Can I use regular fluorescent light bulb for my fish tank ? - GTA Aquaria Forum - Aquarium Fish & Plants serving the Greater Toronto Area.

ppaskova · 07-22-2010, 11:37 AM

Hi

Which fluorescent light bulb can I use ? Can I buy one in Home Depot or Canadian Tire or I should buy in PetSmart or LFS. I have been told by LFS guys that the bulbs they sell is a special bulbs designed for planted fish tanks and the ones Home Depot sells is a regular ones and don't have a spectrum the planted fish tank needs. Is this true ?

Thanks

Philip.Chan.92 · 07-22-2010, 11:40 AM

LOL dont listen to LFS, they usually don't know what they are talkin about unless you talk to mike or frank and people of that sort. Regular employees at the LFS are fairly ignorant. A 6500K bulb from home depot is the same as a 6500K bulb from the fish store, except it costs less at home depot (this is assuming same wattage, lumens etc)

dl88dl · 07-22-2010, 02:31 PM

Yeah buy the 6500K from HD and save some money

BillD · 07-22-2010, 03:49 PM

I have had better plant growth with the 5000k tubes and they have a higher CRI.

Joeee · 07-22-2010, 04:33 PM

Question - How much do the fluroescent bulbs cost at home depot?

50seven · 07-22-2010, 09:42 PM

If you're looking for cheap T5's, Home Depot only has the regular ones. They don't say how many K they are. I'll be stopping in at Supreme Lighting in Markham, they sell 36" T5HO bulbs for about 8 bucks; will post when I know the K rating.

Darkblade48 · 07-22-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeee

Question - How much do the fluroescent bulbs cost at home depot?

Which ones are you looking at? You can find the price out by going to the Home Depot webpage and typing in various types of bulbs (i.e. T5, T8, etc) to get a feel for the pricing.

Fish_Man · 07-22-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 50seven

If you're looking for cheap T5's, Home Depot only has the regular ones. They don't say how many K they are. I'll be stopping in at Supreme Lighting in Markham, they sell 36" T5HO bulbs for about 8 bucks; will post when I know the K rating.

interesting, let me know how that goes

dl88dl · 07-23-2010, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish_Man

interesting, let me know how that goes

+1 would also love to know what K ratings they have for only $8

bigfishy · 07-23-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 50seven

If you're looking for cheap T5's, Home Depot only has the regular ones. They don't say how many K they are. I'll be stopping in at Supreme Lighting in Markham, they sell 36" T5HO bulbs for about 8 bucks; will post when I know the K rating.

address????

I got the home depot T5s, and it cost $10. The shine of the light looks weird too!!!

07-22-2010, 11:37 AM	#1
ppaskova Devoted Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 666 Feedback Score: (20)	Can I use regular fluorescent light bulb for my fish tank ? Hi Which fluorescent light bulb can I use ? Can I buy one in Home Depot or Canadian Tire or I should buy in PetSmart or LFS. I have been told by LFS guys that the bulbs they sell is a special bulbs designed for planted fish tanks and the ones Home Depot sells is a regular ones and don't have a spectrum the planted fish tank needs. Is this true ? Thanks

07-22-2010, 02:31 PM	#3
dl88dl King Kamfa Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Whitby Posts: 2,151 Feedback Score: (50)	Yeah buy the 6500K from HD and save some money __________________ Hi, my name is Dave and I am an aquaholic

07-22-2010, 04:33 PM	#5
Joeee No one likes crabs... Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,064 Feedback Score: (0)	Question - How much do the fluroescent bulbs cost at home depot? __________________ 32 Gallon - 4 Guppies - 3 Angelfish (Toonie size) - 2 Horned Nerite snails Lightly Planted 10 Gallon - 6 SS Crystal Red Shrimp - Guppy grass - Java moss - Hyogrophilia - Cabomba Lightly Planted 10 Gallon 2 - Cardinal tetra fry 5.5 Gallon Fry Tank - Guppy fry - 20+ Red cherry shrimp - Many pond snails and then there's the other 18 cups of baby bettas and a few 1Gs with adult bettas

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07-22-2010, 11:40 AM	#2
Philip.Chan.92 Devoted Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Don Mills and Steeles Posts: 1,316 Feedback Score: (10)	LOL dont listen to LFS, they usually don't know what they are talkin about unless you talk to mike or frank and people of that sort. Regular employees at the LFS are fairly ignorant. A 6500K bulb from home depot is the same as a 6500K bulb from the fish store, except it costs less at home depot (this is assuming same wattage, lumens etc)

07-22-2010, 03:49 PM	#4
BillD Devoted Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Whitby Posts: 1,668 Feedback Score: (1)	I have had better plant growth with the 5000k tubes and they have a higher CRI.

07-22-2010, 09:42 PM	#6
50seven Offishul GTAA Lolcat Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: North Pickering Posts: 2,025 Feedback Score: (33)	If you're looking for cheap T5's, Home Depot only has the regular ones. They don't say how many K they are. I'll be stopping in at Supreme Lighting in Markham, they sell 36" T5HO bulbs for about 8 bucks; will post when I know the K rating.