lighting

[newtchaplin]

I have a double tube fluorescent T8.  What I want to know is, is there a cheaper way to go when it comes to good growing lights.  Can I buy some at home depot or Rona? if so which ones do I need for a bright low tech system?

[Shawn84]

You can buy full spectrum light it will grow all your basic low light plant but if you want some of those high light plant you need something stronger like t5ho

[angelcraze]

I find the t5s make a huge difference compared to the t8s, at least in a deeper tank they do. like 21"+.  I got some t5s at Brite Lite (east end).  They have the whole set up, end caps + bulb for under $30.  I just mounted it inside my t8's reflector.  Works great.  I hear they are available at Richie's feed & seed too, and I'm sure most hydroponic stores would have them.  They are 6500k or 6700k, can't remember exactly.

Just so you know, I have a 21" high tank going with no c02 and one t5 bulb and I am super impressed with the plant growth.  Just 39 watts.  I have medium light plants like ludwegia, lots of sword plants.  I have not tried anything like ammania gracilis in there,

If you stick with the t8s, I wouldn't go to anything higher than 6700k for plants, imo.  I cannot confirm the results with them myself, but I have seen 6500k t8 bulbs at Rona, Home Depot, Canadian Tire for ~$10

[blueknight0303]

I find the t5's make a huge difference compared to the t8's, at least in a deeper tank they do. like 21"+.  I got some t5's at Brite Lite (east end).  They have the whole set up, end caps + bulb for under $30.  I just mounted it inside my t8's reflector.  Works great.  I hear they are available at Richie's feed & seed too, and I'm sure most hydroponic stores would have them.  They are 6500k or 6700k, can't remember exactly.

Just so you know, I have a 21" high tank going with no c02 and one t5 bulb and I am super impressed with the plant growth.  Just 39 watts.

If you stick with the t8's, I wouldn't go to anything higher than 6700k for plants, imo.

i have them too! its 6500k. i can say 1 t5ho is way brighter than 2 t8s. i use one strip light on my 35g

[sas]

I use these on my 29g and 130g tanks.

http://sunblasterlighting.com/fixture-only.php

My tanks are very low tech but I'm able to grow
some half decent plants.

[newtchaplin]

I found T8 bulbs 6500K-8000K two bulbs for $10 at Rona.  It is like having two full spectrum bulbs.  The fish look amazing with it.  Everyone I have asked about lighting always try to push away from T8's to T5.  Which I am sure work really well but I really like the T8 look and my tanks are doing great, bright low tech.

[wrm130]

It'd be a brighter low tech with HOT5's

Sas: sunblaster is the make of the HOT5's sold at Brite light as well as ritchie feed and seed.  I also saw that ritchie now carries snap on reflectors for their lights as well.

[angelcraze]

If you stick with the t8s, I wouldn't go to anything higher than 6700k for plants, imo.

This is silly, I am quoting myself, but after talking to a friend about lighting, I am starting to wonder what 10,000k t5s would do for a planted tank.  

I found T8 bulbs 6500K-8000K two bulbs for $10 at Rona......I really like the T8 look and my tanks are doing great, bright low tech.

He (a friend) likes the 8000k too, but I cannot find 8000k in t5, at least not for cheap.  I bet the 10,000k would have a nice look and replacement bulbs are ~10 I think?  Anyway, I am correcting myself, I have not tried the higher kelvin bulbs in t5, so who am I to say "imo"?

[Stussi613]

Colour temperature (Kelvin) has very little to do with spectrum. Not all lights that produce light in the 5500k range (the same temperature as outdoor noonday sunlight) include all spectrums of light that comprise the light from the sun.  Generally speaking, full spectrum bulbs do. They usually also have a high colour rendering index, which makes objects you look at under them appear as they would in outdoor noonday sunlight.

Generally speaking cheap, or industrial, lights like T8's are commodity bulbs that don't come in full spectrum, high colour rendering versions. It's usually bulbs that are produced to specific standards for aquarium use that do that. They are expensive because they are designed for a specific use and not as mass produced as regular lamps.

The best colour temperature for plant growth is 3k. The best for flowering phase and maintenance is 5k. The reality is that 3k will look terrible on your tank, so going with a full spectrum 5k bulb with high colour rendering index will be the cheapest way to get good growth. I'd give the guys at Buchanan Lighting a call and see what they have in stock. The owner, Sandy, knows allot about lighting for aquariums...he used to be involved with the club years ago.

[newtchaplin]

This is the graph I follow for plant growth.  The graph is for a Grolux wide spectrum fluorescent T8 32w bulb.

[wrm130]

The best colour temperature for plant growth is 3k. The best for flowering phase and maintenance is 5k. The reality is that 3k will look terrible on your tank, so going with a full spectrum 5k bulb with high colour rendering index will be the cheapest way to get good growth. I'd give the guys at Buchanan Lighting a call and see what they have in stock. The owner, Sandy, knows allot about lighting for aquariums...he used to be involved with the club years ago.

Are you sure this is for aquatic plants?  I was under the impression that it was terrestrial plants that used the lower end of the spectrum,  freshwater more mid and salty tanks even higher...Wow I was real technical there!  But I agree that 3000k would look horrible on a tank.

To the OP:  I remember reading somewhere that for reading those graphs you should be looking for spikes at 440nm and 650nm...apparently these are the two most useful wavelengths for plants and photosynthesis.

[angelcraze]

The Sunblaster t5s are horticulture grow lights that use 6400k full spectrum light.  Personally, I find the light 'looks' a bit yellow in the aquarium, and for aesthetic  reasons, maybe a second bulb with a crisper light (or whatever you like best) might appear nicer, but idk what that would do for plants.  All I know is that these very reasonably priced Sunblaster lights and fixtures have worked really well in my tanks for plant growth.

I currently am using t8's at 8000k by aqueon, and 6500k LEDs, have tried regular 6500k spiral florescents and t8 florasun, and I find nothing compares to the results I get with the Sunbalsters.  I assume some of the others are full spectrum as well, like the ones especially designed for plants growth, but I guess I am saying the t5s have yielded the best results for plant growth overall for me.

[76brian]

You'll be just fine with the two T8 bulbs, dunno why anyone would say to switch to T5HO. Everything I was ever told said T5HO is too intense for low tech. Regular T5 is fine too, but since you've already got the T8 and they work for you, no reason to change!

I use T5HO on my low tech 40, but I use window screen in front of the bulbs to cut down on the intensity. I find a pair of the 5000k FloraSun from ZooMed work pretty well this way. The fish glow brightly and the plants grow nice, with not much algae (except a bit of BBA on some wood, but i don't think that's a light issue).

[wrm130]

You'll be just fine with the two T8 bulbs, dunno why anyone would say to switch to T5HO. Everything I was ever told said T5HO is too intense for low tech. Regular T5 is fine too, but since you've already got the T8 and they work for you, no reason to change!

Because T5H0's are awesome!  But I'll agree that if you have T8's and you're happy with them, carry on!

I do not find T5H0's too bright at all.  I have 4 T5H0's 3" above a 12" deep tank.  No issues. (charlie, if you read this I havent had floating cover in that tank for months!)  I do not have C02 either.

To me, its all about substrate.

[charlie]

Because T5H0's are awesome!  But I'll agree that if you have T8's and you're happy with them, carry on!

I do not find T5H0's too bright at all.  I have 4 T5H0's 3" above a 12" deep tank.  No issues. (charlie, if you read this I havent had floating cover in that tank for months!)  I do not have C02 either.
To me, its all about substrate.

Jamie there is some truth in the "its all about substrate" - reason is with a dirt tank such as yours the natural by product of organics breaking down in the soil  is CO2, plus you benefit from other nutrients from the soil.
Co2 & Nutrients only need to be supplemented when the uptake of the plants requires more than the natural environment of the tank cannot sustain healthy plant growth.
Regards

[angelcraze]

You'll be just fine with the two T8 bulbs, dunno why anyone would say to switch to T5HO.

Just shared what works for me best, hoping to help out.  Use whatever you want, or have, there was just a question asked about

a cheaper way to go when it comes to good growing lights.....for a bright low tech system?

It depends on what you consider good lights, and a cheaper way to go.  Operation costs and results may play a role in this.  I think you would theoretically get way better results with a 39w t5 bulb, then say a 25w t8 bulb of the same length.  Add another t8, then you will be adding 11 more watts of  operation costs then the t5 with less brightness-or intensity.  Maybe I am wrong on the way electricity is consumed, I am not an electrician, and again, just sharing what works for me and trying to answer a question the way I construed it.  Whatever you choose, I am glad you are happy with it, and thanks for sharing your cheap find on t8s at Rona, newtchaplin.

[blueknight0303]

Are you sure this is for aquatic plants?  I was under the impression that it was terrestrial plants that used the lower end of the spectrum,  freshwater more mid and salty tanks even higher...Wow I was real technical there!  But I agree that 3000k would look horrible on a tank.

To the OP:  I remember reading somewhere that for reading those graphs you should be looking for spikes at 440nm and 650nm...apparently these are the two most useful wavelengths for plants and photosynthesis.

graph shows spikes on blue and red spectrum.

440 numens = blue and 650 numens = red.

[BillD]

Hi folks, haven't been here for a while. My personal preference is for light in the 5000K range, both for plant growth and appearance. I use T8s now, and still a couple of T12s.  A high CRI (as already mentioned) is important for good appearance and proper colour rendering. There are high CRI tubes out there but they are not easy to find. Home Depot used to carry Philips Natural Sun, 5000K that had a CRI near 90 in T8, (the 6500K in T8 is higher). Now, they carry Natural, which is still 5000K but has a CRI of only 82. These tubes still look good and grow plants very well. My opinion of 6500K is that the light is too blue, and the green plants don't look as good as under 5000K. There are T8s, in 5000K that are in the mid 90 range as far as CRI, (undoubtedly in T5 also) but I don't know where to get them. Probably have to go to a lighting supply.