Lighting Question

[kiriyama]

Hi, at the moment I have a 20gall/95ltr tank, it's 30" long, lighting is T8 20w Aquaglo, great bulb and excellent for plant growth, however I changed my tank set up several months ago and don't have much in the way of plants in it. Ton's of algae instead lol
Tank has small TangCichlids and shell dwellers now.
Can anyone advise a good lamp to make the tank "a bit less bright" ?
May sound a strange question, in LFS they have some brightly lit tanks and some more darker noody ones, I guess this is what I'm trying to achieve, any suggestions ?
Any feedback on this greatly appreciated

 

[OldMan47]

With a fixture designed to use T-8 bulbs, they are really your only choice. The one thing you can control, as far as appearance, is the spectrum of the bulb you use. If you like very bright almost blue light, use bulbs with a stated spectrum of 10000K. For noonday sun, try a spectrum of around 5500K to 6500K. If you want a warm, sort of yellowish rich look, try a lamp with around a 2700K spectrum. That is one they would call a "warm white".

 

[three-fingers]

Arcadia Original Tropical doesn't look bright to our eyes because of the spectrum, but its still great for plants.

Sylvania Grolux (a plant grow bulb not usually sold in pet stores) also has the effect and is very similar.

Like oldman says, you have loads more cheaper options when you look at commercial bulbs too, though I don't think there are any cheaper commercial bulbs that look anything like the two I just mentioned, you can usually buy the Sylvania Grolux cheaper than the aquarium ones from any webstore that specialises in light bulbs.

 

[SuperColey1]

Not sure why you have so much algae with 1WPG even without plants.

A couple of questions:

How long is the light on for?

Does it have a reflector.


As stated above you can get several different K ratings (spectrum) but at the end of the day they won't be helping the algae problem much!!! They may look dimmer instead of brighter BUT they are still providing about the same amount of actual light!!!

Even if it did you should be going the opposite direction to the suggestions as the lower temps are 'supposedly' the best for plants and at the end of the day the only plants you have are unwanted............ALGAE

Therefore you would be looking at the higher end of K ratings.

That being said I'm not a believer in K ratings affecting growth at all so you need to try and get rid of the algae either by reducing the length of 'photoperiod' or by reducing the output of light.

AC

 

[kiriyama]

Not sure why you have so much algae with 1WPG even without plants.

A couple of questions:

How long is the light on for?

Does it have a reflector.


As stated above you can get several different K ratings (spectrum) but at the end of the day they won't be helping the algae problem much!!! They may look dimmer instead of brighter BUT they are still providing about the same amount of actual light!!!

Even if it did you should be going the opposite direction to the suggestions as the lower temps are 'supposedly' the best for plants and at the end of the day the only plants you have are unwanted............ALGAE

Therefore you would be looking at the higher end of K ratings.

That being said I'm not a believer in K ratings affecting growth at all so you need to try and get rid of the algae either by reducing the length of 'photoperiod' or by reducing the output of light.

AC

Hi the bulb that came with the tank has a warm yellow glow, lower K
I also have an ocean moonlight but its basically a blue bulb and makes the tank look like the window of a sex shop.
The current bulb is 10000(?) full spectrum daylight blah blah blah
Lights are always on to long 12-14 per day, only reason being is i'm away early and back late and like to sit in the evening near the tank, timer investment in the near future. Also have in the past been guilty of overfeeding but this has now ceased so that would explain the algae to a point. Really looking fo a dull bulb, going to add a dark substrate also, is it possible to get lower wattage bulbs the same dimensions as bulbs I have just now, think it's just a matter of personal taste.

 

[SuperColey1]

My advice if you truly want 'dull' and less light is to ask around and get 'old' tubes when others are replacing them. T8s typically run on magnetic ballasts and therefore deteriorate after a year or so compares to electric ballasts which tubes can last for 3+ years with only 5% loss. So some already deteriorating tubes from a 'mate' or LFS will cost next to nothing and you will be helping the environment

Alternatively buy some very very cheap tubes from the DIY store. The absolute budget ones will be a CRI of around 50% whereas most aquarium tubes are reasonably good in the 70/80% range. The budget tubes won't last as long in most casers but will be pretty yellowish like the one you have at the mo.



If you have a prefeerence for a 'dull' bulb then thats fine but if thinking a 'dull' bulb will alleviate the problem then it is more likely quite the reverse. The bulbs that look 'dull' to the human eye are more often than not providing more usable light.

As said above the Arcadia Tropical is very dark in appearance and gives the tank an almost pink appearance:

If that is the appearance you are after then get one However being 4000K they are in the perfect plant range for those who believe in the K ratings being best for plants.

My advice if you truly want 'dull' and less light is to ask around and get 'old' tubes when others are replacing them. T8s typically run on magnetic ballasts and therefore deteriorate after a year or so compares to electric ballasts which tubes can last for 3+ years with only 5% loss.

Then if you do like a more natural light colouration (5500-7500K) then you can still achieve the colour without having so much light. It would look a little less bright too.

The 'K' ratings are more a human thing IMO and just give options for the 'tint' you give the tank. Many disagre and many will point to 'evidence' but many aquascapers can show otherwise.

p.s. the blue LEDs will not hurt anything.

As you don't have a planted tank there will be no problem in using a timer to switch the lights on for a couple of hours pre work and a few hours after work but try to reduce the total a little. between 8-10 is what planted tank users do and if anything it is more important in a non planted tank because there are no plants to 'counter' the algae.

IMPORTANT. With fluorescent tubes you MUST use an old style mechanical timer (the type with the dials on it and not a digital timer unless it clearly states it can be used with flourescent tubes (These can be qquite costly.)

As for the overfeeding you are in effect adding fertiliser for the algae. In a planted tank it wouldn't matter too much (within reason) but in a non planted tank it will.

Regards
AC

 

[Loops]

IMPORTANT. With fluorescent tubes you MUST use an old style mechanical timer (the type with the dials on it and not a digital timer unless it clearly states it can be used with flourescent tubes (These can be qquite costly.)

I've never heard that before and have used a cheap digital timer on my tank with no problems for a year.

What could happen?

 

[kiriyama]

Cheers for the tip on the mechanical timer. The picture you show is in the ball park of what I'm aiming at so again many thanks, not so much wanting to combat the algae, it's just an aesthetic thing. I have a BN Plec who has just realised that he's not just there to emerge from his cave to munch his vegetables, he's recently taken to cleaning all the rocks in the tank and doing a good job of it. Will be on the hunt for the Arcadia bulb shown, be buying some odds and sods from warehouse aquatics or zooplus soon so sure they will have them, cheers again

 

[SuperColey1]

I have no idea on what can happen but it is definately hit and miss. There are many people who have asked the question why they had problems and a smaller percentage who have no problems. Some are lucky more are not so better to be safe than sorry

http/home-owner-tips.suite101.com/article.cfm/digital_versus_analog_electrical_timer_switches

And a quote from this thread:

Digital timers, given their non-mechanical design, often use electronic switching of the device (cheaper than a relay). However, the electronic switch usually used is called a TRIAC and to cut a long story short they can easily be damaged by voltage spikes - and given the ballast of a fluorescent tube makes for a good inductor this is exactly what happens when you turn it off...

The 'solution' is to either use a mechanical timer, of course, or to find a digital (electronic) timer that is designed to switch inductive loads - they are likely to be rarer and more expensive. In all cases the packaging should clearly state if it is not suitable for such loads (and fluorescents in particular).

quote taken from this thread:
http/forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18170

AC