Need 4Wpg In A 29 Gallon, Which Hood/bulbs?

[justbinB]

The title says it all, I need to get more lighting, I have very hard water, with a pH 7.9-8.0. According to everyone I ask, I need more light, and I can't find any single bulbs that will put out 90 watts. Any brand you know of that will do this? I'm assuming I'll need a hood with 2-3 bulbs.

Thank you

 

[Truck]

Why in gods name would you need 4 WPG? who told you that?!

1.5WPG of T5 with CO2 and you can grow anything.

Do you have plants yet? If so what current lighting do you have? how deep is the tank?

 

[justbinB]

and I don't have the option of changing my water conditions, I can't afford reverse osmosis or water softening systems (college student) My fish are acclimated well and I chose species that can tolerate these conditions. I just want to get a variety of plants growing.

 

[Truck]

You don't need to change the water conditions, all plants will do fine in water with a PH of 8.

What lighting is currently over the tank?

 

[justbinB]

Why in gods name would you need 4 WPG? who told you that?!

1.5WPG of T5 with CO2 and you can grow anything.

Do you have plants yet? If so what current lighting do you have? how deep is the tank?

*correction, 3wpg, the title was a typo. I have been told this by a few locals who moved here from the west side of Washington, where water is soft and neutral. I don't have a CO2 system, and only plan to have a few medium sized plants that can live off my fish, which are stocked at about 2/3" of fish per gallon. The dh here is through the roof, and while many people (none of which live here) tell me 1.5 watts is adequate, no plants have survived in this tank to date with that degree of lighting. The tank is 18" deep if my memory serves me correctly. The planted tanks I have seen thriving without CO2 all had 3wpg.

 

[Truck]

how many watts of light are over your tank at the moment? 1.5 watts? If so that's why they're not surviving, or do you mean 1.5WPG?

With 1.5WPG over that tank, you could grow quite a few aquatic plants, Crypts, Anubias, Microsorum, Vallis, they should all grow in that.

 

[justbinB]

I have 1.5 wpg, sorry for the misunderstanding. would a CO2 system be cheaper than increasing the lighting? The only tank I have that they'll grow in is near a window, and gets 2 hours of natural light (indirect) a day on top of 1.5wpg. This suggests that I just need to up it a bit, on top of what I've heard and seen.

 

[aaronnorth]

Hi, I suggest taking a read of this:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/298133-back-to-basics/

2 tubes running the full length of the tank will be fine to grow any plant, but this requires CO2 injection.
Dont go above 2WPG