Pick And Mix Lighting

[donkey]

Hi all
i was wondering what you guys think to my lighting. its a 60 U.S gallon tank and at the moment i have 144 watts of light over it. this works out at 4/ four foot tubes. what I'm thinking is should i add another tube to it to give me 180 watts of light. i also have 2/ 46inch T5 tubes . 54 watts each as well and i don't know if its worth putting them on and say two T8s as well. that would give me 180 watts as well.


Are the T5s much better than normal T8 tubes ? if i where to use the T5s this would give me a little more room in the hood. and i have read that T5s don't lose much of there power over there life span. and they seem to be a little cheaper to buy as well. i also just worked out that the 2/T5s and 1/T8 work out the same as what i am using now. god this is like been a kid in a sweet store looking at the pick and mix and not knowing what to pick. I'm not even sure if anyone will know what the hell I'm going on about.
Thanks Guys
From a rambling Aquarist

 

[aaronnorth]

You have 2.4WPG which is ok to grow almost anything.
If you upgrade to 180w then you have 3WPG which is sufficient for anything.

Co2 is important beacuase you have over 2wpg because plants wont use any nutrients or lighting as efficiently as they usually would, you need the 3 elements to grow succesfully.

T5's are better as they are smaller, and more leanient with the rule, so if you have 144W then your 2.4wpg will be raised slighty and if they are HO T5's then it will be amost doubled!

 

[donkey]

Hi
the two T5 tubes i have are the Giesemann T5 aquaflora and a Giesemann T5 Midday . not sure if there HO T5's. do the T5 tubes last longer? im sure i read somewhere that you can just keep running them till they fail. if the Giesemann tubes are any good i might use them and one T8 and that will give me the same watage as i have now which is 144 watts.

 

[aaronnorth]

I dont know about them lasting longer or keeping them until they die, i would still replace them yearly to make sure you have maximum output, otherwise you are wasting energy.

Even if there not HO T5's normal ones will still be a bit more leanient with the WPG

 

[donkey]

Thanks aaronnorth. two T5s and one T8 it is then