Is 5.3 wpg to much ?

[Bustacapp]

I have a 18g tall tank and its the same dimensions of a 10g and ive had a few problems finding enough light that will fit on the top of the tank ive found some kits that will get me 72 wats on line at a&h but at my lfs i founda coral life 96w (1 power compact) the one at my lfs is about 30 dollars higher but i dont have to assemble it and it has fans and such my main concern is that 5.3 wpg may bit to much and since its just one bulb i cant simply just take one out
another thing i have a knight goby and swordtales do you think they will be affected by the light ?

 

[Silly me]

its hard to say.

It all comes down to the amount and needs of the plants you have in the tank.. I have a tank with 6wpg and its very over planted, but looks great and need a lot more trimming than normal.

 

[barbus]

Not necessarily too much. Mine is 17gal/56L with 110W PL. Just need to make sure about nutrient level & CO2, as more light means more uptake, and more robust growth.

 

[Scougie]

People get to hung up on wpg. It's irrelevant if the light your providing can't penetrate to the bottom of your tank anyway due to the depth of the water. You say you have a deep tank if its over 18" deep you would probably need that much light to really "feed" your low level plants anyway. Or so I've been told?

 

[barbus]

I think the tank is 18 gallon not 18 inches tall ?

 

[clutterydrawer]

the tank is 18g but is a tall shape. Bustacapp said, the tank is the same as a standard 10 but taller.

i think 5.3wpg would be ok. it should be bright enough to shine to the bottom of your tank. It might be abit bright for teh fish but if you're planning to have lots of plants, they'll provide some shade.

 

[Bustacapp]

its actuallly about 19inches tall do you think that amount of light would affect my fish (sword tales and a gobby )

 

[Bangin]

I have 6.5wpg over my 10 gallon. That much light can become a problem (ie. algae) without the proper nutrients. Have fun.

 

[barbus]

Oh well.. its always hard for me to get a feeling in inches, gallons, etc. Where I came from, all standards are in metrics, much easier
19" tall is around 47cm, so similar to 60x30x45cm standard here I guess.
As for the amount of light, I think that should be decided by what plants do you wish to grow. Also, there are arguments about WPG rule not applied to small tanks and overly large tanks.
Not sure about how the light will affect the fish, but I have prospering swordtails living in heavily planted pond though.