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5,000 or 10,000K for a planted tank

7K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Oldman47 
#1 ·
The bulbs that I can get for my Home Depot light fixture come in only 3 K ranges. I know the soft light is a no go, but the others are 5,000 and 10,000K. Which would be better for a planted tank, or would neither be good in which case I would have to look elsewhere? Thanks.
 
#4 ·
The tank is a 29 gal. I think I will just look around at fish stores to see if they carry bulbs in that range. Thanks. :)
 
#5 ·
Oh, just thought of this. What if I did one 5000 and one 10000? Would that work or am I way off base? The reason that I ask is that I am not sure that any of my fish stores sell T12 plant bulbs.
 
#6 ·
If you did one 5000, and one 10000, then you would need to get smaller lighting fixtures too hehe... because one 10k and one 5k both suited for a 29 gal will be overkill IMO. You'd have to get different sized lighting fixtures for it too then... a 29 Gallon is still on the smaller side, and a 5k would be fine on it, or if your lighting fixture has 2 bulb inputs, get two 5k bulbs...

I agree with Cody... A 5k bulb would be fine, because its not so strong, it won't produce algae blooms...Algae blooms are pretty much caused from great lighting(or very high rated lighting) with not enough Co2 injection...

If it were up to me, I'd go with the 5k tube, and don't go for t12... better to find a t5 light, but t8 is fine too...

Hope that helps :thumbsup:
 
#9 ·
The lighting fixture is designed to hold 2 30 watt bulbs. That is how I came up with this idea. I would love to have T5 lighting, but unfortunately I just don't have the money for a really nice light fixture, so I opted to improvise with my home depot one.

I am also going to be doing DIY CO2.
 
#10 ·
Just so you know Kim, DIY Co2 will end up costing you the same amount within a year as a pressurised Co2 system...
The fixture is no doubtedly designed for t8 bulbs then? I'm not sure if this would work, and its kind of stupid, but maybe a t5 bulb might work in a t8 fixture. It's improbable, but hey, anything possible:)
 
#11 ·
Some fixtures will run T8 and T5, some won't. Have to look up the specifics for the fixture to know if it will. I actually run a T12, 2 bulbs over two 10 gallon tanks and it is a lot of light for them. A dual T12 might do it. It doesn't make any difference what type of flourescent lighting. T12, T10, T8, T5 or even screw in compact flourescents. They will all grow plants as long as you have enough wattage, high enough lumens and the right Kelvin rating. The only real difference is the size of the fixture and the number of bulbs to get the same wattage and lumens. That and the cost for both the fixture and the bulbs.

As for DIY CO2, my total cost to run it on two 10 gallon tanks for 1 year was $57. This included sugar and yeast. I changed one bottle out on each tank every 2 weeks without much of a problem. I have yet to find a pressurized system that costs under $250 for the entire setup and that is up front. Well for any I would buy anyway. If you have a few bucks and want to inject CO2, DIY works just fine. Even I can afford $4-5 bucks a month and I am broke the day after I get paid. :|
 
#12 ·
I don't think there's a fixture that will work with both T5 and T8, but you *should* be able to use T8 bulbs in a T12 fixture. The T8 bulbs aren't as fat, but the pins on the ends are exactly the same in both bulbs. T5's have pins that are closer together. If you can't find the right spectrum of T12's, you should be able to find T8's that will work.
 
#15 ·
I'll probably try the T8's if they will fit. That way I can get just the right K rating. I really don't want algae problems.

Yeah, since the tank is smaller I think DIY is cheaper and since I just don't have the $$ for pressurized (someday....) that is what I am going to do. Thanks everyone. :-D
 
#17 ·
Thanks for mentioning that! No 10,000 K for me then.
 
#18 ·
that may not have been the cause...
u sure u hadnt just finished cycling? this more often than not causes an algae bloom.
I'm running a 18000K bulb on mine, cause I cant find any bulbs in aus. that are rated 6700k. I am not experiencing any algae problems...
sounds good fish_4_all,(forgot ur name uve been gone so long) I agree DIY is very convenient for smaller tanks, but then again, u cud just hook up the smaller tank to the bigger tanks bottle. whats Bob up to these days???
 
#20 ·
Kim, the light spectrum does not affect how much light you have. the light spectrum is the color that the light seems to be to the naked eye. The only difference between 5000K and 10000K is that the 5 looks yellower, like real sunlight and the 10 looks whiter / bluer. As someone already mentioned you want a bulb that has what is called a full spectrum.
The lamp size difference between a T-12 and T-8 is only the diameter of the glass part. The pins on the end of a T-8 will fit a T-12 perfectly. They have the added advantage of being smaller so they do not block reflected light as much and more goes into the water from the reflector. A T-8 is also slightly more energy efficient and they are often available in a better color assortment than T-12s are. One final advantage for a fat fingered person like me is that I can get a grip on a T-8 in a fairly tight fixture where I would need tools to do anything with a T-12 in the same fixture.
 
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