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I had been using full spectrum 6280K 94.5 CRI Verilux full spectrum bulbs with great success with my planted aquariums for a long time. They are bright, energy efficient and I can get them for about $7 each. Together with CO2 injection, I’ve rarely had any problems.

However, the visible light the Verilux full spectrum bulbs emit definitely emphasizes the greens in the aquarium. I introduced 1 Coralife Actinic bulb months ago to improve the color of my 75 gallon planted aquarium, which had 4 Verilux full spectrum T8 (I replaced one of the Verilux bulbs with the actinic) – indeed the blue of the actinic introduced a “whiter” balance and clarity to the tank. Soon after I began contending with the first algae outbreak I had with this tank. The actinic light was not the only cause (it was also a nutrient imbalance I caused by uprooting and moving a lot of plants from this tank all at once) but I suspect it added to my green hair algae (derbesia) problems as actinic bulbs are used to help grow marine algae. I reduced my lighting schedule, got rid of the actinic and have been improving the nutrient balance, which are all working in getting rid of the algae.

I’m looking for a T8 plant growth bulb with high PUR/Watt efficiency to both boost plant growth and to improve the look of the aquarium by adding whiter/bluer visible light to enhance the green hue of the aquarium and of the fish. The actinic light I had been using does make the aquarium appear “whiter” in color, but it promotes algae growth.

I spent good time reviewing posts on lighting on this excellent site and other websites. This is a brief summer of what I’ve found. I’d sincerely appreciate your suggestions on the bulbs I should add to my full spectrum Verilux bulbs and where I can get them in the U.S. at good prices.

1) Wide Spectrum Gro-Lux bulbs - I’ve read these are more pinkish than purple and brighter than regular Gro-Lux bulbs which have sharp spikes in blue and red spectrum but little light emitted outside of these areas of the spectrum. Anyone know what the PUR/watt efficiency is like for these bulbs? Anyone know how mixing these bulbs with my Verilux high CRI bulbs above will affect the appearance of my tank? Will they make it look less green?
a) Sylvania Gro-Lux Wide Spectrum
b) GE Gro- Sho Wide Spectrum
c) Philips Agro-Lite (this last is a variant of the Wide Spectrum Gro-Lux).

2) I’ve read these bulbs below are highest efficiency for PUR/Watt, http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm but I’m not sure in all cases what visible light they show (more blue, red or green – I’m looking for some bluer/whiter light to lighten my very green tank along with good plant growth qualities):
a) Philips Aquarelle 10,000 K fluorescent for freshwater aquaria - ranks as the most efficient fluorescent in PUR/Watt and is the bluest as well – this is a big plus because it means that the bulb will also “whiten” my tank. Does anyone know if the Aquarelle is a Wide Spectrum gro-lux type bulb and where I can get them in the U.S.?
b) Philips Advantage fluorescent, 5000K F32T8/ADV850 - Does anyone know if this bulb is a Wide Spectrum gro-lux type bulb and where I can get them in the U.S.?
c) Sylvania Aquastar – Does anyone know what the PUR/watt efficiency is like for these bulbs? Does anyone know if this bulb is a Wide Spectrum gro-lux type bulb and where I can get them in the U.S.?
d) Osram Fluora - Does anyone know what the PUR/watt efficiency is like for these bulbs? Does anyone know if this bulb is a Wide Spectrum gro-lux type bulb and where I can get them in the U.S.?

3) Gro-Lux bulbs - these emit only in the red and blue portion of the spectrum and I know they cast a purple glow and don’t appear very bright. So while good for plant growth, I think the Wide Spectrum plant growth bulbs in 1) and the high efficiency PUR/watt bulbs in 2) will offer brighter and better lighting for plant growth. The Sylvania Gro-Lux is supposed to have a PUR/watt efficiency rating below the bulbs in 2).
a) Sylvania Gro-Lux
b) GE's version the Gro- Sho

I've done lots of research on this site and others and would very much appreciate your thoughts on best bulbs and where to get them.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Fishstein

Hi,
When you went from the 6280 bulbs to the Actinic bulbs,
you "washed out" some of the greens and shifted things
to the blue (hotter) end of the spectrum. The blue light
penetrates the water more efficiently and gave you better
light at the surface of the gravel.

Frankly, I appreciate the greener greens and redder reds
that result with lighting around 6700 to 8800K. These
bulbs are readily available at narned near any hardware
store, sold under the label DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT and are
much less money out of ones pocket than the so called
"Plant friendly" bulbs.

Honestly, I'd stick with bulbs in the 6700-8800K range.

Frank


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

Hi Frank,

Thanks for the good suggestion. We are on the same page. I like the 6280 94.5 CRI verilux bulbs I'm using. I like that they emphasize the greens of the plants. And I get them for about $6-7 each from a lighting supply company.

However, I'd like to replace 2 of the 4 verilux bulbs on this tank with one (or two) specialty plant growth bulbs like the Philips Aquarelle and one bright 10000K noon day bulb. The combination of this lighting should show off the plants, fish and rocks to maximum effect while being very good for the plants (better than the full spectrum 6280K bulbs alone).

Can anyone recommend a very bright T8 48 inch 10000K bulb and provide a source for it in the U.S.?

Can anyone recommend a good source for T8 48 inch Philips Aquarelle, any good Wide Spectrum Gro-Lux type bulbs or similar high photosynthetic efficient bulbs? I prefer wide spectrum gro-lux (pink and brighter) to pure gro-lux (purple and dimmer).
Thanks for the great info on the site.

fishstein,

Reading through your initial post here shows me that you are very knowledged, at least when it comes to lighting, and I doubt that my input will be of any help to you.

But to sum up your quest, you are looking for a less green light with the same effects (or even better) on plants (btw, the only not-so-smart move you made were the actinics).

From my limited knowledge, the green is the best and anything else is a compromise between plant growth and visuals. You give some and you get some. I recently heard some people swear that the GE bulbs in the 9 thousand some hundred range are supposed to have excellent plant growth while being much less (or not at all) green, but I have no experience with them myself and I have not asked these people if the growth is better, or the same, or only slightly less intense. I would assume that the last options is the most likely (slightly less), but I wouldn't mind being convinced otherwise.

Good luck with your quest for "better" lighting,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I've figured out a combination the bulbs that should make for the perfect combination of visually pleasing light + super efficient photosynthetic light. The Philips Aquarelle TLD89 has a photosynthetic red/blue ratio that is the perfect complement of the Philips ADV850 (Advantage 850) 5000K bulb.

Red/Blue Ratio:
Aquarelle 0.37
Philips ADV850 0.63

see this link for the best research I've read on the subject:

http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm

The Philips ADV850 and the Aquarelle perfectly balance each other not just from a visible color perspective (ADV850s white with yellows and greens and Aquarelle's with pinkish glow similar to the Triton bulb I used years ago) but also from a photosynthetic balance of the most beneficial red and blue light.

I'm fairly certain 2 Aquarelles (10000K) + 2 ADV850s (7000K) would have a similar effect in terms of visible light to using the full spectrum 6280-6500K I've been using, just much better for plant growth than the full spectrum bulbs.

I'm looking for better growth and color enhancement not just for aesthetic purposes, but because my local fish store actually buys so many plants from my wife and I that they pay for all of our pet food and supplies (for all our pets). We get a kick out of running a sustainable aqua-farming operation in NY : )

The ADV850 is also a low mercury higher energy efficiency bulb which is environmentally friendly.

I'm picking up a case of Philips ADV850 shortly and I hope to pick up a case of Aquarelles on a business trip to the UK in the next few weeks. If anyone is interested, I certainly don't need all the bulbs in a case and I plan to make a bunch of the Aquarelles and the ADV850s available to New York area aquarists - will post these soon.

Can any UK members suggest a good UK distributor for the Aquarelles (I'm looking for T8 48" and 24" that will ship to my hotel in Cambridge or London?

Thanks,

Fishstein

fishstein,

Such a wealth of information, where have you been hiding since you joined FP in December?

And what other things do you know about in such great detail?

I would suggest you get these lights and run a test for a few weeks, trying to maintain all other parameters and compare growth patterns (to growth of a few weeks before the change). And make sure that you have before and after pictures.

This would make for an awesome article here.

Good luck in getting the bulbs in the UK, 24" is what I potentially could use on my 20G Long, so keep us posted.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club