Hi everyone,
Lately, i was doing some readup on lighthings and i thought i should do an info compilation on lighthings for my reference.As i am setting up lighthing for my new tub and for optimal algae growth... i humbly apologise and asked to be excused if there is any wrong info that i am about to share with everyone... i personally going to try it out as it made enough logic for me...
Here we go for sharing purpose..
What exactly is color spectrum ?
A color spectrum is the measurement of wavelength of the light that is produced by a specific light source. Basically none of the artificial light sources can produce light evenly across all the wavelengths (colors) and the only thing that can produce even spectrum light is our star – SUN.
In artificial lighting the color spectrum is measured in K (Kelvin).
Why light spectrum is important to plants?
This light wavelength size is important to plant because not all of the visible light is equally beneficial for photosynthesis. All plants that photosynthesize have these photosensitive cells called photo-pigments and they are responsible for turning light energy in a different form that is usable to them. The greatest concentration of these photosynthetic pigments are at the both ends of the visible light spectrum where the blue and red light is found. This means that plants use mostly the light energy in the red and blue light spectrum and other frequency light particles are not effective in producing chemical energy! Plants use the 400 to 500 nanometer light and the 600 to 700 nanometer light the most and the light in between these two spikes is not used that much.
T5 light spectrum.
T5 light are primary made in two color spectrums and they are 3000K and 6400K but there are brands that make 2700K, 5000K ,4000K and 6500K lights.
In general it is a good practice to give any photosynthesizing living thing a mix of both the 3000K and 6400K bulbs so a 8 light fixture would ideally have four 3000K bulbs and four 6400K bulbs. There are also 4000K and 5000K T5 grow lights and if you can find one it could be an additional benefit for your garden as in most cases this light would have slightly different color spectrum lines and that means more divers light for your plants.
Colour Temperature (Kelvin)
I don't think there is a definitive Kelvin rating that is best for plant growth. The measurement itself is only meaningful to humans, as it generally indicates what kind of hue the light gives off as perceived through the human eye. Lower values are more red-ish in appearance(600-700nm), while higher values appear more and more blue(400-500nm). So as mentioned earlier, a mix of both the 3000K and 6400K bulbs seems like a well-balanced theory.
That said, shorter wavelength blue light penetrates much farther into the water than the longer wavelength red. This may be why 6700k+ Kelvin bulbs seem to be better for plant growth, since the blue light is more readily available for the plant to use compared to the lower Kelvin lights.
Conclusion
Going to buy T5 5ft set and have 2 3000k bulbs and 2 6500k bulbs for my new tub.Hope it works well for optimal algae growth...
