Lighting

[Barday]

Hi all,

I was just looking into getting a 5' x 2' x 2' Tank which is about 150 US Gallons
I was looking into the lighting requirements for a tank this siz, and I found that I need 300W of light just for low light requirement plants Is this right?

If it is, what kind of lighting system could I use for this (as cheap as possible please) I need to figure out if it is worth getting this tank!

 

[enchanted]

The only realistic option in price would be Power Compact Lighting. As none of the fictures I know are 5' or 2 1/2' you would end up needing to go with 2 different fictures of 3' and 2'.

A 2x96W and a 2x55W would give you 302W total for 2WPG. The reason many list it so high for lighting is because of the depth. The fictures I just stated would give you a good start and then you could either add another 1x each later for 3WPG or a 2x each later for 4WPG.

 

[George Farmer]

It depends on what plants you wish to grow. You could grow Java fern, Java moss, Anubius sp. and many Crypts in less than 2 WPG with a depth of 24".

 

[maestro]

With 300 watts you could grow anything! the watts per gallon doesnt really work for big tanks like yours.

40 watts ina a 20 gallon is not the same as 300 watts over a 150.

You will have to end up spending £100-200 on lighting, maybe get a 2nd hand metal halide unit? 2 x150 watt bulbs, one at end end

 

[konrad05]

If I would have a 150 gallon tank, I'd just get metal halide fixtures