# General Topics > Vivarium, Terrarium & Enclosure Discussion >  Best lamp for plant growing - Dart frogs

## clownonfire

Hi all,

I've been researching what would be the best lamps in order to cater to plants in a vivarium for darts. From my research, 3 things seem to factor the growth and well being of plants: good watering, good air ventilation and good light. 

I've read that lights that have a *6700 Kelvin* rating seem to be generally suggested, as it mimics the sun around noon time. In order to have good photosynthesis, it needs to have a* PAR* (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) in the range of *650 to 670 nm*. AND. For *good plant growth*, the bulbs should have a high concentration of light in the *430-475 nm* range.

Now after all of this, I have opted for 2 *Exo-Terra Repti Glo 2.0* for my 25 gallon tank. My frogs will only be arriving in June which means I have 3 good months to get the plants rocking. According to the Exo-Terra site, these Fluorescent bulbs have a *6700 Kelvin* rating, and a high concentration of light in the *400-490 nm* range. Now they have a *low PAR*, which is the only part they seem to be lacking in. 



How does this sound? Any other ideas, or factors that should be taken in consideration? Any other brands I should be looking into? This information could be very useful to many.

Thank you,

Eric

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## Michael

Eric,

For the 55 I have I am using two bulbs.  

T5 HO 54w 46" Zoo Med Flora Sun (Max Plant Growth) 5,000K maximize growth of live aquarium plants.

T5 HO 54w 46" Zoo Med Ultra Sun (Super Daylight) 6,500K brings out the full colors of your fish, plants, corals and inverts.  (I'm going to guess frogs as well  :Big Grin: )
These two bulbs are the straight type and span the entire thank width.  

For the Zoo Med 18x18x24 I went with two Exo Terra Repti Glow 5.0 UVB 26w.

The T5's are much brighter and I think will really bring out the plant growth.  The Exo Terra bulbs in comparison don't make the tank very bright.   These are spiral compact florescent lights.  The reflector is not as polished as the Zoo Meds and if you went with higher end T5 Units they have very highly polished individual reflectors that maximize the light reflection back into the tank.   Not sure how the plant growth will go in that Zoo Med viv and I may end up having to replace that light fixture with a T5 system. 

Now if your lighting needs are not very great the spiral 26w bulbs would be adequate for general lighting.

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## clownonfire

Thanks Mike. Let me research these lights and I'll get back to the thread with more info.
E.

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## Tony

This is what I use:  Philips 32-Watt 4ft. T8 Daylight Deluxe Linear Fluorescent ALTO Light Bulb 10pk - 152355 at The Home Depot

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## clownonfire

> Eric,
> 
> For the 55 I have I am using two bulbs.  
> 
> T5 HO 54w 46" Zoo Med Flora Sun (Max Plant Growth) 5,000K maximize growth of live aquarium plants.
> 
> T5 HO 54w 46" Zoo Med Ultra Sun (Super Daylight) 6,500K brings out the full colors of your fish, plants, corals and inverts.  (I'm going to guess frogs as well )
> These two bulbs are the straight type and span the entire thank width.  
> 
> ...


I used the Repti Glow 5.0 UVB 26w, but the Kelvin unit on them is a bit too long, and they were not recommended by a breeder. So I changed them for the 2.0 which doesn't look as great as they are much brighter. I was told that mixing a 5.0 and a 2.0 bulbs would do a nice job, as it would be a perfect combination of* Kelvin* rating and *PAR*. 

The Philips T8 is much cheaper in price than the Zoo Med T5, but that doesn't surprise me. Everything that is "animal/pet" oriented costs a fortune. Which is why I get most of my stuff at the local hardware store. 

I can't seem to find the product sheets for the two, though, although they both have a *6500 Kelvin* rating, which is great. 

I found this great tool however to find the specs of the Philips lamps: Philips - T8 

Eric

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## Don

I use one T8 on the Darts Viv and two compact fluorescents.
a 24inch GE  Aquarium 18-Watt T8 Fluorescent Bulb available at Lowes which shows a 10000K color temperature on the bulb.

The two compacts are from Home Depot and are EcoSmart 14-Watt (60W) Daylight CFL Light Bulbs which have 5500K on the bulb for color temp.

On the Red Eyes viv I have two Repti-glo 2.0s which work nicely and all my plants seem to do well.
The Whites have a EcoSmart 26-Watt (100W) Daylight CFL Light Bulb  and this throws tons of light compared to the 26 watt Repti-Sun I had in use.  This Ecosmart only shows 5000K color temp on the bulb.

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## Socrates

Eric what type of plants are you growing in the viv?  I always go by that, because all plants are slightly different.  For example, in my mossy frog tank and white's tank I have the EXO Terra Repti Glo 2.0 compact with 6700 K (full length bulb for my mossy's they're in a 20 breeder).  I like the 6700 K b/c it has the full spectrum of light (covers a lot of plant types).  But if you are going to be growing plants that are located lower in the different canopy layers of a forest.

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## itzjezze

Eric ur awsome lol im at petsmart lookin at there bulbs and now I know wich one to get XD you always seem to have an answer for everything lol thanks again

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## Don

Picked up the Zoo Med Aquasun T5 Double hood for 35 bucks tonight.  Looks like it has a nice reflector inside but takes 22 inch lamps.   I may modify it to take 24 inch bulbs if I don't see any bulb that fit my needs at a decent price.  
The clear bulb cover was damaged and its something I would have removed anyway so 35 bucks was a great deal.

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## clownonfire

> Eric what type of plants are you growing in the viv?  I always go by that, because all plants are slightly different.  For example, in my mossy frog tank and white's tank I have the EXO Terra Repti Glo 2.0 compact with 6700 K (full length bulb for my mossy's they're in a 20 breeder).  I like the 6700 K b/c it has the full spectrum of light (covers a lot of plant types).  But if you are going to be growing plants that are located lower in the different canopy layers of a forest.


Socrates, sorry for the delay, I just saw this one. Here are the plants that I am growing in that particular 29G:

1X Neoregelia Nivea.
1X Philodendron Erubescens.
1X Ficus pumilia. 
1X Ficus oak leaf.
2X Phalaenopsis Orchids

There's also live sphagnum moss in it.

I myself am using 2 Repti Glo 2.0 compact lights with Glow Light fixtures and all these plants are doing great in it. I have picked up a T5 light unit for my 50G, and more of the Repti Glo 2.0/Glow Light fixtures for the new 29G, just to make comparisons.

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## clownonfire

> Eric ur awsome lol im at petsmart lookin at there bulbs and now I know wich one to get XD you always seem to have an answer for everything lol thanks again


Jess, that is rally nice of you to say. I own a lot of what I know to the people on this board, by exchanging with many and asking LOTS of questions and never hesitate to scream loud my ignorance. And lately, I have been working with poison beauties and I must admit that I have been learning a great deal, in a very very short time. And I'm always happy to share this with who ever needs the info. After all, it's for the frogs first and foremost.

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## Don

Well, I picked up a new (slightly damaged) Zoo Med Aquasun 30 inch light fixture and have to head out this morning to find some bulbs.  The lamp size is only 20 inch long and calls for a 24watt lamp.  

I found some that have a 4100K light spectrum at 24watt HO.
Hopefully these will be enough for the plants.  I see the aquatic plant version from Zoo Med is a 5K spectrum and can get from eBay at 8 bucks each plus shipping.

Since we ahve the reptile show tomorrow, I'll grab these cheaper ones today.... in case the ballast or something is wrong with the fixture, and if the fixture works correctly I'll look at the show for better lamps.

I talked with Black Jungle and was informed that the 4100K should be fine since its more wattage than spectrum I should be looking for.  True?

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## clownonfire

> Well, I picked up a new (slightly damaged) Zoo Med Aquasun 30 inch light fixture and have to head out this morning to find some bulbs.  The lamp size is only 20 inch long and calls for a 24watt lamp.  
> 
> I found some that have a 4100K light spectrum at 24watt HO.
> Hopefully these will be enough for the plants.  I see the aquatic plant version from Zoo Med is a 5K spectrum and can get from eBay at 8 bucks each plus shipping.
> 
> Since we ahve the reptile show tomorrow, I'll grab these cheaper ones today.... in case the ballast or something is wrong with the fixture, and if the fixture works correctly I'll look at the show for better lamps.
> 
> I talked with Black Jungle and was informed that the 4100K should be fine since its more wattage than spectrum I should be looking for.  True?


Don, thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to seeing what you will pick up at the show tomorrow, and the information you will gather. When I wrote that thread, I researched aquarium and gardening forums, and the information is conflicted. The spectrum seemed to have been the most important factor, but some used lower wattage, and some others used higher voltage (26w). The plants in my 29G are under two Repti Glo 13w 2.0. And they are doing beautifully. I wouldn't change that even if someone would tell me other wise just because it works for them. I have 2 Repti Glo 13w 2.0 on top of my 50G and it doesn't look sufficient, so I purchased a "Glo" T5HO unit and will be putting some tubes on that one soon enough.

Funny enough, these bulbs only start at 24W...! That might be conclusive with what you were saying, Don.

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## clownonfire

Here's another question: As I will be using the Glo T HO and the unit uses end cap and not a "canopy" to cover the lights, can you use anything over the tubes so that the light is not spread all over the room? This is one time I don't have the words in English to make myself clear...

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## Don

> Don, thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to seeing what you will pick up at the show tomorrow, and the information you will gather. When I wrote that thread, I researched aquarium and gardening forums, and the information is conflicted. The spectrum seemed to have been the most important factor, but some used lower wattage, and some others used higher voltage (26w). The plants in my 29G are under two Repti Glo 13w 2.0. And they are doing beautifully. I wouldn't change that even if someone would tell me other wise just because it works for them. I have 2 Repti Glo 13w 2.0 on top of my 50G and it doesn't look sufficient, so I purchased a "Glo" T5HO unit and will be putting some tubes on that one soon enough.



Thats where I get stuck here since my Dart Viv is growing so well and I'm using a basic T8 aquarium bud at 13watt and 2 13 watt compact florescents with only a 5000K spectrum.

I bought the fixture for later use in another dart viv.  Can't wait but need to worry more about the frogs I have right now so tat will be later this spring or early summer.  Yeah right, with the show tomorrow I'll have to superglue the wallet shut to not get in trouble.

Oh, my Dendrobates Leucomelas started talking this morning... first time I hard them.  Guessing it was the bigger one but he would quiet down once I got anywhere near the viv.

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## clownonfire

Very nice! Do you have a male and female Don? You know now for sure you have at least one male...

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## Don

> Very nice! Do you have a male and female Don? You know now for sure you have at least one male...


One can only hope.  The 2nd is very tiny so I can't even guess gender.
I may pick up a third at the show..... we'll see.

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## Tony

> Here's another question: As I will be using the Glo T HO and the unit uses end cap and not a "canopy" to cover the lights, can you use anything over the tubes so that the light is not spread all over the room? This is one time I don't have the words in English to make myself clear...


Reflector is the word you are looking for, do a google search for "T5 reflector" and you should be able to find one that fits your needs. Make sure you choose a model that comes with clips to hold the tubes.

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