Combination of Different Light Bulbs

[qihst1]

My local Wetpets store has a very good discus show tank. A few Rummy Nose Tetra and Cardinal Tetra are really glowing. Their discus are looking good too. I was told that they are using a special combination of two bulbs. I looked at the two bulbs. One is sort of blue - an actinic bulb? The other one has a warmer color. I need to go back to talk to the guy in charge of that.

I would like to know experiences of using a combination of different light bulbs for planted discus tank.

Thanks,

Paul

[Fishaholic]

I actually just changed my bulbs to what you say you just saw... one blue bulb, one yellow. The blue bulb is a Power Glo. It is very good at brightening the aquarium and showing off the colors of the fish. The yellow bulb is a Sun Glo, which is a little less bright, but provides more of a full spectrum range and is better for the plants than the Power Glo. I am very pleased with the results.

There is also a buld called a Life Glo, which is extremely bright, but very expensive ($40 US). I'm sure it would show off the colors very well though. You could combine that with more of a plant glowing bulb (Flora Glo) and probably have a great looking (and growing) tank as well.

[dm]

I have a couple sets of CF bulbs that I run for the plants along with the regular lights that came with the tank. In the evening I have it timed to step down to just the regular lights with a bulb that brings out the colors really well. In the morning before work the small lights come on first then later in the afternoon the bright ones come on. I think it looks nice both ways. The colors really come out with all the lights on but there is a nice natural looking atmosphere at night when just the original lights are on. I am very happy with it.

[ChloroPhil]

There are combination white/blue PC fluorescent bulbs available. Was the bulb you're talking about a double bulb light or were they two separate fixtures?

Most of the white/blue PC fluorescents aren't true actinic, rather, they're blue spectrum for the corals and inverts that live in depths where only the blue spectrum makes it to them. The line of *-Glo bulbs all have different spectrum concentrations and look different, more red, yellow, or blue.

[qihst1]

Let's get a little bit more scientific.

We have two issues here. 1) Which bulb is best for plants; 2) Which bulb is able to make fish glowing best.

My memory tells me that actinic 03 may be the best, since it produces a lot of 420 nm light. Which may be best for plants. I confirmed it by looking at a web site

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html

Chlorophyll a and b (two pigments in chlorophlast responsible for absorbing light) both absorb light best around 420 nm.

I am not sure which wave length light makes tetra fish glowing better. I am interested to know more about those "fish pigment thing?".

paul

[Wahter]

Here are some past discussions on lights (used the search):

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=7;action=display;threadid=6688;sta rt=0

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=5901;sta rt=0

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=6525;sta rt=0

I don't believe that actinic lighting is optimal for aquatic plants (freshwater); they are more for corals, etc...

You can do a search on "actinic" here at the Aquatic Plants Digest and read the results:

http://fins.actwin.com/search.cgi

HTH,

Walter

[ChloroPhil]

Plants like light with a good mixture of Red and Blue spectrums. Lighting in the 5000*K to 6700*K ratings are considered optimal to the human eye and provide a good mixture of blue and red spectrums. Keep in mind that 99.9999999% of aquarium plants are actually amphibious and are only seasonally sumberged. They spend the majority of their lives taking up full spectrum sunlight.

Even the true aquatic spp. we keep don't live in waters deep enough to filter out all but the highest ends of the red spectrum. As such they also get a large quantity of the full spectrum in their "diet".

Actinic lights are designed to feed the coraline microalgaes that most corals feed on. I *wouldn't* recommend them for planted aquaria.

By far the most important factor in plant growth is light intensity aka Lumens. Most people use the Rule of Thumb of watts/gallon to approximate the Lumens being put out by their lights. That being said regular light bulbs (FLO, VHO, PC, or MH) will work just fine as long as they're intense enough to provide your plants with the light they need.

If you're looking to get a bulb to enhance the color of your fish I'd look into getting a bulb with high red and blue spectra to mix in with your others. A single bulb will mix well with the white light and won't cast a funky color over the whole tank while still enhancing your fishes' color.

[qihst1]

I went to the Wetpets Store again today. They are using 4 bulbs for that 125g discus show tank; one full-spectrum, one actinic blue and two 50/50. Again, the light is well-balanced and fish are glowing.

I am thing of getting a "GE Aqua Rays Fresh/Saltwater Fluorescents", which is only $6 each at a online pet's supplier and gives out 9325 K light. Anyone had experience with it?


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http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3810

Aqua Rays from GE are ideal for both the general hobbyist and the serious enthusiast. Aqua Rays provide superior color enhancement of fish, plants and decorations, making reds, blues and greens vivid and vibrant. They support the growth of freshwater plants needing high light levels and emit enough light to sustain coral and other marine invertebrate growth in saltwater. 9325° K bulb.

[ChloroPhil]

Again, Actinic bulbs are designed specifically for growing deep water corals and aren't good for growing plants. If you're dead set on having a blue bulb get one of the 50/50 PC types, that will bring out a lot of blue in your tank. Otherwise it's in your best interest to stick with regular white bulbs.

The store you saw either a: doesn't know what they're doing, b: they're trying to show off the bulbs they have for sale in order to get an unsuspecting customer to buy them, or c: All of the Above <------DING DING DING

PS: There's no need to spend more than 10.00 USD on a regular fluorescent bulb for your tank unless. Go to Home Depot and get one of their bulbs....they've got the exact same things under a different name for MUCH cheaper.

[ronrca]

Agree 100% with BioTypical!

The most important aspect is growing plants is not what color your lamps are despite what most petstores try to push upon their customers. O, btw! The most expensive lamps are the best! The ones that cost $40! I guess this is why most petstores do not like me anymore! LOL! I tell them to forget the color. I want intensity! Matter of fact, I do not visit petstores much! Home Depot is my petstore! LOL! I use regular fluorescent lamps mixed with a few 6500K lamps to get what I want.