How To Get Enough Light Into A 6ft Tank.

[CLOSSIE]

I am planning on getting a 6ft tank...(135 gal)

I have found twin T5 54w (60 inch) tubes are available. Even if I put 4 of these into the tank, I am still well below 2WPG.
I plan on a planted tank, so how do people get enough lights into a 6ft tank to make this possible.? Seriously do I need 3 twins+++++?
Not sure if I will have enough space....

How do you magicians make it work?

 

[cheesy feet]

you will either need an overtank luminair,metal halide or pendant, really.There is a lot of cheap ones on ebay

 

[CLOSSIE]

okey dokey.. Time to save some pennies..
I currently have 2 36w power compacts + reflectors on my 39 gallon..

What if I add a twin 55 watt power compact also for the 6ft?

That would give me 182 watts of T5 power compact. Which is 1.4 watts per gallon for a £70 outlay.

Once funds or a birthday come along, another pair of 55's would give me 272 or the magical 2

just 4 plugs to deal with... Perhaps a call to an electrician friend can see them run through 2 plugs. that way I could have moonlights on first, then the 36's, then the 55's and back down to 36's then the moonlights to simulate a day cycle.

thoughts?

 

[cheesy feet]

That sounds good.You can get the plug things which plug into the original socket then the electricity goes into the 4 other plugs.Sorry for using plugs so much ahah.How are you going to arrange the lights?I have tohught of this.-skill with paint lol

 

[zig]

2WPG on a 135 gallon tank would be considered a highlight tank, larger tanks need less WPG than smaller or normal sized tanks, maybe you know this already just throwing it in there.

 

[cheesy feet]

Oh yeh, i completely forgot about that.Zigs right!

 

[CLOSSIE]

2WPG on a 135 gallon tank would be considered a highlight tank, larger tanks need less WPG than smaller or normal sized tanks, maybe you know this already just throwing it in there.

why do you need less lights? is it because there are more nutrients in the bigger water column..?

 

[2pods]

2WPG on a 135 gallon tank would be considered a highlight tank, larger tanks need less WPG than smaller or normal sized tanks, maybe you know this already just throwing it in there.

why do you need less lights? is it because there are more nutrients in the bigger water column..?

I'd like to know why this is too, as I have 4x36w T8s over 105us gallons.

Peter