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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SP22614" data-source="post: 17236378" data-attributes="member: 35724"> Lighting a Planted Tank                                                                             Lighting,  in  my opinion, is one of the most important aspects in keeping a  planted  tank.  Plants use photosynthesis to make their own food.  For   photosynthesis to be carried out all the necessary components have to be   there.  Light is the most important of these. What kind to use? Well there are many different types lighting but  the  only kind I would recommend for tanks under 75 gallons are  flourescent  bulbs, either compact or regular.  These are the cheapest  and have the  widest variety of bulbs available.  You can get all the  bulbs you need  from your local DIY store such as Home Depot.  Which ones  you say  though?  Well there are many different things to consider:Kelvin: This denotes the color of the bulb.   The  higher the Kelvin the more bluish it is and the lower it is the  more  reddish it is.  Most aquarists use bulbs between 5000K and 7000K. CRI: or color  rendering index.   This denotes how close to natural light the bulb is.   The sun has a CRI  of 100.  Any bulb above 85 will be fine.   Lumens:  This is the  amount of light the bulb produces.  Most flourescents are  in the 2000  range.  This doesn't matter too much though.  As long as it  is in this  range it will be fine. T-12, T-8, or Compacts?   Good question.  Really depends on your space available in your hood.    T-12 and T-8 bulbs are basically the same only T-8's are more efficient   but with a lower output.  T-12 are the best choice in my opinion.    Compacts are easily the best choice however they are more expensive in   the short run.  You can get a 55 watt, 22 in. compact flourescent bulb   while you can only get a 40 watt, 48 in. regular T-12 bulb. How much?   The most common question asked.  On average most plants will do just   fine under 2 watts per gallon however plants such as java moss and java   fern will do fine in 1-1.5 watts/gallon.  For a really succesful tank   3-4 watts/gallon is needed.  However with this high lighting CO2 will   need to be injected. </blockquote>

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