Aquarium Advice Question

This morning I did an inspection of my Amazon Swords. They look...pale. The last time I tried swords the same thing happened. The leaves get transparent. I believe this is a symptom of a nutrient deficiency. I also think I've been leaving my HO lighting on way too long. No more than 8-10 hours is the rec. So too much light and probably not enough nutrients.

I keep going back to that actinic bulb, and thinking it's just too blue. I'm reluctant to present myself as an idiot on my new fish forum, but I realized that's why I joined. So...

Hey all, 

I've had my tank for a decade but the one time I tried live plants, I had no guidance and gave up when they all died. Fast forward to now (3 or 4 years later) and I've tried it again. 

I went to a LFS - one that is very knowledgeable and has never steered me wrong to my knowledge - and told them I was a plant idiot. I said I wasn't going to do CO2 but to please set me up with something a plant beginner could handle. 

I have a 55-gallon freshwater community tank. They gave me a Coralife HO T5 with a 10,000k bulb and an actinic. Assured me that plants would grow. I have a fluorite substrate. I dose with a liquid fert (Flora Pride) monthly, Flourish Excel daily, and root tabs. I've got several wisteria, swords, anubias, java ferns...nothing difficult. 

When I got home and did some research I realized that most of you would advise against an actinic bulb and probably recommend a 6,700k instead as well. I called the LFS (which is an hour away so I can't just pop in with my small children) and they assured me they gave me their best lighting recommendation. So far, no algae. The wisteria is growing well but the swords are starting to get that pale, pathetic look. 

I'm pretty sure I've been leaving the light on too long each day, so I'll adjust that. The light fixture is what confuses me. I don't really want to spend any more money on new bulbs if it's not necessary, but I'm happy to switch them out if that's what needs to be done. I'm confused by their recommendation. Should I stick it out with my lighting for a while and see what happens? Thanks.


The reply I got that was semi-helpful was this one:

Actinic bulbs aren't useless, but they have significantly reduced benefits over a full spectrum bulb. New bulbs can be gotten online for relatively cheap ($15 or so inc s/h), which should relieve the burden if having to run to the store somewhat. I also think they're a bit ugly, and distort the natural beauty of a planted tank.

Without knowing what's wrong with your plants, it's hard to give very exact advice. I agree that you're probably experiencing an issue with fertilizers, likely micronutrients. Swords like getting the lion's share of their nutrients from their roots, so root tabs are usually the best option for them. I also recommend getting a liquid fert to supplement them, but mostly for the wisteria, which is a stem type plant that like fertilizer in the water. 

I went to Petco and bought a new light. The choice came down to a 6,700k day bright bulb and a 5,000k Flora Sun bulb. I didn't know which to go with. The dude, Mark, who has seen enough of me lately to be sick of me, told me to get the Flora Sun bulb. But, he himself told me he didn't know plants that well. I'm reminding myself that the "k" is about spectrum, not intensity. I've asked the forum again which bulb would be a better choice. I guess I could return it for the other one if it turns out I picked the wrong one.

I also bought two containers of Mondo Grass, only to come home and find out that Mondo Grass isn't a true aquatic plant. Dammit. The other thing I got had no label, but I took a chance. I put its photo on the forum and someone identified it as either Echinodorus tenellus (Pygmy chain sword) or sagittaria subulata (Dwarf Sagittaria). After poking around a bit, I suspect the former, as did my forum friend. Anyway, from now on when I see a plant at Petco I'll have to Google it on my phone before I sink $10 into a few of them. Fart.

The new light makes the tank look way more yellow again. I'm sorry to see that Rhaegar is no longer a striking shade of violet. He's darker and plainer. (Not that I can see him much anyway because the Burmese Loach is hanging out in his log constantly.) Thing is, though I sort of like the blue, I sort of didn't like the blue. And I knew the plants weren't getting the spectrum they needed. I went back and forth about that actinic bulb, and finally after a month, despite the growth I've seen, I made the switch. I still have it; I can switch back.

Edit: I got one more, helpful reply.

Go with the 6700k. The 5000k may end up looking too yellow.
Without getting too technical concerning optimum growth rates and stuff, the Kelvin scale (K) basically tells you what color YOU will see. The lower end will look more yellow, the higher end more white and up into blue when you pass 10000K. 6700k is about noon time color.

Be aware that putting a new bulb in there may put you up into higher light. You may experience algae issue if you are not injecting CO2 and supplying adequate fertilizer. You might want to look into a ColorMax type bulb, they still produce usable spectrum for plants but are not as intense as a straight up 6700k bulb.