# can i use coralife colormax bulb for live plants?



## maxima423

hey i am new here and i just bought a T5 30" fluorescent fixture for my 20g long tank

it came with a 18w 6700k and a 18w colormax bulb, its a low tech tank, going to have banana plants and crypts

my question is:

1) can a colormax bulb be used for live plants??
2) since my WPG is .9 w/o the colormax, is this going to work for the plants i plan on getting?
3) if i do decide to get another 18w 6700k bulb, do i need to get CO2? ill have 1.8WPG 

thanks for checking out my thread, i plan on being in this hobby for the long run =]


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## killacross

yes you can use the bulbs

ignore WPG because it doesnt apply to T5 fixtures...youll have to hang the light to get it down to a low tech tank

you wouldnt need CO2 depending on the height you hang the fixture


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## maxima423

oh i see, but i already got another 6700k 18watt bulb

as for how high the light is hanging, its right over the tank on the rims, i bought seachem flourish excel

and what do you mean it does not apply to T5? can you elaborate on that please


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## killacross

you ignore WPG because that is an old metric based off of T12 bulbs

almost NO ONE uses T12s anymore...T8s are more efficient...T5s even more so...when you go to the T5HO you get incredible intensity on the lights

3WPG of T12s is completely diff. from T8s, T5s, T5HOs, LEDs, or MHs...

so...ignore the WPG rule


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## spypet

maxima423 - you are lucky to have "stumbled" onto Colormax bulbs.
I populate all my fixtures with one as both a red shift color enhancer,
AND for the benefit of my plants which require both Red & Blue spectrum.
trust me, if you use 6700k for BOTH bulbs, you will MISS the Colormax.


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## cuban007

Does the Colormax bulb come in 6700k?


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## spypet

no, colormax is a pink(red) bulb
6700k is a white(blue) bulb.
apples and oranges.

just to be clear. if all you have is 6700k bulbs
that's fine, your plants will get plenty of red & blue light.
the colormax pink light will simply enhance color appearance,
and for many plants, will encourage flowering and seeding.
since flowering and seeding is NOT a priority for plants we
keep submerged, colormax is required less by this hobby.
IMHO if you were doing a Paludarium, you would be silly
not to include a colormax bulb.


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## maxima423

okay, I see what you guys are trying to say, since the wpg does not apply to T5, where do I stand on plants? low, medium, heavy lighting plants??? I plan to stick with two 6700k bulbs


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## spypet

well, I'm guessing that a 30" fixture is over a 29gal tank,
so 18w x2 would definitely mean you want low light plants,
or medium light fast growing plants, which is fine, since,
most new to hobby would be wise to start out that way.

I would get some weeds first and give your tank a month
to fully cycle, then add the slow growth low light plants,
and get rid of whatever weeds you no longer care about.


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## maxima423

I have a 20g long tank, not a 29g, and it's directly over the tank


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## killacross

you should either suspend the lights...or use 1 bulb and lift it a little
T5 lights puts in you in the *very high*/algae soup range category

...or you would need to fertilize heavily...add CO2 heavily....trim weekly and have some luck


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## maxima423

yea I already ordered a glass top for my tank, but by any chance so you know what level of plants I can start taking care of? am I around medium lighting?


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## killacross

killacross said:


> you should either suspend the lights...or use 1 bulb and lift it a little
> T5 lights puts in you in the *very high*/algae soup range category
> 
> ...or you would need to fertilize heavily...add CO2 heavily....trim weekly and have some luck


...what he said


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## maxima423

yes I got that, but can someone answer my question and tell me what level of lighting I have? low medium or high lighting

thanks


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## killacross

*very high lighting*

crystal?


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## maxima423

like a diamond, thanks bro!


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## killacross

lol...cool...not trying to be an ass or anything...but you asked the same question like 3x in a row


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