I got new lights, lots of questions???

[mmccarthy781]

Hey everyone, well yesterday I got myself a new light fixture that has 2 18 watt T5 bulbs. It's over my 10 gallon tank and I just had some questions about it.

One light is nice white, but the other one is blue and when on by itself it's too dim to see anything, it says it's actinic. Do plant's like actinic light or should I get another normal light because right now the area under the actinic light (the whole back of the tank) is much dimmer than the front.

Also, I have a glass canopy on the tank and the black hinge is right in the middle of the 2 lights. Will this be an issue if the middle is blocked?

Lastly should I consider this tank to be high light now?

Thanks for any and all help

[touch of sky]

Actinic bulbs are used on marine tanks. A bulb between 6,500 & 10,000 K would be appropriate for a planted tank. I haven't noticed a problem with the hinge on the glass top blocking the light to any great degree on my tanks.

[josolanes]

Actinic lights, as far as i know, are more meant for reef use as reefs tend to like a much more blue light. So switching this out for another white t5 would definitely provide more light

As for your light output, if you move to a 2nd t5 I'm sure you'll be considered high light on a 10g tank. I'd consider looking into co2 to help prevent algae issues

[mmccarthy781]

Ya I think that the fixture is intended to be used for marine tanks but the lfs said it would work fine on freshwater. I probably will change the actinic light to a normal white bulb like the other.

[touch of sky]

I think you will be happier with that. Would the lfs switch it out for you if you took it back?

[mmccarthy781]

I don't know if they would because the actinic bulb came with the fixture I didn't buy it separately. but maybe I could trade it in for store credit because it's basically new.

[mmccarthy781]

Does anyone think that the lighting is too high?

[hbosman]

Originally Posted by mmccarthy781

Does anyone think that the lighting is too high?

It will be without CO2.

[mmccarthy781]

So even if they are T5HO and right on top of the tank, my tank will be fine as long as I use CO2? The employe at the lfs recommended this light to me but now i'm beginning to think that it might be too powerful. Can I put T5NO bulbs in a T5HO fixture if need be? Is there any chance that doing that may cause a problem?

[Hoppy]

Any T5 light will be too much light for a 10 gallon tank, unless it is suspended several inches above the top of the tank. I believe those are T5HO bulbs. But, the light may be a very cheap one and may not produce the normal light output of T5HO lights. Even with a cheap T5HO light, you will have too much light. (Too much light means you won't be able to avoid lots of algae problems unless you are able to use pressurized CO2, adjust it to get as much CO2 into the water as possible without harming the fish, maintain very good water circulation in the tank, maintain very good water surface ripple, keep pruning the plants often enough so they don't increase in plant mass significantly, do excellent tank maintenance, etc.)

[mmccarthy781]

Ok, so now I know that my light is overkill, so I guess that Ill sell it or return it or whatever, but now Im wondering if anyone has any good light fixture recommendations for a 10 gallon tank.

[mmccarthy781]

Also, If I can't return the fixture, does anyone know If there is some way to put less powerful bulbs in the fixture? For instance if I put T5NO bulbs in it?

[Hoppy]

You can reduce the light output by putting a layer or two of Home Depot fiberglass window screen (insect screen) between the light and the tank. One layer reduces the light by 40%, two layers by 64%.

[JDS1212]

You could just use one bulb.

[mmccarthy781]

The reason I don't just want to use one bulb is because the when only one blb is n the oppisite side looks really dim.

Hoppy, I was wondering if the light would be fine if I was able to remove the reflector? Would that cause the light to overheat?