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DavidDoyle · 02-27-2005, 09:26 PM

Actinic is only usefull for sw reef tanks. It will be almost useless on a fw planted tank. 10k is a fairly cold/bright look and if you like it, you can use it for plants although it is not the optimal choice0 6-7,000K is preferred by most. Daylight is about 5,000k going up from there looks more "white" while going down looks more "yellow" (as in tanin stained water).

You can mix bulbs. Ideally put the higher K one on the back of the tank and the lower K over the front. In fluors my personal favorites are Triton full spectrum tri-phosphors (unfortunately their 24 inch bulb is a T-8, the thinner one). They are expensive but only need to be changed when they burn out and last about 1.5 years. They also make fish colors really pop. Regular fluors on planted tanks should be changed about every 6 months to maintain optimal lighting and they degenerate in terms of plant useful spectrum even though the naked eye sees no difference.

I also use the GE Plant/Aquarium bulbs which are about 4,000K and I like the muted look and plants love em.

02-27-2005, 09:26 PM	#5
DavidDoyle Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Age: 89 Posts: 497	Re: I have a few lighting questions......... Actinic is only usefull for sw reef tanks. It will be almost useless on a fw planted tank. 10k is a fairly cold/bright look and if you like it, you can use it for plants although it is not the optimal choice0 6-7,000K is preferred by most. Daylight is about 5,000k going up from there looks more "white" while going down looks more "yellow" (as in tanin stained water). You can mix bulbs. Ideally put the higher K one on the back of the tank and the lower K over the front. In fluors my personal favorites are Triton full spectrum tri-phosphors (unfortunately their 24 inch bulb is a T-8, the thinner one). They are expensive but only need to be changed when they burn out and last about 1.5 years. They also make fish colors really pop. Regular fluors on planted tanks should be changed about every 6 months to maintain optimal lighting and they degenerate in terms of plant useful spectrum even though the naked eye sees no difference. I also use the GE Plant/Aquarium bulbs which are about 4,000K and I like the muted look and plants love em.