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I recently bought a 30" double strip fluorescent light fixture for my 29 gallon tank and am experimenting with what combination of bulbs to use in it. I have a Hagen Power-Glo, Aqua-Glo, Life-Glo, Coralife Colormax and a Zoo Med Tropic Sun bulb to play with. What would be the best combination of bulbs for growing low-light plants such as Java Moss, Java Fern and Anubias Nana as well as having a pleasing look to the eye? Thanks.

Hi,
I'd try using the Corallife Colormax and the Zoo Med Tropic
Sun bulbs together.

Frank


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

Brian
Before I even looked at your post I was going to refer you to Fank.
In my 10Gal Betta tank and the 5ft tank I have a day light and a plant light combination. This works extremly well for me. Another thing to remember the better the quality of the bulbs the longer they will be good for your plants (by this I mean giving off all the necessary goodies)

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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Frank, wouldn't i be better off going with the brighter Glo bulbs? The Tropic Sun is a 17 watt T-8 and the Colormax is a 20 watt T-12.

Quality over quantity my friend. The bulbs Frank has suggested have a better usable light output and will benefit your plants, as they emit light that's more suited for growing plants.

The problem is that i don't like the look of the Tropic Sun bulb. It's way too yellowish and washed out for my taste. I tried many combinations of bulbs and the ones that look best to me together are the Life-Glo 2 and Aqua-Glo. Isn't the Life-Glo 2 similar to the Tropic Sun in terms of kelvin rating?

Hi,
In choosing which bulbs to use, I think you should consider
what plants you are trying to have thrive in that specific
tank.

You have a 30 inch long,double strip light, for a 29G tank.
My 29/30G tank is 26.5 inches long and that hood would hang
over the ends - something I would find very displeasing.
My canopy is 24 inches long, and houses two Compact
Fluorescent bulbs (65 watts each) and the bulbs are
22 inches long.

The plants you are talking about are low light demand
plants and will thrive with just about anything that falls
between 1 and 2 wpg.

One of the bulbs, the Aqua-Glow is an 18,000K bulb.
The Coralife Bulb (in my catalog) does not give a "K"
rating but from the write up, it sounds like a tri-phosphor
bulb. You don't show the "K" ratings for the other bulbs
and I'd have to look each one up and hope that somewhere
in some listing they list the "K" rating.

You indicate that you already have these bulbs from
previous purchases, and I thought you were asking which
might be the best.

First, I would not mix T-8's and T-12's in the same strip.
They (the strips) are not designed for that. They
are designed for one or the other and the box should
have indicated which to use.

Second, Generally, the tanks of this size are around 16
inches tall and even less from the surface of the water
to the surface of the gravel. I have about 11 inches from
surface to surface. Tanks with a depth of 24 inches or
more can benefit from the use of very high "K" rating bulbs
such as the 10,000, and even the 18,000K bulbs only because
the light tends to the bluer end of the spectrum and will
penetrate deeper into the tank without loosing much of its
energy. In many freshwater tanks, to overcome the washout
folks will use a high K rating bulb and a "medium" K
rating bulb together. Such as a 10,000K and a 6700K bulb.
They moderate the washout and allow you to have the high
bulb for penetration and the medium for "whiteness"
(so to speak).

Third, Generally speaking, when you use a 10,000 or even
18,000K bulb the tank takes on a harsh "sun lit" glare and
to the human eye, it can wash out the some greens
and accent the oranges and yellows. When I tried a very
high "K" rating bulb the crypts in my tank looked horrid.
They were a bluish green, dull, color.

When I suggested the bulbs, I was thinking of what you
had available. I too find a "yellow tank" nearly as bad
as a washed out tank and I use bulbs that are 6700 to
8800K in ratings. I appreciate the shades of greens that
the plants bring to the tank and the bulbs seem to
almost enhance them,

I would stick with one "T" type of bulb, and then try
mixing and matching what you have. Then, after the bulbs
have aged a year, I'd suggest a switch to the 6700-8800K
range for both bulbs.

Frank


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

Thanks for that helpful info Frank. One thing i don't understand is about the size of my light fixture. I bought the 30" All-Glass Twin Tube strip light that was designed for a 29 gallon tank. I do have a problem closing the lid flush with the opening but the hood does not hang over the sides like you mentioned. Should i have gotten a different sized fixture? I definitely was not ready to buy a CF light at the moment.

Hi,
No. I would not purchase another fixture. If it does not
hang over the sides, then skip all the asthetic stuff
and carry on. The overhang, is a hangup of mine, only.

Actually, CF's are NOT necessary in our case as we can
easily reach the 2wpg rating with standard lighting strips.
I wanted to go higher into the 3+wpg and so switched to
a CF fixture, and actually, I have cut back to running only
one of them (65 watts) for 10 hour days and turned off the
second permanently.
Since then I have added several wisteria plants and
virtually eliminated all my algae and especially the
BGA that I fought for two months.
I now have a jungle so thick that the poor fish must
be having trouble getting from one end to the other.
I'll post a picture of it before I start trimming it
here, today.

Frank


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

Thanks Frank, i'd love to see a photo of your tank. Maybe for Christmas i'll ask for a 65W CF light strip.

Hi,
Here is the before picture:


Attached Image:


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

And here is the after picture.
I may have cut the plants back too much and will shock
the previously shaded plants and the cuttings need to
settle in. I hope "my" algae does not return!



Attached Image:


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

Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it was a jungle in there!