20" And 120w+

[shrimply]

Title says it all I asked in a post last week but never got an answer so thought a new post with better title might get an answer my tank is 20" deep and I am thinking about fitting 4 of these bulbs and buying a 5ft reflector and cutting it up. I already have a T8 started so thought about fitting a 25w interpet daylight or triplus.

Will I be able to get some of the more demanding plants to carpet and is this too much light, am i pushing my luck on algea issues? I am planning to use pressurised CO2 and EI and tropica soil. MAybe it would be better to start with slightly less light then up the light once I add carpeting plants.

Thanks.

EDIT: forgot to put it is a 120l tank. 3ft by 1ft

 

[anodized]

start CO2 first, then add lighting otherwise you will have algae issues. once the CO2 and lighting are in i would start EI to get your carpet plants spreading.

the amount of light sounds about right. i havent used the spiral lights before though

 

[shrimply]

start CO2 first, then add lighting otherwise you will have algae issues. once the CO2 and lighting are in i would start EI to get your carpet plants spreading.

the amount of light sounds about right. i havent used the spiral lights before though

Thanks

I have kind of decided on the spiral bulbs as i am struggling for space and don't won't to spend loads of money. I am just kind of concerned about the depth of the tank and at the same time the aldea issues. Any other help is very welcome.

 

[Themuleous]

To be honest I reckon you'll struggle with those lights, they are energy saving for a reason. When getting bulbs always get triphosphor ones as they produce the right spectrum of light, which the plants need. Ok so you've got 120w but if that 120w is of the wrong sort of light then it'll be useless. I've recently had this problem on my nano. The supplied lights were classified as daylight and the plants even pearled a bit, but the growth was very slow and stunted as the spectrum was wrong. It also gave the algae (a far more adaptable 'plant') ideal conditions to grow as there was next to no competition from the plants.

If you want a carpet in your tank I reckon you'll only need to add another 40 - 50w and you could probably grow anything. George got glosso to carpet with 2.2WPG over a 120lt. If you're gonna do EI and spend money on all that goes with that, don't scrimp on the lighting. Lighting is the most important thing in planted tanks, it drives the whole process. You could have the best of everything in the your tank but if the lighting is wrong you're domed to fail.

Sam

 

[shrimply]

Right I give up,lol. I have only just managed to scrape the money together to buy everything else there is just no way I can sort the lighting without using the spiral bulbs. There just isn't room in the lid for enough lighting and even if I did get anything to fit the heat build up will be far to great. I have no way of affording a new hood or Luminaire as well as the bulbs and fittings. I just can't do it .

Just when I had sourced a free Co2 cylinder as well.

Anyway i guess the money can go towards my trip to Denmark at least that might actually happen.

Cheers for all the help people but it appears I really don't have the money to pull of a high tech planted tank. And I am not really interested in a low ltech set-up. I guess I will stick to fish keeping which I can afford.

 

[Themuleous]

Mate sorry about that, I reckon you could get the needed lighting for around 40quid, if you could get that together? Seems a shame that all your hard effort will be wasted?

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

Oh don't give up! Have you thought about a Dutch style low tech? I'm not kidding it'll give the look of high-tech with half the effort and half the cost. Seriously, have a look at my 8g, most people don't think it's low-tech, because there is so much leaf contrast and color. It's all in the plant choices. What's your wattage now?

llj

 

[shrimply]

£40 sounds alright actually if I can get the needed lighting for that price then I could probably go ahead. Last mnight I was very slightly depressed. A 2 and a half hour higher phsyics prelim can do that to you ecspecilally when the rest of the night is spent studying for the biology one this morning. However Biology went great and I have tommorow off before chemistry so am in a bit of a better mood and i think i was just very slightly over dramatic . Also my Dad has just told me he will pay for my Denmark trip ( plots how to smuggle back a whole load of tropica goods)since I have studied hard for my prelims so I might be able to find some money for lighting.


If you can let me know what you would lighting you would fit. I think that I might just build a cheap hood for now. It might look crap but it can be replaced once have saved up enough.

Oh don't give up! Have you thought about a Dutch style low tech? I'm not kidding it'll give the look of high-tech with half the effort and half the cost. Seriously, have a look at my 8g, most people don't think it's low-tech, because there is so much leaf contrast and color. It's all in the plant choices. What's your wattage now?

llj

Hi lljdma06. I will start by saying how much I love your tanks they look great. I may look into a low tech tank but would much prefer a high tech tank. I guess it is just how I am I can never do anything by halves. At the minute there i only 1 18w tube in there and it needs replaced. The starter can take 25W tubes though

Thanks both of you and sorry for my last post I am hardly ever depressed but last night i was just not in a good mood.

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks both of you and sorry for my last post I am hardly ever depressed but last night i was just not in a good mood.

It's ok, we're all allowed our moment of tank despair.

Hi lljdma06. I will start by saying how much I love your tanks they look great. I may look into a low tech tank but would much prefer a high tech tank. I guess it is just how I am I can never do anything by halves. At the minute there i only 1 18w tube in there and it needs replaced. The starter can take 25W tubes though

Thank you very much for the complement Shrimply, but who said I did anything by halves? I think some of you people work way too hard at this. I am just smarter than the lot of you.

But especially Sam, I'm much smarter than him.

llj

 

[Themuleous]

You cheeky sod!

But your probably right and dont try and convert him to low light he wanted high light and thats what he'll get, even if I have to pay for the dam lighting myself, anything to stop people going low light, its a waste of time IMHO (look out for my 20g update this eve)

Re the lighting, you could get the following

Twin 36w interpet PC starter - 33.99+2.95p+p

2x36w Daylight plus PC T5 - 13.40 + 4.75pp (or get one daylight and one triplus its up to you )

Strange that surrey pets sell the bulbs but not the starters.

Total = 55.09 actually quite a bit more than 40 but that would be all you'd need.

I assume that the starter you already have is a 25w one?

Sam

PS - I look at my tanks most nights and despair.

 

[shrimply]

Thanks, So that would be enough light? I was under the immpression I would need more.

I will have to look into it. The starter I have got is 25/30 T8 bulb and I have probably got a second one somewhere. The problem I am having is my hood will only take one T8 relfector from what I am told and which makes fitting enought lighting pretty tricky. I dunno if I will get it all in.

By the way you are welcome to pay for if you want,lol I am sure I could spend the money on something else. Say a nice 300w external heater for instance.lol

 

[Themuleous]

2x36w plus your existing 25w would be 97w or just over 3WPG which would be plenty to grow anything you want!

Sam

 

[shrimply]

Thanks Sam your help is amazing I don't know what I would do without you. Everyone else is already fed up of me

Do you think that 110w would be too much. Because it wouldn't cost that much more for the twin 55w and I will struggle to fit the 25w and two 36w tubes with reflectors inside my hood. I would rather keep the hood I have if at all possible.

My other concern is overheating so can you tell me if this is likely to be a problem?

Cheers again it is very much appreciated.

 

[Themuleous]

2x55w would prob be fine if space is tricky with three bulbs, but you'd need to keep on top of the EI dosing and have lots of fast growing weeds.

Heat shouldn't be a problem I won't think, unless the room is especially warm and/or you've got very sensitive fish that need cooler temps? You might just find that the heater doesn't come on much.

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

You cheeky sod!

But your probably right and dont try and convert him to low light he wanted high light and thats what he'll get, even if I have to pay for the dam lighting myself, anything to stop people going low light, its a waste of time IMHO (look out for my 20g update this eve)

PS - I look at my tanks most nights and despair.

See that Shrimply! I'd take his offer and run!!! Convert, me? No!

It seems, however, that contrary to it being a "waste of time", going low-light/low-tech has saved me time. I will look out for that 20g update!

llj