# Actinic Lighting on NanoCube



## keef (Feb 10, 2004)

All,

About a week ago I set up a new JBJ Nano Cube that I purchased. The lighting on it is half actinic, half 10,000k(24 watts). I currently have DIY CO 2 on it with two 2 liter bottles and the Vortex Reactor. It is currently planted with Rotala indica, Rotala indica-green, Rotala macrondra green, micro tenellus, Stargrass and Ludwigia arcuata. The plants are growing fine and pearling. However I am beginning to have an algae problem. I havent started dosing with any ferts yet, and there aren't any fish in the tank right now. I am assuming that the actinic light is causing the bloom. So I am considering changing to an all 10,000 k or 6700k bulb. Any recommendations? 


Keith


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

Keith,

Actinic bulbs were created specifically with photosynthetic corals from deeper water than most of our aquatic plants. In my experience, these lights tend to encourage more algae growth than plant growth. 

I usually start fertilizing after 1-2 weeks with lite dose and later with full schedule.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

The more blue in the spectrum, the more it inhibits algae growth...:wink:


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Green algae and plants have the same pigments and Chl, so how precisely is blue light going to do anything different to plants vs algae?

Some algae have different pigments but these can be adjusted over time to suit most light spectral changes. Same goes for plants.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## shieber (Jan 23, 2004)

Good actinic lights have light right in one of the two ranges that plants use (around 420 and 450 nanmeters). But too much blue looks just awful on plants, imo. 

The other range is around 650 nm -- up in the red zone.

Regular fluorescents fall right inthe middle where the human eye is most sensitive. Adding the red zone helps plants -- early fluorescent plant bulbs (made first for land gardening, then sold as aquarium bulbs) had a lot of red in them. Adding the blue zone helps plants too. Adding a lot of just one or the other has the striking effect of something missing.

Good triphosphr bulbs have a strong amount of light in both ranges or near to it, especially the 10,000 K bulbs.

Have fun,
Scott H.


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