# Lighting for maximm growth



## Brian_T23 (Jul 25, 2006)

im wondering how long should i leave my tank light on in order to give my plants a better growth rate?

i currently have a fluorecent light 15W in a 10 gal tank(wide) how long should i leave it on?


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## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

15W of flourescent lighting on a 10 gallon will do nothing for your plants, no matter how long you leave the lights on. 

I'm no expert at lighting, so I suggest you go to rexgrigg.com and check out the lighting section, as well as the minimum light threshold page for some enlightenment.


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## dukydaf (Aug 31, 2004)

Anywhere between 10-14h, 12 h beeing the best. But you have to have more intensity, so more W. MHO


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## mousky (Jul 6, 2006)

Hi Brian T23,

After approximately 12 hours of photosynthesis, plants go into a rest period where they stop photosynthesising. From what I've read, algae on the other hand doesnt. If you leave your lights on 24 hours a day then all you will be growing for 12 hours of it is algae. 

Algae do a sort of run up on their growth, they need about 6 or 7 hours of light before they get into full swing. In order to slow the growth of algae down its good practice to have your lights on a timer that turns them off for about 15min about 6hrs after the lights are turned on. This has no detrimental effect on your plants or fish.

In order to get the best growth rate for your plants you need a fertile substrate with plenty of iron and other trace minerals, A good fertalising regime, co2 and proper wattage and kelvin lighting. 

Lighting in the spectrum below 5000k will produce long and lanky growth. 6500k-10000k is considered the best for healthy bushy growth, with a little debate on which exact spectrum is the best ( I prefer 7-8000k).

There is some really good advice and reports on peoples experience with different types of substrates and fertalisers on APC. If you dont have and subrstrate fertaliser I suggest you do a search here and weigh up your choices.

BTW, 24 hours of light will send your fish mad!!!

Good luck


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## Brian_T23 (Jul 25, 2006)

so...
what is it that i haf to look out for when buying new lights? the wattage or the K? 
cause i cant seem to find any lights that are 18" that are higher than 15W however i do find lights that are my size and 15W with different K i found some that are 10,000k 20,000K, and a 6500K

-these are some of the lights i picked out and that i can acess to.. which one is the best out of these?

*1)*
Coralif 
Coralife 10,000K Fluorescent Lamp- 18" (15 Watt)
The Coralife 10,000K high-intensity purified super daylight with rare earth color enhancing phosphors lamp simulates the midday tropical sun. Its sparkling blue-white daylight rays and bright, high-intensity output allow for fish, coral and macroalgae to thrive in its glow. Ideal for use with all aquarium applications.

*2)*
Coralife 20,000K Fluorescent Lamp- 18" (15 Watt)
The Coralife 20,000 K fluorescent lamp is a high-intensity purified super daylight lamp that simulates the deeper ocean environment. Casting sparkling blue daylight rays, fish, coral, and, macroalgae thrive in the light. This is the ultimate fluorescent lamp for deep water aquariums. The coralife 20,000 kelvin rapid-start lamp is compatible with all standard and electronic ballasts.

*3)*

Coralife Trichromatic Fluorescent Lamp - 18" (15Watt) With Reflector
The coralife 100% trichromatic super daylight lamps are 6500 kelvin, 94 cri, full-spectrum lamps. They are made with special rare earth trichromatic phosphors which enhance the natural beauty of the aquarium. Ideal for use with all aquarium applications.


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## xcooperx (Jun 24, 2006)

The maximum Watts for a 18 inches Flourecent bulb is 15watts only.

When Buying lights, you have too look on both Wattage and Kelvin,
Low light --- 1wpg below
Moderate --- 2-3 wpg
High --- 3wpg above

Kelvin should be 5000k to 10,000k

On a setup like your tank, you can put low light plants like anubias but it will not grow as you expected, check our Plant finder and search for some other low light plants. Remember that light is only one of the major needs of our plants, you must also have a Good Substrate and Nutrition to obtain the growth that you want. Changing your lightning setup to a moderate setup and upgrading your subsrate will give you a thriving plant, and also with the Help of Fertilization and Co2 injection

I'll take #3


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

You'll want to add a second 15 watt lamp or replace your current light with a power compact 36 watt setup. Try to get about 30 watts or so of light over the tank and keep it on for about 8-12 hours. Longer is not always better as too long can lead to algae problems. Can you change your profile to say your location? It would help us to help you.


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## ruki (Jul 4, 2006)

*ultimate low light tank*
I have a low light tank with an 8 watt lamp over a 15 tall. That's about as low light as you can get. And it even gets worse, I have driftwood that rapidly darkens the water into a brown color!

Anubias and Java Fern do OK. Not wonderfully, but just OK. Not many other plants will survive in such a tank. I tried crypts, but they died out.

I plan on re-doing this tank and putting in more light so I have more options for plants. It was a fun experiment, but I'm getting tired of it now 

*bulb choice*
As for bulbs, just take a peak at its spectrum chart. (Kelvins doesn't make total sense for flourescent tubes from a physics perspective.) Make certain it has peaks in red and blue and it should be OK for plants. From you list above, I'm pretty certain that choices #1 and #3 will have enough reds and blues to make plants reasonably happy. Haven't looked up the 20K K bulb yet, so I don't know if it has enough reds to make plants happy.


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Brian_T23 said:


> *3)*
> 
> Coralife Trichromatic Fluorescent Lamp - 18" (15Watt) With Reflector
> The coralife 100% trichromatic super daylight lamps are 6500 kelvin, 94 cri, full-spectrum lamps. They are made with special rare earth trichromatic phosphors which enhance the natural beauty of the aquarium. Ideal for use with all aquarium applications.


 I like 2 of these lamps if they work together. If you substitute #1 for one of them it would get you a nice combination that is commonly used for appearance and gives plants what they need. The reason i like this ad is this : With Reflector !! That really goes a long way for intensity. I would get 2 lamps with the reflectors and later you could try to switch out a bulb. It does not mention for lamp#1 and lamp #2 if they have reflectors.


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## mousky (Jul 6, 2006)

> I have a low light tank with an 8 watt lamp over a 15 tall. That's about as low light as you can get. And it even gets worse, I have driftwood that rapidly darkens the water into a brown color!


If your driftwood can fit into a large pot, boil it for about 20 minutes and that should reduce the amount of tannins leaching into your tank and turning the water brown. Just make sure you dont have any fish hiding inside!!!


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## Minsc (May 7, 2006)

Anyone who tells you that you can't grow plants in a 10 with only 15w has never tried it. You can grow many plants with that setup, they just grow slowly.

Over my 10g I run a quantum aquatics "lightning rod" t6 bulb. 
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Product...bs/T1/F36BA+0039+2072/EDP/48071/Itemdy00.aspx
It fits right into the standard flourescent fixture, no modifications needed.
I also built a reflector, by bending aluminum stock into a "U" and gluing mylar to it.

With this setup I am currently growing java fern windelov, java moss, cryptocoryne wendtii and petchii, corkscrew val, wisteria, Hemianthus micranthemoides, and alternanthera reineckii.

It can be done, you just need to decide how patient you want to be with growth rates.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

15w over a 10g is enough to grow plants. Just ask my Water Sprite and Amazon Sword. I have other plants but they grow more slowly, which is expected. To really see a great increase in growth and number of plants you are able to grow, aim for 3wpg+ with CO2 and ferts. The two tops way IMO are:

#1. Buy a used 15w flourescent fixture and add a glass top. 3wpg and rather cheap. If you can't find a used one, refer to idea #2.

#2. Buy a 36w compact flourescent kit off www.ahsupply.com . I just purchased one myself a couple days ago for my 10g tank. I'll be comparing growth rates with everything else being pretty much the same.


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## Brian_T23 (Jul 25, 2006)

i just came across this

Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight Double Strip Light-24"
The Coralife F/W Aqualight T-5 is a double lamp fixture ideal for freshwater and planted aquariums. Includes one Colormax Full Spectrum and one 6700K T-5 (5/8 diameter) fluorescent lamp. Features an on/off switch, a built in electronic ballast, sleek black aluminum housing, a highly polished reflector, acrylic lens cover and adjustable width tank mounts. T-5 lamps are 14 watts each.

1: can this fit over my 10 Gal tank dim:20"x10" since its a light strip?

2: is this light strip have better lighting than my previous posts?


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## ruki (Jul 4, 2006)

mousky said:


> If your driftwood can fit into a large pot, boil it for about 20 minutes and that should reduce the amount of tannins leaching into your tank and turning the water brown. Just make sure you dont have any fish hiding inside!!!


I did that when I first got it, this was some 10 years ago. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but I still have to do a 50 percent water change every two weeks to keep the color not very noticable.

This is the really heavy, dense stuff that doesn't need to be weighted down, even when dry. And I have a lot of it forming a labryinth of sorts in the middle of the tank.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Coralife bulbs are not that good for planted tanks as they have a strong emission in the green area of the spectrum causing the tank to look very green. Green does nothing for plants/photosynthesis.


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