[JaybieFromTheLB]

Hey guys, sorry to bother you all with yet another question but someone just gave me a glass lid and a spare t8 light fixture. I would like to know what type of bulb I should put in the second fixture. My other fixture just has a basic full spectrum daylight. Do those bulbs like floramax or floraglo really help with plant growth? Or should I just stick another full spectrum on the new fixture?

Another question is this fixture doesnt have the same ballast as my aqueon one. This one has a starter and when I tested it out, the bulb flickered a lot for a while until it finally started running. Do I need to replace the starter or is there something wrong with the fixture.

Thank you all for the great advice you all have been giving me
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[Flear]

for bulb types, (about the limit of my knowledge on your inquiry)

a grow bulb, which would favor a spectrum more key to a plants specific requirements for photosynthesis

failing that, 6500K spectrum bulb which is commonly understood to be used for growing plants, but not quit as specialized.

after that, any general bulb (which you have already it sounds like)

 

[carlos puron]

Hi well I've found that as Long as your ballast (where you place the bulbs) are designed for t8 you have to look for t8 bulbs that can provide you a daylight of 6500kelvin home depot's lighting department can provide them for a cheaper price than the ones you find in fish store I know that cause I did my own canopy so lighting from petsmart or petco was about 80 dlls while y paid 40 for two double fixtures and 4 bulbs my plants are doing good

 

[JaybieFromTheLB]

Hi well I've found that as Long as your ballast (where you place the bulbs) are designed for t8 you have to look for t8 bulbs that can provide you a daylight of 6500kelvin home depot's lighting department can provide them for a cheaper price than the ones you find in fish store I know that cause I did my own canopy so lighting from petsmart or petco was about 80 dlls while y paid 40 for two double fixtures and 4 bulbs my plants are doing good

Wow whats the name of that huge plant you got going on?
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[carlos puron]

I think is an Amazon sword it's been in my tanks since it was little
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[JaybieFromTheLB]

I think is an Amazon sword it's been in my tanks since it was little
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Well they grew nicely.

Btw I decided to pick up 2 clip on lamps from walmart so now I have 2 14watt daylight cfls plus the standard full spectrum aqueon t8 on my tank. Is this decent lighting?
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[carlos puron]

How big is your tank?
What kind of plants you want or have in there?
Are you thinking in use fertilizer?
What kind of filtration you have?

I know too many questions but those answers would help a little more
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[JaybieFromTheLB]

How big is your tank?
What kind of plants you want or have in there?
Are you thinking in use fertilizer?
What kind of filtration you have?

I know too many questions but those answers would help a little more
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Its 29 gallon. Right now I have java fern, anubias, amazon swords, anacharis, and cryptocoryne wendtii. Right now they're all young so theyre still small. I have flourite substrate and im fertilizing with flourish comprehensive. And my filtration is 2 aquaclear 30s with doubled up biomax and a prefilter
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[JaybieFromTheLB]

Not sure how to upload pics yet on this site but I attached a pic of my current tank. Sorry for the bad picture quality.

 

[carlos puron]

To me it seems to be good lighting as long as all are providing you 6500k a rule used to be 2watts per gallon but that have changed with the energy saving bulbs I'm at work now I can't be on the phone that much I'll take a better look once I'm home

 

[carlos puron]

Well I was reading your stock again and to me it seems to be enough lighting your plants are easy care plants and most of them are good in low medium light so you should Start see growing soon except for the anubias those like to take their time lol well they're slow growing you amazon sword and java fern will be the ones showing growth soon I recently got anacharis so I can't tell you a lot about them we pretty much have the same plants mines were growing fine with just one double fixture I added the second one to cover all the way to the back so I guess you should be fine especially with the substrate I just have sand and don't use fertilizer on the big one very often and they grow like crazy