# Help choosing the correct lighting



## Afroturf (Apr 15, 2004)

I am planning a 200l tank and will be going for a jungly style to it there will be lots of wood covered with moss. The other plants i plan to use are Crypts and possibly a couple of large Echinodorus. I will also have a few floating plants to.

I have 1 x T8 30w unit and 1 x twin 36w compact T5 unit.

I do not want the tank to look bright, i want it to look rather dark like you'd image in a small backwater of the amazon. I currently have a Aqua glo tube for the T8 which i think gives off the perfect brightness of light but it is a bit pink.

I need help choosing the light for the T5's though my options are - 

Tube 1 - ASL plant light, K8000 and K12000 slightly blue light £9.99
Tube 2 - Interpet Triplus, Blueish High intesity triphosphor light £6.80
Tube 3 - Interpet Beauty, Colour light for fish and low-medium light plants £5.80
Tube 4 - Philips or Sylvania, 4000k cool white light £3.80
Tube 5 - Philips or Sylvania, 3500k white light £3.80
Tube 6 - Philips or Sylvania, 6500k Daylight tubes £3.80

I need two tubes from the above list that will be ok for my undemanding plants that will also give the desired low brightness.

Please give any opinions or advice.

Regards.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

What about the Aquamedic Planta bulbs.
They are pink and really tone down the tank as far as brightness.
Plus they are a great spectrum for plants.

You can get them here
www.aquacave.com

I think that below 5000k is not good for plants, so you would be better using these then the 4000k and 3500k lights


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## Afroturf (Apr 15, 2004)

I would choose something similar to the Aquamedic tubes you mentioned but the unit is for compact t5s which have 4 pins rather than two... like 2 tubes in 1. There aren't many plant specific tubes for the compact type units.


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## ianmoede (Jan 17, 2005)

Light is light to plants. K spectrum is a non issue. Its all personal preference. Typically the lower the k the lower the appearance of brightness. You might try a 6500 5k mix. That will look pretty damn subdued.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I would have to think from what I have read in the past that there are K ratings that are not usefull to plants, and I think they are the ones that are below 5000k. Of course the bulb performance will make a difference in that, but I think that there are better choices and lesser choices for growing aquatic plants.


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## ianmoede (Jan 17, 2005)

I think neither of us have really proved our point. Old posts dont count as valid referenced. Tbarr, where you at to chime in on this one and give us a citation? Not for planted tank blasphemy, but rather a literary citation to some proof on this issue one way or another.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Barr is not on this forum, and I never have been to his site, so I have no idea what he says about it.
Either way, not trying to prove anything really, or argue the fact, I just think, at least my preference would be to stay above 5000k for tanks.

If the 3000k and 4000k are proven to be good, great, because you can get T5 in that spectrum for around $8 per lamp and if they really do work, that would save me a bundle. But I think I still would go for the 6500k and 10,000k and Planta bulbs because It just looks so darn pretty.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Anything between 5K and 10K should be fine. The choice then comes down to aesthetics of the color of the light.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

Well, that is what I was saying, but Ianmoede seems to think that 3000k and 4000k is fine and that light is light and it seems that he got this from Tom Barr. So I am sort of at a loss here.
Even if it was proven that 3000k and 4000k would be fine, I still think that I would not get them.


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## Afroturf (Apr 15, 2004)

Cheers for your thoughts, both goalcress and ianmoede both of your conflicting view neither are correct or wrong. On one hand light is light and shouldn't that be ok? or, it's regarded by most that light of 6000k - 8000k is the best for plants. I think lighting goes along with many other areas of planted tanks in being very confusing especially for newcommers to the area. There needs to be hard and obvious evidence to settle conflicting thoughts like this.

Maybe i'll ask Tom Barr, he has been a great help to many of use here in the UK.


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