Large Enough For A 6' Tank?

[FishNow]

Hello, first time posting, very excited to be on here!

I am looking at upgrading my current 65 Gallon tank, its currently 4' Wide, 1' Deep and 25" High.
I have 2 55W T5Ho @ 6500K currently running and seems to be going great.
I am just making a Cost List of how much it will run me to switch to this new tank.

The cheapest I have determined in regards to lighting is adding an additional 3-4 T50 Bulbs onto my fixture. Would that be enough to light up a 6' W, 18" D, 22"H Tank? Keep in mind the fixture is only 4' Long but I can hang it.
I want to be able to grow plants on the side.

Will I be able to pull it off? Or am I better off finding a 6' Light fixture, which seem to be difficult to find. Anyone have pictures of their units set up like this?

Thank you!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

4 foot globes are about as long as they get and provide higher wattage than 3 foot globes that get used in 6 foot light units. So stay with the 4 ft globes and have 6 on the tank. Have 2 against one end of the tank, 2 against the other end and 2 right in the middle. The lights will overlap in the middle but still give you some light at the ends.

The other option is LED spotlights. You would need 3 x 150 watt spotlights and hang them above the tank.

 

[FishNow]

I think I'm going to be doing what you suggested, but due to the way the lights are set up. I think I'll be going with 3 on one side and then 3 on the other side with overlap in the middle. But will definitely be the cheapest way. I think it'll look pretty cool with both of them hanging, 1 a bit forward and the other behind it.

I didn't consider LED spotlights, but those would be interesting to try as well. What's your opinion on those for Plant growth, work as good as T5?

Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

LED spot lights come in a range of temperatures (kelvin rating). If you can find lights with a 6500K (k is for kelvin) rating then they usually work fine. Most LED lights are not as bright as fluoros so you will have to try one and see if it is bright enough. A way to test the light is to hang it about 12 inches above the tank and turn it on. Put your hand just under the surface of the water (underneath the light) and see if there is a shadow on the substrate. If the light is bright enough to create a shadow of your hand on the bottom of the tank, then it should be bright enough for plants.