# lighting



## squeekee35 (Feb 9, 2010)

OMG i have been researching lighting the past couple of days and i am so confused. i want to get a light for low light conditions for low light plants and i can't find a straight answer... i find one to two watts per gallon or 2 to 3 watts per gallon...i found one article that said don't do watts per gallon but lumens per surface area....

right now i have a 24 inch two prong bulb for each of my 29 gallon tanks but they do not say how many watts they are. one says it's a t-8 and the other one doesn't say unless it's on the other side of the bulb. so i have no idea how many watts they are.

so is it one to two watts per gallon or 2 to 3 watts per gallon or lumens per surface area??????

--Angel


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Low light plants will do fine for cheap. Get GE or Sylvania bulbs from Lowe's etc. Make sure they are 5000k to 6700k. That's the color range plants use. The GE bulbs...Sunshine bulbs are 5000k and GE daylight bulbs are 6700k. There are two 48" daylight bulbs on the 55 gal tank in my icon. They do a great job for cheap.


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## squeekee35 (Feb 9, 2010)

well all the t-8 bulbs 24" i can find are all 20 watts so i am assuming i have 20 watt bulbs. and a 29 gallon tank so this might not be suffient for low light plants either. maybe i won't get any plants....

--Angel


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Here's two ten gal tanks with only one 18" Daylight bulb, so they will grow plants








Here's a 29 gal with two 24" Daylight bulbs, so they will grow plants.


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## DarwinAhoy (Mar 13, 2013)

Many, many things besides just watts come into play in the suitability of a light to keep/grow plants.


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## squeekee35 (Feb 9, 2010)

well we went to the pet store last nite and i found some 5000k and 6500k lights but they are only 17 watts...i guess that doesn't matter though. they had some higher ones too but i only want low light anyway.

my hardware store does not have fish lights. we have been there many many times down every row and i have never seen fish lights there. we live in a very small town and have only a lowes....and it is not that great compared to the one we had when we lived in a bigger town anyway.

--Angel


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Ge and Sylvania bulbs are not advertised as "fish lights"...but they are full spectrum and 5000-6700k. That is what plants like. These bubls are cheap at Lowe's etc.


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

BV77 said:


> Ge and Sylvania bulbs are not advertised as "fish lights"...but they are full spectrum and 5000-6700k. That is what plants like. These bubls are cheap at Lowe's etc.


I agree I have cheapskate Sylvania's and have live plants and thriving fish and no problems... I also have LEDS that come on later on in the night and have never measured amount of light I just watch out for the amount of algae growth from the hours of light per day and set the timer according to that.


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