Lighting Question And My Fish

[erk628]

I have a 150 gallon that I'm getting ready to set up as a peaceful community tank. Right now I have an Oscar and five clown loachs. I'm going to be putting my Oscar in a 75 gallon by himself and keeping the clown loachs in the 150. Right now I just have two standard 36 inch 25 watt bulbs. Now what I would like to eventually do is upgrade my lighting add a CO2 kit and have a heavily planted tank. Now the issue I'm seeing with this is the clowns don't like heavy lighting but subdued lighting and plants like just the opposite. Now is there away that I can have the best of both worlds a heavily planted tank with a good lighting system CO2 and my loachs being happy?

 

[Mikaila31]

well once the tank is heavily planted, the lower levels will seem quite dimm...

 

[erk628]

Hmmm, I didn't think about that but that is very true. Thanks for the input now I feel better about the situation!

 

[bitteraspects]

Also, adding large pieces of driftwood will give your loaches places to hide. This will help a lot.

 

[Goodygumdrops]

I've heard that clowns are bad for rearranging your planting and ripping up the substrate.You could get around that by growing different species of anubias (lots of them),java ferns and mosses,all of which are grown attached to hardscape and will grow in lower lighting.

 

[zwright]

Once your tank is planted the light will not seem as bright, also with the covering the plants will provide the Clown loaches should be ok. However, in my experience clown loached can and will dig up plants so I would stick to floating plants or the java moss, things that don't necessarily need to be planted into the substrate.

 

[erk628]

So if I went this route would I need co2?

 

[Mikaila31]

That depends on what your WPG will be and what kind of lights you are using.

 

[erk628]

That depends on what your WPG will be and what kind of lights you are using.

Right now I just have two stock 36 inch 25 watts bulbs. The bulbs are stock and say all glass aquarium so I'm taking it there the ones that came with the tank. I got the tank from craigslist thats why I don't know. If I'm going to have plants that are appropriate for clown loachs what would you guys suggest for lighting and stuff?

 

[BigFairy]

well you can keep the light as is and get anubias and swordplants. You wont need co2

 

[bitteraspects]

you have 2x 25w bulbs on your 150?

you will definitely need to upgrade the lighting if you plan to keep anything beyond mosses and maybe java fern.

 

[BigFairy]

hang on, a 36" light thats 3 foot, on a 150gallon tank whicj i presume is 6 foot?

 

[erk628]

hang on, a 36" light thats 3 foot, on a 150gallon tank whicj i presume is 6 foot?

The tank is 72 inchs long x 18 inchs wide x 25 1/4 inchs from top of bottom trim to bottom of top trim and 29 1/4 inchs from bottom of top trim to top of top trim.

I have two 36 inch light fixtures each light fixture has a 25 watt bulb in it.

 

[erk628]

Anyone?