What kind of light for plants?

[Vlad]

I want to get some plants for my aquarium. What kind of light/bulb do i need to help my plants grow?

[Terry6000]

I can't really tell you an answer but there are people here that can help however they are going to need more info. First is, how many gallon is your tank? What is the shape of your tank? What light fixtures you currently have(t12, t8, t5, ect)? How long are your fixtures? What type of plants? More specifically are they low light, medium light, high light?

There are other variables you want to look into like your substrate and there are chemicals you can add to your tank too.

But don't be scared it seems like a lot but you can do it just don't get over whelmed.

[ZebraDanio12]

With low light its 1-2 watts per gal. With medium its 2-3. And high 3-4... Beyond thats is amazing. As asked above, what type of plants? Some do very well under lowlight, some don't...

[Ladayen]

The old rule of watts per gallon is mostly obsolete now. It still applies to some bulbs, most of them t12. What you want to look for is a kelvin rating or K. A rating of about 6500k has proven to be effective.

You can grow some plants with the generic stock bulbs that come with the tank. Pygmy chain sword, java fern and anubias should be ok.

[BV77]

Correct, the correct Kelvin color temp rating for plant bulbs should be 5000k to 6700k. They must be full spectrum bulbs as well. There are screw in compact flourescents that fill this bill, also cheap effective bulbs for 18" , 24" , 36" and 48' bulbs can be found at Lowe's , Home Depot, WalMart etc. GE Sunshine bulbs are 5000k, and GE Daylight bulbs are 6700k. I'm pretty sure Sylvania makes compareable bulbs as well, just read the specs on the packages. You can also spend alot more for Coralife bulbs and other high dollar set ups. I llike to stay on the cheap side. My Icon shows results of GE Daylight bulbs.

[Schwartzy61]

Yes, don't fall victim of the WPG rule. I have made that mistake recently as I purchased a 300 dollar fixture for my 55 gallon tank. It pumps out 216 watts and is loaded with reflectors. It is close to 3.9 watts per gallon, but with the high quality reflectors and high output bulbs, it is close to 6-8 watts per gallon essentially.

[grogan]

sounds like an algae growing machine!