# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Coralife Aqualight suggestions



## mchernecki (Feb 3, 2003)

After not having a planted tank for a couple years I want to start up another. I want to use my 30 Gal (36" x 12" x 18") and try the coralife T5 lights. Would this be the choice 36" FRESHWATER AQUALIGHT T-5 - DOUBLE LINEAR STRIP? How many of these? This would be 42W, does normal watts per gallon rule apply to T5 lights? I would like to try some high light plants and maybe grow a nice carpet of glosso or some sort of short grassy type plant.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Wattage is wattage, regardless of type of bulb. That is why some people don't even bother with that. Instead, they focus on selecting the bulbs that have the right intensity to grow plants.

In your case, you want to grow high light plants, then it wouldn't hurt to go at least 3.0WPG. Also, once you start having more light, it becomes a necessity to add CO2 to keep things balanced. 

Best of luck and hope to see your setup soon!


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## mchernecki (Feb 3, 2003)

Any comments on these particular bulbs that come wih the aqualight? They offer a few different bulb combos with these lights, any suggestions?

Thanks
Mike


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

If it says it's for the freshwater then the bulbs should be ok. Most likely they will have the 6700k bulb. Just avoid actinic, which is more suitable for reef tanks.

Anything from 5000-10,000k will be ok.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Lighting for a planted tank should not be chosen on color temp alone. It is true that 'full spectrum' bulbs are referred to as bulbs between 5000 Kelvin (K)and 6500 K and are best for planted tanks. Yet this does not indicate what type of light (wavelength in nanometers) the bulb is actually emitting. If you want both good leaf development/growth (blue light) and stem elongation (red light), you need light in both the blue and red spectra for photosynthesis.

You need a mix of blue and red for your plants, and green for you (brightness as perceived by humans). If your lighting looks extremely bright and your plants seem ultra-green, it means that you have lighting that outputs strongly in the green spectrum. Do not equate this with good lighting for your plants, because plants don't use light in the green spectrum for photosynthesis.

For green plants the lighting peaks that are most important:
chlorophyll-a: 430nm/662nm 
chlorophyll-b: 453nm/642nm 
carotenoids: 449nm/475nm 
Red pigmented plants use more light in the blue area of the spectrum.

Beyond choosing lighting that is optimal for photosynthesis, as above, you should choose lighting with the color temperature that best suits the aesthetic goals of your tank. So, don't obsess about color temperature beyond how you want your tank to look. From a color temperature standpoint, blue-colored light will enhance blues in your fish. Green-colored light will make the tank look bright to humans and enhance the green color of your plants. Red-colored light will enhance the reds in your fish, and any red plants. If your lighting looks extremely bright and your plants seem ultra-green, it means that you have lighting that outputs strongly in the green spectrum.

I have attached some jpg's to help understand lighting and how plants react to it. I have found it best to provide a mix of lighting to a planted tank. The GroLux bulb is perhaps the best plant bulb available but it has very little green light so the visual effects of your tank will look dim and purplish. Yet if you add some other lighting such as a Philips 6500K the effect is more pleasing to the eye and still beneficial to the plants.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Are we able to do more than one attachment per post? I couldn't seem to add another. So here it is:

The Coralife bulbs tend to have a large spike in the green area of the visible spectrum. Try to get a spectral output graph for the bulb and see if it matches the peaks needed for good photosynthesis.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Newt, I understand your concern. But understand that some people are just beginners(myself included), so sometimes it is better to not overwhelm them with all the information at one time. Some things are best to be experienced on your own.

Having said that, I do understand the need for different chlorophylls to absorb different wavelength. But also know that aquatic plants have a totally different physiology than those of terrestrial plants. Therefore, their lighting requirements with regards to those two mentioned factors will also be different. Also, if all you talk about is chlorophyll, then it can mislead some people into thinking of using actinic bulbs. Why? Because actinic bulbs emit blue light which some will equate in being a better source of light for the plants. But is this the case with our freshwater plants? No. Hence, I didn't even bother discussing about chlorophyllys because that will just create some more confusion for some people. I know you are well-intentioned, though(and well educated, if I might add). 

Lastly, by simply including just the light temperature is a good way to induce new hobbyists to learn about this area of aquascaping. It is simple to understand and digest. Plus, the 5000-10,000K range is in a way, a no-fail safe method for them to choose light bulbs without too much hassle and PITA. Heck, I was going to mention that in Europe they don't even focus too much on the Kelvins. Instead, it is the light bulb's intensity that they focus on. Finding the proper intensity for growing aquatic plants, and you will have no problem, at least with many choices of plants. Not everything, but adequate. Finally, not everyone will have the opportunity to shop in private-owned stores that carry more brands of suitable light bulbs for growing aquatic plants than your standard Petsmart. And more than often, it is in stores like Petsmart, Petco or Wal-mart, where many will do their shoppings because they simply do not have that many choices/options. And what do those stores carry? Light bulbs that would only tell you the Kelvin reading(think Life-glo, for instance).

It is a good knowledge, don't get me wrong, to learn about those things. But I remember back when I just started this hobby, too much information all at once can seem intimidating and more than often make a person lose interest.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

> If you want both good leaf development/growth (blue light) and stem elongation (red light), you need light in both the blue and red spectra for photosynthesis.
> For green plants the lighting peaks that are most important:
> chlorophyll-a: 430nm/662nm
> chlorophyll-b: 453nm/642nm
> ...


Also, just to clarify on the things you have said in this quote, not all will agree that plants' growth is dependent on lighting alone. Especially when you want to talk about leaf growth and stem growth and colorations. Red-pigmented such as those Rotala macrandra and Ammania gracilis; their coloration and intensity of redness depends more on the fertilization dosages, particularly those of phosphate and nitrate. Kept high on both, they will be more green. Kept low on those, they will be more red. Again, these are just some of factors that play a part in making aquatic plants look the way they look. As for the nodal distance and leaf length, same concept again.

Just wanna clarify so some people will not solely depend on the type of lightings alone when choosing to grow certain type of plants.

Everything, every factor will play into part. Lights, fertilizers, substrates, KH, pH, temperature, etc....are some of those factors.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

So education is not a good thing? I do not agree that newbies should be led to believe that color temp is the way to chose lighting for a planted tank. This website has a couple of great articles on plant lighting. Photosynthesis is photosynthesis. Since the thread was about lighting I did not expound on growth in relation to nutrients. Red pigmented plants absorb blue light for photosynthesis and yes nutrients play a role in the pigmentation.

A lot of people use marine lighting on their planted tanks and have great results as actinic means "the property of radiant energy especially in the visible and ultraviolet spectral regions by which chemical changes are produced". I don't use them but if the people who do are having success with them then why should I argue the point. Blue light is an important factor but just how much you want is a preference.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

I did not and never have said education is not a good thing, nor did I ever implied that. Again, take it with a grain of salt and to each his own. 

I respect your wealth of knowledge, and am by no means refuting or rejecting any of your ideas. They are good and beneficial knowledge by all means. I merely expressed the views based on my own experience that, especially in the case of beginners, it can be overwhelming perhaps even intimidating to try to take on all these information at the first glance. 

I used to be a hard-core science person when I just finished my high school and then moving on to college biology. All the plant physiology classes, you name it, I have taken it. So, I am not saying the things you said are incorrect. It's just based on my(although brief) experience with aquatic plants, alot of things I have learned in those botany classes don't necessarily apply because they are geared toward terrestrial plants. You can argue however you want. The truth is, everything is all tied together. And from your posts, I felt that you were trying to make a point that lighting IS the only factor that affects plant growth. And this is the part where I have to disagree. If you did not mean or imply this in any way, then I apologize for misunderstanding. 

To the ones who have used marine lights on aquatic plants, you have to ask what kind of bulb did they use. The 10,000K works for marine as well as freshwater too. Anything beyond that? I haven't heard from nor have any experience with them. I am skeptical but I will not refute its possibility. I just would love to see a freshwater planted tank that has been done using marine light bulbs. If you can come up with a tank or two of just such set up, I will be more convinced. In the mean time, though, I still stick with what I have learned and used because they work for me. Lastly, freshwater plants have lighting requirements that are in different spectrum than that of marine floras. Can the marine lights still be used on freshwater plants? I haven't seen one yet. Does it work as you have said? Maybe. But for me, I will only believe it when I actually hear from people who have experience with it. 

If you have any links or pictures that show just such thing, please share them with us. Afterall, I have about 3 actinic pc bulbs lying in my garage that may yet prove useful to growing my freshwater plants.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

> I do not agree that newbies should be led to believe that color temp is the way to chose lighting for a planted tank.


Simply in reply to this part of the quote, I never said color temp is the only way to select lighting for a planted tank. I said it is an easy way to help the beginners to select for light bulbs. I did not say it is the only way or the best way. I simply said by going this route, alot of frustration and confusion can be avoided. They can learn all they can and want about lighting in more depth as they delve deeper into this hobby. But for beginners who first go into buying light bulbs, this is an easy way to help them choose.

I have tried to understand as much as I can about what you are trying to say. But if you still feel I have misunderstood your points, then please accept my apology. As well, I hope you can do the same for me. Understand what I am trying to say here, and that is: Beginners need not be confused about all the in-depth knowledges about lightings, especially when they first go into a store to buy light bulbs. More so if the only stores they have available are Petsmart and Petco, which typically only sell the Glo series and Coralife bulbs that gives you only the Kelvin readings.


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## mchernecki (Feb 3, 2003)

Ok guys, good info on light, color, temp, etc. But maybe I should rephase my question. How are the aqualights? Which aqualight setup would be the best to get, I mean which variations of bulbs, I don't want to swap out the new bulbs on a new unit given the multiple of choices it comes in. I just don't have any experience with this particlur light setup. I have done the whole pressurized co2 w/ power compacts thing for years. Just want to setup a plant tank again and saw these new lights. 
Thanks Again
Mike


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Which is what I have been trying to share with you and others, without getting too technical here. Yes, it's good to learn all those information, but when dose it become too much and irrelevent to the poster's original question?

So, to answer your question, yes, the freshwater aqualight bulbs that are included will suffice. I believe these bulbs are in the Kelvin range of 65 or 6700K, which is suitable for freshwater plants. I am sorry if my discussion with this other gentleman might have made you more confused before.

But yes, the bulbs that come with this lighting is good for growing freshwater plants.

"21 watt ColorMax full-spectrum and 21 watt 6700K "

It's a nice combo of light bulbs that will grow aquatic plants well.

Good luck with your endeavour and hope to see your tank set up soon









Again, I apologize if my discussion with him before stretched what your question was all about.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

>


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Coralife's standard phosphour signature:


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Here's a spectral output graph for the ColorMax:

Based on the spectral output of this bulb and my experience it is not a very good plant bulb. It is very weak in all of the wavelenghts except for a very narrow spike in the blue. It is made to make your fish look good.


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