# [Wet Thumb Forum]-All Glass Aquarium w/ PC Lighting



## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Has anyone tried or using this particular fixture with a 55 Watt 9000 something K, any comments...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3773

I'm leaning towards this or the formossa


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Has anyone tried or using this particular fixture with a 55 Watt 9000 something K, any comments...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3773

I'm leaning towards this or the formossa


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

I have had these fixtures for a number of years. They are excellent. Keep in mind they must be used over an covered tank. They are unprotected. 

As far as the bulbs go, the 9325K bulb is not my favourite. I prefer the 6700K's. Personally I have not met with sucess using the 9325K bulb, nor has anyone I know personally. That being said, there are a number of people here using that bulb and they actually prefer that bulb to others on the market.

I guess there are many roads to sucess, just depends how much you want to spend.


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Well which is the most suitable for the plants 6500-6700K or the 10000K?


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

IME the 6700K but others would say 9325K. So I guess either will work.


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## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

Plants are highly adaptable to lighting. They will adapt. As most will say, get lighting that is pleasing aesthetically to you and the plants will use it. Just make sure it is well balanced in blues and reds.

Marcel Lemay, 2la and I believe Vicki have used the 9325K's and love them. I use a 6700K and I like it. I believe I will try the 9325K's on my next tank though.

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15XH, 36W PC, XP-1, Onyx Sand, DIY CO2

Crypts spiralis, ciliata and wendtii bronze and red, pennywort, wisteria and java fern and moss.


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Not sure if this is a valid point, but when I last looked at the spectrum of the 9325K bulbs, I remember them lacking a nice red peak, which at the time I considered evidence to reinforce the feedback I was getting that the 9325k's were not good for plants.

I opted for the Zoomed FloraSun (8500K) NO, in conjunction with the 6700K CF which I was getting good feedback about. The reason I wanted to compliment the 6700K CF's with the FloraSun bulbs is they have the highest red spectrum peak I can find (over 650nm). 

The combo was beautiful and I prefer the look it gave to the setup I have now, which is straight 6700k's.


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Well right now I'm using a Aqua-Glo with a 24" 20 Watts 18000K and looking to upgrade to a twin bulbs it has a nice touch into it not to bright and not to dim either


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

I would recomend a FloraSun byZoomed to bring out the red peak you need, and a Hagen Lifeglo (double the lux output of almost all other bulbs) for the bulk of the light you want. This setup has worked for many in the past, and I am sure you can find it works well for you. 

This is not to say another combination will work, just that this is what I know works best for people that I have reccomended it to over various other setups I have tried.


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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

Which pin base does the AGA fixture have?


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Straight pin.


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## lucille (Jul 6, 2003)

I am getting some bulbs that Custom Sealife markets as an 'amazon plant' bulb at 5000K. Is the 6700 that much different?


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I use the All Glass fixture CF and NO both with the GE 9325K bulbs. I plan to putting two 110w on an 75gal I will set up this fall. I have used Plant grow bulbs along with some 8800K but I all ways come back to the 9325K. Plants grow just fine and I like the clear clean look I get from the 9325. The 8800K seems to have a greener glow to it. I thought I might try out a 6700K some day but from what I under stand with the CF you don't have to change them out ever year as once thought. Unless I brake one I will keep the 9325K they are working fine for me.

Hawk

Trust But Verify «*»®


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

If you want evidence that supports that the GE 9325K bulbs are great at growing plants, just click on my .sig and look at the plant and pearling pictures. They were all grown using these bulbs. Concerning the spectrum, I would agree that the peak at about 620nm is somewhat less than ideal, but it is both intense enough and close enough to the chlorophyll absorption spectrum that it hardly matters. The principle of PAR states that photons absorbed and utilized anywhere along the spectrum provide equivalent energy for photosynthesis, and enough photons are absorbed at that particular wavelength.

 
(Click for pics)

[This message was edited by 2la on Thu July 17 2003 at 09:11 PM.]

[This message was edited by 2la on Thu July 17 2003 at 10:59 PM.]


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

I have seen your tanks 2la, and that is why I said I will no longer recomend people change them out. After seeing your tanks using them I have faith they can be used to grow beautiful plants. Thanks for the schooling


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

Thanks, Justin. I just don't want people to be afraid to experiment, particularly when perfectly serviceable options can also be the more economical ones as you mention. I never believed actinics or Power-Glo bulbs (18000K) would be of any benefit in planted tanks, but others' experiences have forced me to soften and reevaluate my stance. That's what's so great about this hobby: There's always something new to learn, and for every rule there are exceptions that force you to look at things anew.

 
(Click for pics)


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Agreed 2la. I have a spare single tube flo strip and a Coralife T12 Actinic03 peaking at 420nm.

Looking over some Amano stuff, I am almost beginning to think his growth is so much more compact then mine based on his EXTENSIVE use of green and blue spectrum bulbs, which obivously lack red spectrum, possibly making them grow bushier. 

Bush is good!

So I am going to add my actinic to my tank for tommorows light cycle, let it go for a week. This will be a whole pruning cycle and I will see how it effects the plants. Do you think 7 days is enough?


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Bush is good!


 What a wide open statement! I blew orange juice out my nose when I read it, and that hurts BTW. And for all you kids I was thinking about the President









Moderator










American by birth, Marine by the grace of God! This post spell checked with IESpell available at http://www.iespell.com

See my Profile for tank details.


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Sorry Rex,

I will refrain from such comments in the future for the sake of your nasal passages


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I have to say that the GE lights that come with the all-glass fixtures seemed to work well for me. I had the new T8's on my 55 for a couple of months, All-glass said that they are the same kelvin as all their other bulbs including CFs. To the naked eye you would not think they are so high in color temperature, they actually looked warmer than my 6700K bulbs and I have to admit I was a little disapointed when I replaced them, I felt I lost a little CRI doing so. They also seem to put out more light compared to some of the other bulbs I had a chance to compare them with. Their spectrum must have a lot to do with it but in the end, all my plants loved them and were pearling just as well as they do now with more expensive bulbs that are supposed to be better. The 3x32W T8 fixture is now on my low light 90 gallon and although a little early to tell, the tank looks good and the plants are settling in. I give them a little more credit than most, I've grown plants under a broad K rating and besides the look of the tank I can't say I noticed much difference in plant growth. I think spectrum might be a bigger player and harder to evaluate unless spectrum information is provided for each bulb.

Justin604, let us know how your tests go with actinic bulbs. A week may be a little short, most plants can store enough nutrients to show little change over a week, a month should give you a definite answer but I'm sure if the plants don't like the actinic they should start to show some signs after a week or two.

Giancarlo Podio


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Will do..


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Regarding these bulbs:

I had 4 x 55 Watt AHSupply 6400K bulbs on my 75g tank. I swapped out the two front bulbs for two 55 watt 9250K bulbs that I took out of my All-Glass striplight.

When I replaced two of the 6400K bulbs with two 9250K bulbs, I noticed two things.

1. The red plants look a lot redder (Alternanthera reineckii and Rotala macrandra). This was a surprise because I thought the higher Kelvin meant more blue-looking.

2. The pearling stopped. Previously the entire tank would show continuous pearling, now there is only a little pearling from the back of the tank beneath the 6400K bulbs. I take this to mean the plants are getting less useful light from the 9250K bulbs.

Anyway just my observations.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## Justin Fournier (Jan 27, 2004)

Just an update, the actinic experiment has been terminated, due to lack of diligence on my behalf. The tank just looks stupid with an actinic on it, I can't put up with it anymore.

I will have to wait for another setup to repeat this experiment.


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

trilinear....your plants may just need more time to adjust to the new lighting. How long did you leave the lights in this way?

George

Tank specs in profile


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## imported_trilinearmipmap (Feb 11, 2003)

Did the light change 2 or 3 days ago, the same day I broke my pc bulb.

Canadian Aquatic Plant Trading Website


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## George Willms (Jul 28, 2004)

there was a thread running in the aquarium science topic where someone in there had said that it takes plants anywhere from 2-4 weeks to adjust to different light. So I would say that you may just need to wait and see.

George

Tank specs in profile


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Same observations regarding the reds, I liked the way the reds looked with the all-glass tubes compared to the pale greenish tint they had with 6700K bulbs. The photos are a month apart but you can see the difference:

6700K Trichromatic bulbs:









All-Glass Bulbs:









Pearling was the same in my tank however the lights remained on for over a month. I think it's normal for the plants to need a little time to adapt.

Giancarlo Podio


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