Setting Up A New Tank

[Biulu]

HI!

Today I received from the carpenter the base and hood for my 180 litre bowfront tank. Next thing in line is to ask an electrician friend to install me the lighting.

What do you recommend me to do? Should I install 2 long tubes (available overall length is almost 99 cm), or should I install 4 small ones?
ANd what kind of tubes do you recommend? I was thinking of asking him to set up a kind of timer system. Hopefully that is possible, as I have never seen any timers here! In that case I would be able to do some phasing in at morning and phasing out at night.

HOwever, I have no clue about what kind of lighting I need, and would have to give my friend directions on what to install. I am not aiming at a very high lighting, as I won't be able to get a proper CO2 system, and to be honest, EI dosing and DIY CO2 sounds too cumbersome to me. I do want a nicely planted tank though, but not that high-tech.

If possible, please give me technical specifications for the lights (American system), as fancy aquarium lights are not available here in rural Mexico. I am already having enough trouble importing my canister filter from the US!

Thanks beforehand!

 

[dylema]

I would say just go for a standard 3' twin flouro tube set up. I believe the US guys call them shop lights and you can buy them in hardware shops there (and here in Australia) They just require a switch and a power cord and there working. For timers you can proably find the timers that go on your power point and you can set to come on a a particular time and off at a later time. If you can't find them locally I am sure you could get them off ebay and have them posted.

 

[Biulu]

I would say just go for a standard 3' twin flouro tube set up. I believe the US guys call them shop lights and you can buy them in hardware shops there (and here in Australia) They just require a switch and a power cord and there working. For timers you can proably find the timers that go on your power point and you can set to come on a a particular time and off at a later time. If you can't find them locally I am sure you could get them off ebay and have them posted.

Ok, thanks! Do you have some advice on the light regime? How long should I keep them on? What about phasing out and in (with 1 light)?

 

[drtim]

I would say just go for a standard 3' twin flouro tube set up. I believe the US guys call them shop lights and you can buy them in hardware shops there (and here in Australia) They just require a switch and a power cord and there working. For timers you can proably find the timers that go on your power point and you can set to come on a a particular time and off at a later time. If you can't find them locally I am sure you could get them off ebay and have them posted.

Ok, thanks! Do you have some advice on the light regime? How long should I keep them on? What about phasing out and in (with 1 light)?

12 hours a day is the norm, phasing in and out is not possible with 1 light, however, if your lights come on say 10am to 10pm, natural light in the room will phase in to some extent, and conversely the same at the end of the day, from room lights extra.

People have used cold cathodes to do phasing, there is a good pinned thread on this site.

hope this helps

 

[dylema]

I was using blue cold cathodes for the sunrise sunset I have just stopped but will start again after upgrading my lighting. I would have the blue come on at 9am and off when the fluoro came on at 10 then the blue would be back on as the fluoro turned off at 10pm all the lights were off at 11pm. If you had two separate fluoro's with separate cords you could have one come on before the other and one go off before the other. But this makes two cords and two timers so it may be more fuss than it's worth.

 

[Biulu]

I was using blue cold cathodes for the sunrise sunset I have just stopped but will start again after upgrading my lighting. I would have the blue come on at 9am and off when the fluoro came on at 10 then the blue would be back on as the fluoro turned off at 10pm all the lights were off at 11pm. If you had two separate fluoro's with separate cords you could have one come on before the other and one go off before the other. But this makes two cords and two timers so it may be more fuss than it's worth.

I have enough space for 2 tubes 90 mm and even a third one but only 45 mm in the front. The blue cold cathodes sound good, and look lovely ! These are normally smaller, aren't they? Would I be able to put these in the front part (since it is a bowfront, I will have some space there). What do you need for this? Do you have a picture of such a set-up?

Thanks for the comments sofar, guys; really appreciated!

 

[dylema]

The cold cathodes are tiny. The tube is 4mm and then has a plastic cover tube but that still makes them inly about 10mm in diamerter. I bought mine off ebay from a computer shop. Here is the link to the DIY cold cathode post. They are pretty easy to set up once you have all the bits. The tubes come in different lengths so I am sure you will find what you need.

 

[Biulu]

thanks, Dylema! I read that post, but unfortunately, there is no picture that shows how the lights in its final set-up. I wondered whether it has an effect on the lighting if they are placed right in the front of the tank. Would it be better to place them in the middle of the hood for the light effect, or doesn't it make a difference?