Lighting, Tube Combinations

[afroturf]

I'm planning a 200L around 50g tank that will be planted with mainly mosses and crypts with a few Echinodorus sps, I will be running lighting via one 30w Interpet T8 unit and one Interpet compact twin T5 starter unit this will give a possible total of 102w with a range of 0.75 - 2wpg which i think is plenty for these types of plants.
I want the tubes for these units to give a nice cool light i don't want them to be too bright. For the T5's i was thinking of two Interpet triplus tubes and for the T8 unit a Hagen aqua glo tube. I've used the aqua glo before and they give a nice cool light if a little red.

Please give any other alternatives especially if you have owned the light, remenber i want it to give off a nice cool light.

Cheers.

 

[SuperColey1]

If you use 2 Triplus you could have a pink glow around the aquarium.

I guess what you are looking for is to have a unit that is 103W but doesn't push out too much light?

Maybe you could use 1 beauty light? It wouldn't benefit the plants too much but is softer (Also Interpet) alongside a Daylight Plus (For the plants) then if you do want the pink on the 18W (Which I really doubt) you could put an original tropical or Triplus in there!

I personally would've bought 2 single starters rather than a twin then bought timers then you couldve had:

18W - Dawn = 1½hours
18W+55W - Morning = 2 hours
18W+55W+55W - Midday burst = 3 Hours
18W+55W- Evening = 2 hours
18W - Dusk = 1½hours

I have done it simpler at the mo as I am building my lights up gradually.

At the mo I have
Cold Cathode Moonlight = 12 hours
18W = 2 hours
18W+55W = 8 hours
18W = 2 hours

In a month or so I will get the other single starter for 55W and have my midday burst.

Personally I think you should just use the Daylight Plus on 1 55W and Triplus on the other. Freshwater or Daylight Plus on the 18W.

andy





If you use 2 Triplus you could have a pink glow around the aquarium.

I guess what you are looking for is to have a unit that is 103W but doesn't push out too much light?

Maybe you could use 1 beauty light? It wouldn't benefit the plants too much but is softer (Also Interpet) alongside a Daylight Plus (For the plants) then if you do want the pink on the 18W (Which I really doubt) you could put an original tropical or Triplus in there!

I personally would've bought 2 single starters rather than a twin then bought timers then you couldve had:

18W - Dawn = 1½hours
18W+55W - Morning = 2 hours
18W+55W+55W - Midday burst = 3 Hours
18W+55W- Evening = 2 hours
18W - Dusk = 1½hours

I have done it simpler at the mo as I am building my lights up gradually.

At the mo I have
Cold Cathode Moonlight = 12 hours
18W = 2 hours
18W+55W = 8 hours
18W = 2 hours

In a month or so I will get the other single starter for 55W and have my midday burst.

Personally I think you should just use the Daylight Plus on 1 55W and Triplus on the other. Freshwater or Daylight Plus on the 18W.

andy

If you use 2 Triplus you could have a pink glow around the aquarium.

I guess what you are looking for is to have a unit that is 103W but doesn't push out too much light?

Maybe you could use 1 beauty light? It wouldn't benefit the plants too much but is softer (Also Interpet) alongside a Daylight Plus (For the plants) then if you do want the pink on the 18W (Which I really doubt) you could put an original tropical or Triplus in there!

I personally would've bought 2 single starters rather than a twin then bought timers then you couldve had:

18W - Dawn = 1½hours
18W+55W - Morning = 2 hours
18W+55W+55W - Midday burst = 3 Hours
18W+55W- Evening = 2 hours
18W - Dusk = 1½hours

I have done it simpler at the mo as I am building my lights up gradually.

At the mo I have
Cold Cathode Moonlight = 12 hours
18W = 2 hours
18W+55W = 8 hours
18W = 2 hours

In a month or so I will get the other single starter for 55W and have my midday burst.

Personally I think you should just use the Daylight Plus on 1 55W and Triplus on the other. Freshwater or Daylight Plus on the 18W.

andy

 

[afroturf]

Andy you are right i want to have up to 103w of light with out pushing to much light, as the plants certainly won't need it and i think that plants and fish often look better in more duller light.

I like the idea of using 1 T5 beauty plus tube, as it says it enhances the colours of red and blues and i'm planning on a large shoal (30+) of green neons, and is also a standard intensity light. I could then use 1 T5 daylight plus on the side of the tank where the echinodorus (which would like a little more light) are. I will use the T5's over the planting area which will be in the two corners and i will use the T8 for the foreground which is going to be open. I have a small 14w T8 aqua glo light which i could put into the 30w T8 unit to see if it looks to pink combined with the above lights before deciding on a 30w daylight tube or a softer tube.

 

[afroturf]

I've found these ASL compact T5 tubes they look as if they would fit the Interpet light units.

The good thing is they give two different light colours from the same tube so i could use a mix of white/pink/blue rather than having one tube white and one tube pink/blue which would be the case with the interpet tubes.

I could then use a interpet beauty or similar tube for the T8 unit over the unplanted forground for fish colour etc.

Has any one used the ASL tubes?