Expensive lighting... to be finally dimmed?

[parotet]

Hi, I'm planing in the midterm to buy a 60x35x30 cm tank. I'm just having a look to the equipment needed and the investment I will have to do. If there is something I've learnt during the last 5 months reading night and day this forum, it's that:

Gas exchange in aquatic plants is by far the most important feature that determines success. It is more important than PAR or PUR or even nutrients to some extent. It is thousands of times more important than substrate.

My priority will be to invest in a good pressurized co2 system and a good external filter. Unfortunately optical glass, expensive substrates and cool glassware will be out of my Budget... you cannot have it all! At least if I want to have this good co2 system (250€ for sure) and a 10x volumen filter (75€ mínimum).

My doubt right now is light. I've read too many times in that forum folks spending a huge amount of money on lighting systems (300€ or much more) that finally had to be dimmed. Dimmers are expensive, so you pay a lot of money for the lamp and then you cannot use it 100% or you have to make another investment on a dimmer. To use these lamps 100%, huge amounts of co2 have to be injected.... It looks to me as if you find yourself spending a lot of fuel just because you invested in a Formula 1 engine instead of buying a good and normal engine. I had myself this problem in a 27 cm cube with a 7w LED that was causing some algae problems until I was wisely advised to reduce the light level. This LED lamp costs 70€ and I could be lighting with the current light level with a cheap PL light that costs at least a 60% less...

Anyway Led lamps won't fit in my tight budget for this 60 cm tank, so T5 will be probably my choice (cheap T5 I mean). I've seen some 2x24w T5 systems around 70-80€ (don't know if they include lamps or not, but I don't care, this is not expensive) ... would it be enough to have a sucessful co2 planted tank? I don't want to dim an expensive lighting system but I don't want to be very low... we all like pruning our plants every 2 weeks at least, isn't it?

 

[Iain Sutherland]

2 x 24w T5's over a 60cm will grow pretty much every plant you could wish assuming all other factors are balanced. You may find it will need to be suspended above the top of the tank reducing the intensity unless you are experienced already.
all the best, nice to see you are doing your research prior to diving in feet first

 

[George Farmer]

Of course T5 lighting is fantastic & is used my many of us, in fact 5 years ago is was the best lighting around LOL
Before T5 was T8 & they worked fantastically well too.... C02 is the thing to get right mate.

Post above from foxfish, from duplicate thread.

 

[Crispino Ramos]

If money is a limiting factor, a compact fluorescent light fixture would be feasible. You'll have several light bulbs to choose from like daylight, aquaflora or a mixture of both.

 

[parotet]

CFL or T5... I guess the point will be to chose a fixture I can suspend and move above the tank to control the light. I also like quite a lot layouts with emerged plants.

 

[three-fingers]

Brand new T5 luminaires can be bought for under £70 delivered as you said and yes, thats including tubes . A couple of advantages to T5 luminaires IMO is they are so easy to repair even if they do brake out of warranty (just replace the ballast for about £10) is and you can change the colour of the bulbs to your own taste.

I use an Arcadia 4 x 24w T5 luminaire over my 80cm tank, and always have 2 bulbs turned off. Wish I kept my old 2 x 18w T8 luminaire tbh, would have saved me so much trouble with staghorn and grew everything fine anyway.
I only ever put all 4 bulbs on for short periods at a time when I want to see mad pearling.

So yes, 2 x 24w on a 60cm will give you more light than you'll ever need!