumens power

Thanks for all answerers! cheers:tea:


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