# What color temperature lighting do you use?



## chiefacorn

As the title asks, what color temperature lighting do you use?
Also, please specify what is in your tank, planted, unplanted, and any reason why you use what you use.

Most of my tanks have standard bulbs in them, but my 150gal planted has a 10000k and an actinic bulb. This gives me the combination of color needed to help the plants, as well as color to enhance the theme of my tank.


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## frankiefire

10,000k in my cichlid tank and 6,700k full spectrum on my two smaller planted tanks.


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## corina savin

I use a combination of 650 nm roseate because plants need more red out of the entire spectrum and 6.000k full spectrum to balance that red (for my own eyes).
I like the final look of my tank: soft, natural colors for both fish and plants.


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## Embouck7

Red Light is quickly filtered from the water due to its wavelength, so the deeper your tank the less red light by far. Plants need lots of blue and red not just one for photosynthesis. Leaves like blue and stems like red for the most part. Now your eye needs green for the blue red combo to look good.

Point is don't just go by color temperature, there are other things to look for as well.

If you want your mind blown haha heres a link

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


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## chiefacorn

I wasn't really looking for which to use for what, I was more looking for what people prefer aesthetically. Having been through Biology in college, I understand what the color temperatures mean, and what the output of a bulb is. I also know that practically every bulb at the store would suffice, so long as the output is high enough wattage to reach the plants before being dispersed by the water. So far, I haven't been able to find a bulb, save for the ones that run you ~$30 plus shipping online, that can make a plant grow in an aquarium better than the standard "cool white" bulb from a hardware store. 

I like mine, especially when people come in and look at the color and think that it is a saltwater tank, but then they get up close and start to question things. I was trying to go for a different effect than what I usually have. I may build a riser and a canopy to bring the light up off the top of the tank somewhat. I have another tank that doesn't have a light on it exactly, but track lighting on the ceiling that gives an awesome ripple effect with the shadows on the bottom of the tank. I will experiment to see if I can achieve this with my existing top, or if I will have to come up with something new. 

Any photos of what people have?


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## SirReal303

10g LED's - juvie mated texas cichlid pair and their fry
10g Marineland LED's - just a little qt/growout/holding
20L Finnex Fugeray LED's - Apistogramma/discus grow out (planted)
20L Coralife Dual T5 Actinic/10k - Hairy puffer fish
25g Odyssea Quad T5HO 6700k - African grow out
40L Odyssea Quad T5HO 6700k - Electric Blue Jacks (planted)
55g Current Satellite + Pro FW LED's - Discus/Rummy shoal (planted)
75g Coralife Dual T5 Actinic/10K - African Cichlids
75g Current ORBIT Marine LED's - Aggressive Cichlids
120g Current Satellite + Pro FW LED's - MBU Puffer, Jardini Arowana, Temensis Pbass, Azul Tocantins Pbass, Tiger datnoids, Flagtail Prochilodus


Some are planteds so they have the quad t5ho 6700k or FW LED's. I like 10k/actinic on my cichlid tanks with no plants. Had Coralife dual T5 actinic/10k on the 25g African growout also but my dog chewed the cord so just tossed those quad t5ho's on there with the 6700k bulbs still in from their old tank.

Also there's a whole bunch of oddballs through out the tanks that are unlisted, just general descriptions there. Anyways, that's what I run.


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## SirReal303

PS, a lot of the stuff we grow ain't gonna happen under garbage bulbs or without nutrients/co2.

SOME plants will thrive under low end bulbs, my tanks would die.


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## Embouck7

Sounds like you need to check out a current LED bar. It will grow everything thats in your tank currently as well as allow you to play with 5-6 different color spectrums. Along with your "growing setting" it has about 20 different display modes, some of which are really believable (mocking outside conditions down to a t-storm)

I have the 48" bar and I would buy another if I had a tank for it. 

P.s. should have pics up under my aquariums tab <<< 55 gallon dwarf chilid paradise


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## SirReal303

Uh, I don't know if that was directed to me but I have the best Current's on the market. The Satellite + Pro and the ORBIT Marine LED's, and we've got 3 of them @ 48". They're better, brighter, and have more control than Current FW LED or Current Pro LED. What I'm sayin is, we run REALLY HIGH END plants that ain't gonna grow with anything less than a full pressurized system with liquid/dry ferts and super high light. Here's 2 of our planteds before goin to LED under the Odyssea Quad T5HO setups. I doubt you'll find many others on the site with planteds this extensive.


216 watts 40L









96 watts 20L


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## SirReal303

And actually, here's a video I did comparing the Current USA Satellite + Pro 48-60 inch vs the Current ORBIT Marine LED 48-60 on African Cichlids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLHhx87sKE8

They're supposed to be releasing the ORBIT Marine Pro LED at the beginning of April so I'll also have one of those when they come out to see how they do. Stay tuned.


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## Embouck7

Not directed at you haha but sweet set up.... And lots of good info


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