What type of fluorescent tubes for planted tank?

[Shorty]

I have a triple T8 strip light. It came with full spectrum 8000K tubes.
I'm wondering whether I should replace some of them by other types for
a planted tank.
How about leaving one in, adding one 6500K and one 5000K?

Also, I know that a lot of power compacts come with moon lights (LEDs).
Is there something similar that I can add to my setup so that I can
look at my fish at night (without providing too much light and
encouraging algae growth)? Will a regular black light work?

Thank you

[Altum]

Amano uses 8000K. Count your blessings! If you really don't want
them, send them to me. ;-)

[Daniel Morrow]

Bottom posted.
Shorty wrote:
> I have a triple T8 strip light. It came with full spectrum 8000K
> tubes. I'm wondering whether I should replace some of them by other
> types for a planted tank.
> How about leaving one in, adding one 6500K and one 5000K?
>
> Also, I know that a lot of power compacts come with moon lights
> (LEDs). Is there something similar that I can add to my setup so that
> I can look at my fish at night (without providing too much light and
> encouraging algae growth)? Will a regular black light work?
>
> Thank you

I use blue leds connected in series with an appropriate (470 ohms? I think)
resistor in series with each and a 12 volts wall brick power supply. Good
luck and later!

[Richard Sexton]

In article . com>,
Shorty > wrote:
>I have a triple T8 strip light. It came with full spectrum 8000K tubes.
>I'm wondering whether I should replace some of them by other types for
>a planted tank. How about leaving one in, adding one 6500K and one 5000K?

I don't know of any good reason to. Plants don't care about light color,
people do. Do whatever you think looks good.

>Also, I know that a lot of power compacts come with moon lights (LEDs).
>Is there something similar that I can add to my setup so that I can
>look at my fish at night (without providing too much light and
>encouraging algae growth)? Will a regular black light work?

No.

But you can add LEDs.

--
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Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
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[Eric]

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 19:53:09 -0600, Richard Sexton wrote
(in article >):

> I don't know of any good reason to. Plants don't care about light color,
> people do. Do whatever you think looks good.
>

I always thought plants did care about light color. For instance, plants
don't absorb much green light (that's why they look green) so shining a lot
of green light on them is useless.

-E

[Richard Sexton]

In article obal.net>,
Eric > wrote:
>On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 19:53:09 -0600, Richard Sexton wrote
>(in article >):
>
>> I don't know of any good reason to. Plants don't care about light color,
>> people do. Do whatever you think looks good.
>>
>
>I always thought plants did care about light color. For instance, plants
>don't absorb much green light (that's why they look green) so shining a lot
>of green light on them is useless.

Turns out not.

I spent years trying to find the optimal light color tamperatures
and wavelengths and thought I'd found the answer in the
Kent State Press book "Lighting for plant growth" which
was a) the result of a PhD thesis and b) when and where
gro lux tubs were invented. (Ironically GE supplied them
with tubes they specified, then they sold the thing to
Sylvania).

But, trying years later to back this up I found that that
work was not given much credence, and in more than one
place where scientists were taking measurements on plant
growth I kept seeing the phrase "we found warm white to work
the best of any tube we tried (shrug)" and I've used warm
white ever since. I've tried almost every tube known
and they do seem to be right. People care about light color,
plants don't.

There are minor diferences, red gives slightly more elongated
growth white bluye gives more bush growth, but it's difficult
to notice much of a difference IME.

I thought I could manipulate the color of plants by light
color, but no, it's light intensity that does that it seems.

--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home page: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

[Koi-Lo]

Already cross-posted.

"Richard Sexton" > wrote in message
...
> In article obal.net>,
> I thought I could manipulate the color of plants by light
> color, but no, it's light intensity that does that it seems.
=====================
The one tube I can't stand is the one that gives a bluish or purple look to
everything. I had these once and gave them away.
BTW, I didn't see where the plants did any better.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Note: There are two Koi-Lo's on the Aquaria groups.
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>