Incandesent Bulb vs. fluorescent bulb

[squirt_12]

Ok so I have always wondered what the difference is.
Can incandesent bulbs be used on a planted aquarium??? I know that fluorescent can.

What is the major difference in the two??

[Adrian]

The biggest difference that I have found between the two bulbs is the color heat, or kelvin.

Both lights give off light. As we see it. However, it is the color spectrum (heat) that plants need to grow and to photosynthesize. Most aquarium plants need the reds and greens in color heat to grow properly. I have found many good flourescent bulbs in the 6700k and the 10k that are excellent for this.

Incandenscents don't offer the color range that is needed for many plants. It often encourages brown algae, and other simple plants light, that other plants can not use.

I hope that helps a bit.

[squirt_12]

The biggest difference that I have found between the two bulbs is the color heat, or kelvin.

Both lights give off light. As we see it. However, it is the color spectrum (heat) that plants need to grow and to photosynthesize. Most aquarium plants need the reds and greens in color heat to grow properly. I have found many good flourescent bulbs in the 6700k and the 10k that are excellent for this.

Incandenscents don't offer the color range that is needed for many plants. It often encourages brown algae, and other simple plants light, that other plants can not use.

I hope that helps a bit.
That is really helpful. I have always used fluorescent bulbs but I didn't know that incandesent bulbs gave off that little of the colour spectrum.
Even though a incandesent bulb gives off 10w and so does a fluorescent...in the end the tank with the fluorescent bulb on it would be better??? Like healthier plants and stuff..

[Adrian]

That is really helpful. I have always used fluorescent bulbs but I didn't know that incandesent bulbs gave off that little of the colour spectrum.
Even though a incandesent bulb gives off 10w and so does a fluorescent...in the end the tank with the fluorescent bulb on it would be better??? Like healthier plants and stuff..

Yes, in this instance, watts doesn't equate to better growth. Watts is what (pushes) the light down to the substrate, color is what the plants grow on.

[Fishguy2727]

Different types of lights give off different amounts of lumens (unit of light) per watt. Incandescents turn a lot of their watts into heat, not light. They are also not the right color, as described. However, one nice thing is that they have compact fluorescent bulbs that screw in to incandescent fixtures. This allows you to provide a lot and the right color light using an incandescent fixture.

[squirt_12]

This is all very good info. I didn't know any of this. So really the fluorescents have the right colour and the incandesent doesn't? Thats cool. I did not know that.

[Fishguy2727]

Not all fluorescents do. That is another thing you need to check.

[squirt_12]

Not all fluorescents do. That is another thing you need to check.
OH. So you have to check and make sure that the specific fluorescent bulb you are buying is the one you need and does the stuff you want it to?? I thought that they all just did the same thing.

[Fishguy2727]

They come in many colors, and even in combinations. Combinations are the best because they provide the right color AND have a balanced color too so the tank is still overall a nice white, not pink. I use Zoo Med's 50/50 Reef Sun. It has 6500K with Actinic 420.

[squirt_12]

OK. This is making much more sense now. So the colour have to do with the spectrum that the light is giving off??

[Fishguy2727]

Exactly. Color is measured with a Kelvin rating. By definition it is whatever color a black object heated to that temperature would give off, not that the light actually gets that hot. 20,000K is very blue, 10,000 is a nive white, 5500K is more of a red tint.

Lumens is the measure of how much light it actually puts out.

[squirt_12]

Very cool. Thanks so much Fishguy for clearing that all up for me. I have never understood what all that stuff ment and now I do. Thanks. thumbs2: