lighting question for a tall tank

[venom1334]

I'm trying to find the right lighting for a 14"L x 14"W x 56"H case. I'm new at this whole vivarium/terrarium thing so bare with me if my questions seem a little on the dumb side.

Would any of the following bulbs work for my case?
- GE Sunshine F15T8 fluorescent tube (620 lumens, 5000k, & 90 CRI)
-GE Daylight F15T8 fluorescent tube (700 lumens, 6500k, & 75 CRI)
-GE Plant & Aquarium F15T8 fluorescent (510 lumens, 90 CRI)

I found all these at Lowes, lol.

For testing purposes I bought a Daylight Bright Effects 9w(=40w) CFL with 600 lumens for a 10g tank and Reveal 60 W full-spectrum general purpose bulb.

One more question; does the lumen output matter when selecting a bulb meant to keep plants alive? I get so frustrated when I find the right kelvin, wattage, and CRI and then see that it has a low lumen output. I read somewhere that you need between 1500-2000 lumens, is this true?

Again, I apologize for all these ridiculous questions! But I appreciate any/all your help!

[jpstod]

The most important thing about lighting..

What plants you are using and what their requirements are.

Not all plants will thrive in Bright sunlight equivilant.

With a 54" Tall select plants that grow in Bright Sunlight and place them high..And Plants that do ok in Semi Shade lower and finally plants that thrive in shade towards the bottom of the Tank..After all the purpose of a Natural tank is to imitate nature...

Flowering Plants have different light requirements than nonflowering varieties

[beckdg]

as far as i see from my trials, that fishy light is crap... it is designed to penetrate an aquarium and look good doing it... there is very little in there for plants... it will work, but not worth it...

i am currently using the other 2 bulbs you mentioned as well as another i found in the same place in lowes... it's 3000 kelvin for budding... i think it's warm white or kitchen??? with the 3, i find it works pretty well in my aquarium... yes i went t8 + t12 after being warned against it over and over... people said it wouldn't work... they said you need the newest lights on the market... i say plants been around long b4 those new bulbs...

scrap that aquarium bulb for one/w 3000 k and you're doing good to start.

for specific plants at specific distances, we have a couple people that can help, but distance from light, anything creating shade... yadda yadda... more info will help them help you, but switch that one bulb definitely and atleast you'll be on the right track.

EDIT: YOUR QUESTIONS ARE NOT RIDICULOUS... THERE ARE MANY OTHERS OUT THERE JUST LIKE YOU READING UP THAT DON'T HAVE THE COJONES TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK LIKE FOOLS TO GET THE ANSWERS THEY NEED... THE FUNNY THING IS THEY REALLY ARE FOOLS FOR NOT ASKING... I WAS THERE ONCE, FOR ABOUT 2 YRS... IT'S OK !... OH AND 3000K... GOOD FOR FLOWERING ALSO... RATIO... 2@ 5000-6500 FOR EVERY 1@ 3000 SHOULD BE GREAT!