# 10,000k vs. 6700k



## JMex (Apr 6, 2012)

I'm quite new to planted tanks and was wondering if there really is a big difference for plants? I bought a 10,000-30,000k 3U CFL lamp based off of the reviews that said they were growing a great HC carpet with it. But when I asked someone else about why my carpet is dying off, they said my light is for viewing and less for growing. Would buying a 6500 or 6700k bulb improve plant growth?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Usually the kelvin rating of the bulb is not very important, however, aquatic plants can't really use light effectively above 10,000K. Stick with bulbs between 5,000-10,000K. So to answer your question, a 6,700 K bulb would be better than a 30,000 k bulb. 

Another consideration is brightness, you need to have enough lighting intensity to grow plants. What is your tank size and how many watts of light do you have?


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## JMex (Apr 6, 2012)

Zapins said:


> Usually the kelvin rating of the bulb is not very important, however, aquatic plants can't really use light effectively above 10,000K. Stick with bulbs between 5,000-10,000K. So to answer your question, a 6,700 K bulb would be better than a 30,000 k bulb.
> 
> Another consideration is brightness, you need to have enough lighting intensity to grow plants. What is your tank size and how many watts of light do you have?


I'm pretty sure brightness isn't a problem. It's a 5 gallon tank and 26 watts. But it would probably be in my best interest to purchase a 6,700k bulb to replace this one for growing my HC then.


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