kcharley
Fish Fanatic
Hi all.
I'm aware of the general rule that a CO2 system is needed with 2 or more wpg.
My understanding is that T5 lighting effectively produces more watts than the bulbs claim (although I don't understand why), so that a 20W T5 is effectively somewhere between 30 and 40 watts from a T8.
My question is does a compact flourescent bulb wattage need some adjustment (similar to T5) to compute wpg?
In my specific instance, I have a 22 gal aquarium with an old T8 strip light converted with a 36W compact flourescent light and reflector.
In other words, am I really at 1.6 wpg or something higher?
The practical concern is whether I have to go to a CO2 system (although I anticipate getting one anyway once I better understand the overall macro and micro- nutrients necessary to grow plants and reduce algae growth.)
In case it makes a difference, the plants currently in the aquarium are 5 stalks of hornwort, 4 long (> 24") stalks of anachris, a balansae crypt, an amazon sword, two java ferns and some water sprite. I am dosing weekly with Seachem Flourish.
Thank you in advance for any guidance.
I'm aware of the general rule that a CO2 system is needed with 2 or more wpg.
My understanding is that T5 lighting effectively produces more watts than the bulbs claim (although I don't understand why), so that a 20W T5 is effectively somewhere between 30 and 40 watts from a T8.
My question is does a compact flourescent bulb wattage need some adjustment (similar to T5) to compute wpg?
In my specific instance, I have a 22 gal aquarium with an old T8 strip light converted with a 36W compact flourescent light and reflector.
In other words, am I really at 1.6 wpg or something higher?
The practical concern is whether I have to go to a CO2 system (although I anticipate getting one anyway once I better understand the overall macro and micro- nutrients necessary to grow plants and reduce algae growth.)
In case it makes a difference, the plants currently in the aquarium are 5 stalks of hornwort, 4 long (> 24") stalks of anachris, a balansae crypt, an amazon sword, two java ferns and some water sprite. I am dosing weekly with Seachem Flourish.
Thank you in advance for any guidance.