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Light - Which Bulb?
Hi Everyone, I thought I'd post this question here to see what people's
thought's are on 'which bulb to use'. I'm just getting back into aquaria
after a few years of travelling and being unable to set one up for any
period of time. I'm setting up a 55gal tank with a double 40Watt fluorescent
fixture (the all-glass one), I know it's not a lot and I'll retrofit a CF
setup sometime in the future but for the time being this what I have to work
with. The problem is which bulbs should I go with. I looked at the data
here:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2637/spectra.html
Having just under 1.5WPG it would make sense for me to go with the higher
lumens such as the PennPlax Ultra Trilux, Philips Advantage or Coralife
Trichromatic. Neither of these bulbs are specifically marketed for plant
growth such as the Coralife Nutrigrow. On the other hand some people have
suggested that I go buy some $7 tubes from Home Depot. There seems to be a
lot of people using all sorts of lighting these days and I find myself a
little lost when selecting mine. The LFS is obviously no help, they just
suggest me what they sell.
So what's the big picture? If the difference between a 6500K Home Depot tube
and a Coralife Trichromatic 65000K tube is just the spectrum (and price!)
what advantage does one have over the other?
I've used specific grow lamps in the past but wasn't too crazy about the
reddish glow they emit, I much preferred the bright (bluish) sparkling water
the 65000K gave me but I forget what brand I used back then. Regardless of
my preference I do want what is best for my plants, at least until I can
better my WPG.
Any suggestions? I haven't seen many websites with tank photos indicating
which bulbs they use. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. I don't
mind spending the extra $ if the Coralife bulbs do indeed carry some type of
advantage, just don't know what that advantage is.
Thanks
Giancarlo