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I am wanting to get new bulbs for my tank. I have a greenwater problem recently. Are there any type of lights that would help cut down on this? Right now I am running a set of GE fresh/staltwater lights. I think they are like 9200K or so. Thanks for any reccomendations.

Hi,
Since you have a FO tank, I would not use anything that
could be used for a saltwater tank as it will be too high
in color temperature and is probably at least 10,000K.
I would shift down to about 6700K where the light will
be less harsh and whiter.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

FO application!!!

I see a 6000K and a 4400K lights for sale at my LFS. What would be the pros and cons of either one.

Thanks for your help!!!!

I have read that the lower the Kelvin rating will make algea more aggressive and harder to control. Therefore, they reccomend either leaving the lowere kelvins on for a shorter duration, or using a chemical treatment to help control the algea.

Hi,
I'd stick the the 6,000K range, the light is whiter and
the colors of the fish truer. As you go lower in K rating
the light changes from white to a yellower color as if
you were seeing the difference between a 15 watt bulb and
a 100 watt bulb. If you go even lower, the yellow changes
to a pinkish tinge.

Algae is opportunistic. It will fill a niche. If there
is an abundance of nutrients, and no competition, then
it will thrive. Changing the duration of the lighting
will not affect the growth, or no growth, of algae.
You have to eliminate the nutrients that the algae
feeds on. Plants are one way, frequent water changes
and gravel cleaning is another.

Try just running the lights when you are home and having
them off at all other times. Run them say, from the
time you get home from work till the time you go to bed.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks for explainging your reason for the lower Kelvins. Could you please explain why you dont recoomend anything higher th the 6700 you said as well.

I looked at my shopping history, and here are the setups I have run in the past.

1 Stock All-glass Fresh/salt - 9325k
2 Freshwater - 4400k
3 a mix of 10k-arctic & 5k-Full Spectrum
5 I am back at stock #1 curently

I think from all them I enjoyed #3 Mixed setup best. I have a 75g tank by the way, filed with cichlids & Loaches. At this point I might try the 6000-6700 range to seee how I like that, since you are suggesting. Let me know why you wouldnt put in a 10k in the mix.

Thanks for your help.

Rick

Hi,
Freshwater tanks with plants seem to best with lights
that range from 5K to 10K. The light at one end,
the 5K is a yellowish look, and the light at the opposite
end, 10K is very harsh and tending toward the blue end
of the spectrum. The high end tends to washout the greens
of the plants because it is so harsh and bright.

Nothing says or indicates that you can't, or should not,
mix bulbs. Indeed your comment about #3, the mixed,
being your favorite. The Actinic Blue bulb is very high
(over 10K) and is "mellowed out" when combined
with the "Sunlight" bulb. Many with fresh water tanks
will use a 10K bulb in combination with a 6700K bulb for a
more pleasing "look."

In a salt water tank, the minimum bulb should be 10K.
Not to say that your 9325K is bad, it is sort of riding
on the edge of what is generally held as the norm.
Kinda like running 2 wpg in a planted tank. That would
allow you to plant any low light plant, most medium light
plants, and perhaps one or two of the high light plants.
Running the 9K bulb, especially in a shallow tank, might
allow you to raise some invertebrates, but your choice
would be more limited than if you were running 10 or 20K
bulbs. The invertebrates in the salt tank require that
very bright, harsh, light to form the various types of
algae that they rely on for food and to manufacture the
chemicals necessary for their coloration. Some of the
fish are the same, they need that bright, noonday, tropical
sun like, light to use various vitamins.

There are pictures on the web of a tank with various color
temperature bulbs on top of it, and to my eye, the best
rendition of the true colors of both the fish and the
plants comes with the "white" light of bulbs running from
6-8K. As I mentioned, the lower K ratings are yellower,
and the higher K ratings become so harsh that they seem
to wash out some of the colors.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--