Lighting Help

[coltrane73]

hi all. i am in the process of purchasing new fluorescent bulbs for my 75g tank. the tank currently houses 3 red dragon, 2 yellow dragon, 1 blue diamond and 2 blue tiger. ultimately i hope to add a large school of cardinals as well. no live plants, just fakes one and some driftwood.

my hood accommodates 2 sets of 24" bulbs so i'm thinking of getting 2 6500K bulbs and 2 50/50 bulbs and then positioning each type diagonally opposite to each other. in other words:

fixture #1 - front - 6500K left & 50/50 right
fixture #2 - back - 50/50 left and 6500K right

how does that sound? would it be better to do both 6500K bulbs in the front and the 50/50 bulbs in the back? should i not even bother with 2 different types of bulbs and just go with all 50/50s? or all 6500K? i'd like to get some of the blue effect but want it to be subtle.

can anyone recommend a specific bulb manufacturer? i was thinking of going with zoo med or coralife.

thanks!

[Cosmo]

CoralLife and Zoo Med both make excellent lights. I use only 50/50's since my observations over time is that Discus don't appreciate brighter lights (I try to keep the light/water ratio to 3watts/gallon) - also, they tend to help keep algea growth down. To a large extent though, it's probably personal taste and whether or not you plan on having live plants as much as anything else.

Jim

[coltrane73]

thanks cosmo. i'm a little hesitant to get the 50/50 bulbs b/c my tank has that amazon biotope feel with the green plants, the earth colored gravel and the brown driftwood. i occasionally use black water extract too. so i'm wondering how the "blue" in these bulbs will affect that environment.

[Cosmo]

I used to have green fake plants, stil have the driftwood.. both actually look good (to my eyes at least) with the 50/50's.. again though, it's a matter of personal taste so stick with what works for you :)

Jim