6500K vs 10000K 39W T5's - which is the best for plant growth

I've been trawling the web to try and find some info on what are the bvest types of T5's for plant growth and general fish keeping and I've narrowed it down to 6500k Sky White and 10 000K Daylight T5's...

I wanted to see if anyone could shed more light (yes i said it!:idea on what is the ideal Kelvin rating T5 (as well as best looking) for a 3ft Planted tank that WILL NOT have Co2 added (well not anytime soon anyway)...

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated!

 

I am just starting my first planted tank, but from what I have read, I think the 6500K are the closest to natural daylight, therefore best for plants.
The lower the K rating, the more red the light is and the higher the rating, the more blue (I think).
My 2c.

 

I'm no plant expert, but I think either would do fine! The 6500K is better suited to some plants, and the 10,000K to others! I'm not tuned in enough to know which are best for which??

I personally would use 2 tubes, one at 6500K and the other at 10,000K! 39watts is not a lot of light for a 90cm tank? Some people say you need more than 2watts per litre, so if your tank is 100L, thats at least 200watts? This seems High to me, but as stated above, I'm not a plant expert! Maybe someone else can comment on this??

My current setup is using 4500K and 18,000K, and my plants are doing well, especially my Red Cabomba which always struggled before, but I also have a major Algae problem which I can only assume is a result of the 4500K tube being a little TOO low??

Cheers
Big G!

 

Other way round 6500k is daylight, Osram Skywhite is 8800k IIRC.

I had a mix of both, I got better growth out of my current combo, Sylvania Gro-lux and Sylvania Daylight ie 6500k

 

I just started a planted tank about a month ago. 430L tank. I instand six 6500K Sylvania T5 tubes but only 4 is currently in use and me planted is growing good even with a PH of 8 and a KH and GH of over 15.

 

6400/6500K is the rating you want for optimal plant growth... this unfortunately gives the tank a yellow look which is then balanced out by adding 8000 or 10 000K that gives the tank a more pleasant viewing color...

personally I also use and recommend the 6500k sylvania grolux t5s..

 

Sylvinia Gro-lux with a 10 for prettier viewing

I got a single 30w on a 250L and my Vallis has sprouted 3 sets of runners and grown new plants in 3 weeks.
It is a lowish light setup though with lots of anubia and lotus

The 10K has done less well in the other tank.

 

You must be very careful with the 10000 K tubes as they invariably have a strong peak at 550 nm in the light spectrum which is exactly the correct wavelength that blue green algae need to grow. I have used these with disastrous consequences and I am beginning to see a pattern from persons complaining about algal problems and 10000 K lamps.

I know that Angus (Algae Wizard) does not use 10000 K lights, he uses 6500 K and very much lower K lamps, 4000 K triphosphor and an Arcadia Plant Pro lamp which has a high emmission in the red wavelength as well.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

In support of what I have just earlier written, I would like to give you a link to a German lighting company selling T5s for freshwater planted aquariums. You can see their recommendation for light combinations and again they do not recommend 10000 K.

Kind regards,

Dirk

http://www.giesemann.de/64,2,,.html

 

here's a good article with some valuable info explaining lighting for planted aquaria...

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/38014-lighting-spectrum-photosythesis.html

 

I will be running 2X250watt 6500K MH lamps over the planted tank as of next week. Depending on how yellow it is i might add some 20K T5s in the mix to even it out a little

 

Henk,

20000K's are far too blue. If you want the yellow effect you need 10000Ks. I may be able to help you with some....

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

No no - i want to counter the yellow by adding the 20 000K - thats how the marine guys work it. You add blue light to counter the horrid pee colour of the water - works great.

 

ADA tanks use 6700K combined with 8000K bulbs. Plants look great - both viewing colours and growth.

 

i'll look into it - the problem being with MH you only have one bulb.... so it will be either 6700k, 10 000k, 13 000k or 20 000k. What the marine guys do is they run 10k bulbs with 20 000k T5s.....

 

yep, so in your application you would run 6500K in the MH plus 8000K or 10000K T5s

 

riiiiiight - let me see what i can get from lamphouse

 

Henk, can you PM me directions to Lamphouse?? I can't find the place?? Its not the place next to Stodels with EuroLux on a huge sign is it??

Cheers
G!

 

Woodbridge Bus Prk Koeberg Rd
milnerton

 

Lamphouse are the best...