Aquarium hobbyists’ tips on combining aquarium lighting lamps.
• Lamps manufactured specifically for aquarium lighting are typically several times more expensive than their non-specialized counterparts. Brands like General Electric, Philips, and others have very wide and frequently updated product ranges. However, it is a myth to say that aquarium lamps are inherently better than regular fluorescent lamps. Aquarium lamps are packaged in very nice boxes and have fancy names, but they are made using the exact same technology as regular fluorescent lamps. The significant difference between them lies solely in the price.
Therefore, using light temperature and lamp wattage data, you can always find a general-purpose equivalent, which will favorably differ in price from specialized lamps. Do not let sellers mislead you: specialized aquarium lamps or enhanced color rendering lamps are made using the same technology as the rest, only their gas mixture is formulated so that linear spectrum peaks truly match intended applications. This does not mean an acceptable option cannot be found among other lamps. All lamps on the market have a relatively wide emission spectrum, and if plants in the aquarium grow poorly, one of the factors should be looked for in water parameters, nutrient availability, and lighting intensity.
• Osram, Sylvania, General Electric, Philips – these lamps are no different from specialized aquarium/plant lamps, except for a lower level of advertising hype around them, and their price is several times lower than similar specialized lamps. These lamps are available in various wattages (usually a wider range of wattages than specialized lamps) and various diameters, and can be used with any ballasts, including electronic ones. Philips Agro-Lite, Osram/Sylvania Gro-Lux and Gro-Lux Wide-Spectrum, GE Gron-Sho and Plant & Aquarium are lamps whose spectrum is selected so that the spectral peaks correspond to the absorption peaks of chlorophyll. GE Sunshine (Chroma 50) is a wide-spectrum lamp with CCT = 5000 K, CRI = 90. One of the best lamps. This lamp reproduces the natural colors of fish and plants. Other companies also manufacture similar lamps.
• Which lamp goes where? The question is often asked, “I bought two different lamps, Hagen Power Glo and Flora Glo. Which lamp should I put at the front of the aquarium?” Fish look brighter in reflected light. Therefore, the lamp that appears brighter to the eye is best placed in the front. If a lamp has more blue in its spectrum (it looks bluish or pinkish), illumination from such a lamp will make the scales of many fish appear more brightly colored due to the re-emission of light by the scales. Such a lamp is best placed in the front.
An important lamp parameter is color rendering index (CRI). A lamp with a higher color rendering index is also better placed in the front. Those who are put off by their relative expensiveness can engage in combinatorics by buying fluorescent lamps with maximum emission in the red region (giving a pinkish light, e.g., OSRAM 77) and in the blue region (lamps emitting cold or neutral white light). It is very difficult to adequately illuminate the bottom of an aquarium 50 cm deep or more.
• Mixing the spectrum of lamps with different color temperatures. Mixing should be done in a certain proportion. For example, if you have T5/T8 965 Ra98 6500K and Aqua Medic Ocean White 10000K lamps, to get 8000K you need to increase the color temperature from 6500K by 23%: 8000 – 6500 = 1500K; 6500/100 = 65; 1500K/65 = 23%. That is, the proportion of 10000K lamps needs to be 23% – out of six linear T5 lamps, two should be 10000K (33%), and four 6500K. The resulting color temperature will be ~8700K. The same proportion will apply to T5 860 6000K Ra85 lamps. Installing 10000K lamps should, of course, alternate one by one with T5/T8 965. Of course, one shouldn’t oversimplify when talking about the light spectrum, but we care about the visual result. Mixing the spectrum of T8 Osram 765 with Feron 6400K in a 2:1 or 1:1 proportion also yields very pleasing light.
• Full spectrum lamps. Full spectrum lamps can be placed in a separate category. These are T5 or T8 fluorescent lamps with a significantly more uniform distribution of emission intensity across all wavelengths, much closer to that of sunlight. The result is magnificent color rendering and eye comfort.
• In the air, the highest color rendering quality is found in lamps that closely approximate the ideal standard illuminant for color calibration D50 and D65. These are lamps with a color temperature of 6500K (T5 series 965 and 950); they have better color rendering because they reproduce blue shades more accurately than regular series 865 lamps with the same 5000-6000K. The higher the color temperature, the greater the proportion of the blue spectrum. This affects PAR and the beauty of your plants. For a planted aquarium, specialized aquarium lamps simulating “tropical light” (7500-10000K) should be used. If unavailable, T5 series 965 6500K (T8 10-765, 54, 154) fluorescent lamps are suitable, while 860 (T8 186) 6000K Ra85 are much worse. To increase the color temperature to 8000K, you can mix the light with 10000K lamps in the correct proportion.
• Without going into details, in most cases, the best result is achieved by the combined use of different lamps. Here are some frequently used and effective pairs and triplets:
— AquaGLO + SunGLO. Pros: good fish coloration, very decent lighting for plants, pleasant color palette for the entire aquarium. Moderate brightness prevents beginners from making gross mistakes in aquarium lighting; for this reason, many branded aquariums come equipped with this pair. Cons: for serious aquatic plant keeping, the total wattage required is at least one and a half times greater than when using lamps with increased luminous efficacy.
— FloraGLO + PowerGLO. Pros: the same as for the AquaGLO + SunGLO pair, plus higher aquarium illumination. One of the best options for an aquarium with live plants. Cons: if the aquarist makes mistakes, such as a poorly matched photoperiod, algae blooms are possible. The coloration of some fish is less spectacular than when using AquaGLO.
— 2x AquaGLO + LifeGLO. Pros: very good lighting for plants, magnificent fish illumination. Cons: practically none, but far fewer aquariums accommodate three lamps.
• For growing plants, all lamps manufactured by various companies can be recommended, as well as specialized plant lamps characterized by a high percentage of red color in the spectrum. Osram lamps with Lumilux lighting colors 22, 31, and 41, as well as corresponding Dulux compact lamps 31 and 41, Philips TLD marking lamps 82, 83, and 92, and Sylvania lighting colors 182, 183, and 193 are recommended. If necessary, they can be combined with neutral-white fluorescent lamps (e.g., Osram Lumilux 21, Philips TLD) 84, 94, or Sylvania 184.
Proven combinations include, for example, Osram 22 or 32 with Philips 94, as well as GoLux with Philips 84 or 94. Although specially designed plant lamps like Osram 77 Fluora and Sylvania GroLux, as well as Triton and Aquarelle, have lower efficiency compared to many other lamps and are used much less frequently nowadays, their positive impact on plants due to the high percentage ratio of red and blue colors in the spectrum remains undeniable. It is worth mentioning that aquarium equipment suppliers supply the aforementioned tri-band fluorescent lamps under other names (e.g., Trocal).
• In terms of color and lighting intensity, every aquarist should adhere as closely as possible to average daylight values. Daylight lamps have a very high blue content. However, for normal plant development, plants need the red spectrum, so various lamps must be combined with so-called plant lamps.
For example, such lamps include Osram-Fluora and Sylvania Gro-Lux. Both provide accented emission in the blue and red regions of the spectrum and thus match particularly well with the light spectra affecting photobiological processes. Sylvania Gro-Lux and Osram-Fluora special plant lamps provide plenty of blue and a great deal of red, but unfortunately, only a little yellow. These lamps have a low impact degree and very unnatural color rendering, which is why they are never used alone, but combined with other lamps, such as Osram-15 (daylight) or Osram-22 (white light).
A very good lamp is Osram-32 (warm tone), which undoubtedly yields a wonderful result. The True-lite lamp, which emits sunlight-like light, has been used in aquarium keeping for several years. However, it still provides little red light and must be combined with an Osram-Fluora or Sylvania Gro-Lux lamp. To achieve more natural fish color rendering, install a wide-spectrum (full-spectrum) or trichromatic/triphosphate lamp. GE Chroma-50 is a very good and inexpensive lamp.
• In my aquariums, I use combinations of Hagen Sun Glo and Aqua Glo lamps, as well as Sylvania Gro Lux, Aqua Star, and Daylight Star. It is the Gro Lux lamp that has a precisely calibrated composition with maximum peaks in the blue-violet and orange-red parts of the spectrum. The combination of Sun Glo with other lamps similar in spectral data to Gro Lux has also yielded interesting results. Gradually, I came to the following conclusion for myself: in a properly set up planted aquarium, it is worth using two types of lamps: those providing maximum luminous flux to achieve the norm of 30-50 lm/L, and phytolamps with a spectrum matching the maximum absorption of plant pigment systems. For the former, I prefer Hagen Life GLO, Sun Glo, and Sylvania Aqua Star, Daylight Star. The latter lamps are Hagen Aqua Glo and Sylvania Gro Lux. As for the Flora Glo phytolamp, I reject it for myself – despite good plant growth under it, it considerably stimulates algae development.
• In my aquariums, mixed lighting is used with Osram FLUORA + Contex 827, Philips 830, or OSRAM 31-830 lamps. Karel Rataj particularly highlights the OSRAM Lumelux 31-830 lamp. In his article, he writes that it is universal for the aquarium – not only suitable for plant growth, but also provides excellent color presentation for fish and plants, because: – it has a light maximum in the red region; – a lack of light in the blue region limits algae growth; – a sufficient amount of green light ensures excellent color rendering, making plants look fresh and green.
• In the background, the Hagen Aqua Glo phytolamp is often placed. Phytolamps from other companies have a more pinkish light. In the foreground, the Hagen SunGLO lamp is often placed. This type of lamp casts a strong yellow tint. I tried putting an Osram 940 lamp in the foreground, but it also casts a yellow tint. A more suitable lamp is Osram 950. The Osram 860 daylight lamp does not cast a yellow tint.
Aquarium hobbyists’ tips on combining aquarium lighting lamps. Part 2.
Recommendations on the duration and selection of light sources. 
Last changes and additions made on December 7, 2012.
