Is My Lighting Ok?

[DAlmond123]

I have a 60 gallon tank. The bulb is made by GE lighting and is a Aqua Rays Fresh & Saltwater Aquarium Lighting tube.

The specifications on the packaging are:
Lumens = 950
Watts = 20
Life = 9000 hrs/h
CRI/IRC = 67
Kelving = 9325
Lenth = 24"
It also says on the packaging that is supports growth of freshwater plants requiring high levels of light, but I'm not seeing how because if I don't have my plants directly under the light, they will die.

I just want to be able to have low and medium light level plants. My plants don't grow at all, they just stay the same size and I might get a bad leave every now and then but that's it. I have a java fern, two melon swords, and two amazon swords.

Could it possibly be giving off more light? I know I'm only giving 1/3 of a watt per gallon when I probably need about a 120 watt bulb so I can give 2 watts per gallon.

 

[DAlmond123]

bump, does anyone know?

 

[three-fingers]

What type of bulb is it?

But yes, the bulbs specs are fine (the only really important ones are the type of bulb and wattage) other than it being far too small for your tank.

You would be better off wit 2 or 3 T8 fluorescents spanning the length of the tank (you don't want too much light, as then the plant CO2 demand goes up and it's harder to avoid excessive algae problems without injecting extra CO2).

The colour of bulb isnt too important, though "daylight" tubes usually look best, and I wouldn't go for a "cool white" unless you are mixing it with a daylight bulb as they look very yellow on their own.

 

[DAlmond123]

What do you mean by what type of bulb? It's fluorescent though if that's what you meant.

If I were to get the T8 bulbs, will I be able to put plants into more sections of the tank rather than right under the lights?

 

[three-fingers]

T8 bulbs are a type of fluorescent tube. The other two main types used over aquariums are T5 and T12 tubes.

T8 tubes are 1" thick (8/8 of an inch). T12 tubes are 12 8ths of an inch thick and T5 tubes are 5/8 of an inch thick. Weird sounding system, I know.

Yes, that's the idea . Spread the light evenly over the tank, 2 T8's the same or slightly less than the length of the tank will allow you to grow most things basically, while not such an intense amount of light that things become very fast paced and more involved due to the plants demand for CO2 (usually requiring a CO2 unit) and other nutrients.

Basically, use any combination of different fluorescent tubes (what type isnt really too much of an issue) of a length that spreads the light as evenly over the whole tank as possible.

And try not to go over the old fashioned "2WPG" threshold. So for your tank you don't want over 160 watts in total, as the more light you have, the more demanding the plants are on CO2 and fertilisers. Aiming for around 1.5WPG would be great unless you want to get more involved and have to think about adding/maximising CO2 and nutrients to avoid algae and plant deficiencies .

If you can give the dimensions of your tank, we can suggest the best combination of different bulbs for you. Post links of your available options and that would be even better .

 

[DAlmond123]

I have a hex tank and I find it hard to get an accurate dimension, especially the width.

 

[three-fingers]

Ah, in that case, any WPG estimates can go out of the window.

You should look into getting a couple of 54W T5 power compact bulbs over there .

If 54W ones are too long to fit over the top (shouldn't be, but I have no idea since I still have no dimensions), then a couple of 36W ones would still be OK for a lot of plants.

Failing that you could always go for a single large mercury vapour or halide bulb...but those things will cost you in the long run due to electricity, and produce a lot more heat.

 

[DAlmond123]

The tank is in fact around 36 inches long. What kind of ballast would I need then?

 

[three-fingers]

One of these: http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...nit-p-1794.html .

And a couple of these bulbs: http/www.lightbulbs-direct.com/product/2...ght-2g11-4-pin/

If your in the UK that is, otherwise you will have to find alternative websites to buy them from, and probably different brands. But they will be the same thing.

The ballast comes with clips, you just screw the clips onto the hood and the bulbs clip in. Very easy .

The bulbs get quite hot, so you may need some ventilation in the hood though.

 

[DAlmond123]

Thanks again!