10000K and Full-Spectrum Lighting

[2Shi]

I'm thinking about using one 10000K bulb and one full-spectrum bulb for my planted tank. Will my plants grow well with these bulb choices? My current setup (one 10000K and one Actinic) doesn't seem to be helping plant growth much at all.

[jhays79]

Thats the combo I use, i like the balanced look of those two bulbs. I haven't experienced any negative impact on my plants.

[AirstoND]

Originally Posted by 2Shi

I'm thinking about using one 10000K bulb and one full-spectrum bulb for my planted tank. Will my plants grow well with these bulb choices? My current setup (one 10000K and one Actinic) doesn't seem to be helping plant growth much at all.

What plants are you talking about?
pH?
Temperature?
Other tank parameters>

[mohican]

Acintic bulbs aren't designed for plant growth, the wavelengths are in parameters to promote algae growth. They are designed for saltwater/ reef tanks for this reason. You may experience some growth, but algae will soon take over. 10K and full spectrum are good.


Posted from Plantedtank.net App for Android

[Evilgrin]

That should work fine

[auban]

i use 4 T5HO actinics on one tank, with to additional 10000k bulbs. no algae. actinics arent very good at growing freshwater algaes... 6700k bulbs are actually better for fresh water algae than actinics are.

[smiller]

One post says actinic are great for algae and one says algae won't grow with actinic. Why oh why do people get confused here? It is like anything, two people can have the same identical setup and get two totally different results. There are so many factors that play into things you can't put it all into one basket. I have used a lot of actinic for a year with very few algae issues, and what I did experience was from too much total lighting. It all comes down to what you want. With me it is firstly about the look of the fish. I am willing to sacrifice some plant growth and make any possibly needed adjustments for that.