Aquarium lighting Idea

Zooty

I have a 60 watt regular base "Agro-Lite For the acceleration of indoor plant growth". Would this bulb work for plants and fish too? I have a pretty nice set up if this will work for the plants and the fish.

I'm trying to work with a budget in mind for this planted tank. The bulbs are $4 each and the fictures are $15 each. Whats everyone think?

FuzzAz

In general, incandescent bulbs shouldnt be used for plants. I have noticed walmart has started selling 23 watt 6500K CFL bulbs in a 2 pack for like $5. These bulbs would be a better choice and will produce much more light than a 60 watt incandescent plant bulb.

Byron

I agree. Compact Fluorescent bulbs are a vast improvement, making incandescent lighting a viable option for smaller aquaria. A natural daylight (having a kelvin rating around 6500K) is the best overall choice, as it provides what the plants need (blue and red colour) but balances it with green so colours appear natural.

They also use far less energy, which saves money too. Get the smallest wattage you can, remembering that 13w of CF is equivalent to something like 40w of regular, so you are getting the intensity without the energy waste.

Byron.