Lighting to Bring Out Fish Colors to the Viewer?

[Shisshi Sakana]

I have a 10 gallon tank with artificial plants so I do not need to consider lighting for plant growth but I am wondering if there is a specific type of bulb that enhances the colors of the fish to the viewer? My tank came with a hood and incandescent bulbs but there are two sockets in the middle of the hood and the total length is 18 inches therefore each bulb cannot be longer than about 6 inches because of the space the sockets take up. I have looked around for fluorescent bulbs that meet these rather short specifications but to no avail. Any recommendations?

:fish: :fish: :fish:

[little hawaii]

I have a 10 gallon tank with artificial plants so I do not need to consider lighting for plant growth but I am wondering if there is a specific type of bulb that enhances the colors of the fish to the viewer? My tank came with a hood and incandescent bulbs but there are two sockets in the middle of the hood and the total length is 18 inches therefore each bulb cannot be longer than about 6 inches because of the space the sockets take up. I have looked around for fluorescent bulbs that meet these rather short specifications but to no avail. Any recommendations?

:fish: :fish: :fish:

You bet ya. Look for a double flouresent 24" fix. T-8. Grow lux tubes are about as good as it gets and fairly inexspensive. Fish look much better colors.
:22:

[aspects]

umm..... last i checked, a 10g isnt 24" long. lol

Shisshi Sakana: is it a 4pin plug type of bulb, or screw in?
you should look for something in the 50/50 spectrum. this gives you a nice white light without it being too bright. if you have fish with nice blues, they will "pop" under a 50/50 bulb.

[Wild Turkey]

Its all about what you think looks best. Personally I like natural light


Of course, almost anything is better than incandescent, they are also probably heating your water quite a bit.

CFLs will fit in those ballasts and they have come in a wide range of colors at the hardware store. I prefer something around 5500 or 6500k (natural, bright sunlight)

[Shisshi Sakana]

Okay, great. Thank you all for the suggestions.

aspects: I didn't say the 10 gallon is 24" long, I said it is 18" unless I'm mistaken. Also, the sockets are screw in which makes things difficult. But I will look for something in the 50/50 spectrum.

Wild Turkey: Thank you for the tips. But what does CFL stand for?

[rich311k]

CFL = Compact Fluorescent lighting. The ones with the thin twisted tubes that replace regular incandescent bulbs.

[aspects]

Okay, great. Thank you all for the suggestions.

aspects: I didn't say the 10 gallon is 24" long, I said it is 18" unless I'm mistaken. Also, the sockets are screw in which makes things difficult. But I will look for something in the 50/50 spectrum.

Wild Turkey: Thank you for the tips. But what does CFL stand for?

That was not directed at you. Little Hawaii suggested you look for a " double flouresent 24" fixture". Which would not fit on your 10g. ;)

you may have some trouble finding a screw in 50/50 bulb.
You can find CFL bulbs at your hardware store in the 5000-6500K range. Those will work nicely. Look for ones that say natural light, daylight, or full spectrum.
so, make sure its the right wattage. Check your hood for the wattage rating. (likely 13-15W)

[Shisshi Sakana]

rich311k: Thank you for the clarification!

Haha thank you aspects I didn't get that.
This advice is great. I will check out my local hardware store.
I am definitley going to try for two CFL bulbs in the range you reccomended :)

[aspects]

i believe phillips brand makes a 6500K 15W CFL, but most places dont carry it.
but most hardware stores should have a 5000 - 5500K "daylight" bulb that is 15W

[souly]

I never thought of using a CFL light in there....I have the same type of set up on my 10g...maybe i'll have to try it!

[aspects]

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[Kazenouta]

Do CFL's provide good lighting for plants?

[Wild Turkey]

Do CFL's provide good lighting for plants?

As long as you get the right spectrum they are excellent for small tanks

[aspects]

As long as you get the right spectrum they are excellent for small tanks


^^^ indeed ^^^

if you can find those 6500K CFL's, theyre perfect for plants

[Kazenouta]

As long as you get the right spectrum they are excellent for small tanks

^^^ indeed ^^^

if you can find those 6500K CFL's, theyre perfect for plants


Excellent. Thanks for the newsthumbs2: I'm going to see if I can't find a few of these.

[Wild Turkey]

Excellent. Thanks for the newsthumbs2: I'm going to see if I can't find a few of these.

If your hardware store doesnt carry at least 5500K CFLs it shouldnt be calling itself a hardware store:hmm3grin2orange:

Seriously though, any home depot, lowes or imitator should carry them for between 1 and 2 dollars each.

[Kazenouta]

To the OP- I followed the recommendations that members gave you in regards to a 5500 kelvin-6500 kelvin light bulb and I can tell you that my 15g looks amazing now. The colors of my fish really, really pop as do the colors of my plants and decorations. I wasn't able to find any bulbs over 5000k at Home Depot but, I found a 2 pack of 10w=40w CFL bulbs at Walmart in the 6500k range for $5.14. Absolutely recommend you do this as the color difference is incredible.

To all those who gave this advice- Thanks a million. The tank looks so much less dreary now that I've removed the 25w yellow light bulbs and replaced it with 2x CFL. I'm hoping this will really help out my plant growth.

[Wild Turkey]

Oh yes it will definitely help imo.

What kind of plants are you growing?

Incandescent bulbs dont do much except heat the water, so any plants that are growing under them at all should do much better imo.

To kaz and op: If you were previously having issues with heating/cooling it may help, incandescent bulbs can heat the water in a small tank quite a bit if they are close. In the same respect, you should make sure you dont need to adjust your heater after switching lights

[Kazenouta]

Oh yes it will definitely help imo.

What kind of plants are you growing?

Incandescent bulbs dont do much except heat the water, so any plants that are growing under them at all should do much better imo.

To kaz and op: If you were previously having issues with heating/cooling it may help, incandescent bulbs can heat the water in a small tank quite a bit if they are close. In the same respect, you should make sure you dont need to adjust your heater after switching lights

I'm growing an Amazon Sword and some Anacharis currently. I was previously running the Penn-Plax Crystal-lux 25w. They were a yellow light so not broad spectrum. Also, this only put my 15g at around 1.5 w/g so it was definitely a lower light set-up. Now I'm at about 2.5w/g broad spectrum so, I'm hopeful for the growth.

Haven't ever had any heating issues with my bulbs luckily. However, I do have a question: I'm thinking about changing the lighting in my 5g to one of these CFLs but unfortunately the lowest effective wattage you can get is 40w. So, that'll put my 5g at 8w/g which I'm afraid will end up burning the anacharis in that tank. What do you think, too much light?

Sorry to thread-jack!

[aspects]

Check your ballast. I'm pretty sure the hood on your 5g is only rated for a 15w bulb. you want to match the bulb to the wattage of the ballast.

[Kazenouta]

Check your ballast. I'm pretty sure the hood on your 5g is only rated for a 15w bulb. you want to match the bulb to the wattage of the ballast.

Yeah, the hood wattage is only rated for a 15w. I meant a CFL equal to 40w which is effectively a 10w so will be alright in my hood. Sorry, that's my bad for not explaining.

[Shisshi Sakana]

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who could benefit from this discussion!

[Shisshi Sakana]

I bought two CFLs that only use 13 watts but put out 60 watts by Sylvania from my local hardware store and they are working wonderfully! Thank you again for the advice :)

[Oscar_freak12321]

:worthless:

[gadget228]

Been looking at building a light for my 30G but after seeing this thread I'm considering using CFLs instead of regular tube style. Thanks for the ideal... :shappy:

[Shisshi Sakana]

gadget228: I'm glad you could benefit from this discussion, the CFLS are working great for me and any hardware store has a massive selection. I am sure could find something that would suit your 30 gal.