What grows up while growing down?

[Adam R]

a plant!...

except mine, at least it seems. heres the story

i ordered some bromeliads about 3 months ago expecting to get beautiful mature plants, and i was basically sent pups. they are dark green in color and some have grown fast due to an abundance of fertilizer they were fed at first(not by me) but there patterns and color have not really manifested themselves yet. the ones closest to the lights have shown the most growth but i would like to speed up the process as i am getting anxious for them to grow and bloom to there full potential. i am currently using 1 repti glow full spectrum 2.0 uvb, and 1 repti glow tropical lamp 5.0 uvb. there are no frogs yet so a more powerful bulb would not be an issue. does anyone recommend a different bulb(s) or combinations?

here are the plants so you can see there bloom and color

[deranged chipmunk]

looks like you are running incandescents.......put some regular ol' cfl's in there of the 6700k color range. something like this Aqueon® Mini Compact 50/50 Fluorescent Lamp - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart the only problem would be if the bulbs are your heating plan, in which case, you're screwed....lol you could always add a uth to the back for heat.

[Adam R]

i do not have another heat source besides the bulbs. this was the bulb combination i was going to use for my darts but since im waiting on the plants to grow that doesn't matter much. i do though want to have the best possible light for the plants so i can bring out the best of there color. would 2 of those fluorescent's be my best option bill?

[deranged chipmunk]

If you are just gonna grow the plants before you put animals is, i would go with the twin flourescents. Make sure they are around the 6500k range. You can actually trick the plants into a vegetative growth state by leaving the lights on 24/7 for a little while. Just watch your water reservoir if you do that, you can grow algae extremely quickly that way.

[Adam R]

ok great info. ill head over to petsmart and pick up 2 of those bulbs hopefully tomorrow

[Adam R]

got the bulbs today. the light is very blue and doesnt reach far, i doubt its going to effect algae growth. hope the plants like it!