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Newbie needs some knowledge

samboco

samboco

Member
Joined
18 Jun 2011
Messages
61
Location
Falkirk
Hi everybody, complete newbie to the world of high tech planted tanks so please forgive any naivety/obvious lack of knowledge!

I am about to receive a new 120x45x60cm tank which I need to kit out from scratch and I am looking for some advice from some experienced heads out there! I intend to have a lighting level that leans towards the higher end so i can give the plants the best chance in my first foray into planted tanks.

My tank will have a hood to accomodate whatever lighting i choose but I am unsure which type to go for, although I am tempted to go LED.
If I was to go LED how many AquaRay Grobeam 500 strips or 1000 ND tiles would I need for my tank size to achieve the high level lighting I would like?

Also if I was instead to go for T5's, what would be recommend in terms of number of lights/combination of wattage?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Cheers
 
Hi & welcome to the forum.
Dont get to hung up about bright light, there are other elements that are equally as important but need far more attention, like C02 distribution!
2 x T5 the length of your tank will work very well but even then you wont be wanting them on for to many hours a day!
You can see many very successful tanks of the forum that operate on pretty low light but have perfect C02 levels & the plant growth is outstanding.
 
Thanks Foxfish, If I went for 2x T5, what wattage would they need to be?
I am going to try and set up CO2 as well in my new tank.
 
Hi samboco and welcome to UKAPS!

Wise words from foxfish there.

2 x 54w T5 with reflectors should be fine for your size aquarium. These are available to fit into a hood/canopy or overtank luminaire. The latter is generally more expensive, and usually supplied with 4 x T5, which is switchable to 2 lamps. Arcadia produce both.

CO2 and its effective delivery can get a little trickier in a larger aquarium.

Modern planted tank methodology gives us a 10x or more turnover as a guideline i.e. a filter and/or powerhead combination giving a total flow rate of 10x the volume of the aquarium.

120x45x60cm gives us 324 litres so ideally you'll be after around 3200 litres per hour (lph) total flow.

This can be achieved via multiple filters or a filter/powerhead combination.

Bear in mind that the quoted flow rates from most filters is exaggerated i.e. a filter rated at 1200lph may only produce 600lph or less in reality once the media, hoses and any inline equipment are fitted.

The 10x guideline 'allows' for this, but to be honest, there's very rarely an issue with over-filtration or too much circulation.

What's more important is how the circulation is delivered throughout the aquarium to ensure maximum CO2/nutrient distribution. With clever positioning of your filter outlets i.e. spray bar, lily pipes and inlets, the circulation can be maximised. This can take some experimentation.

With regards your actual CO2 injection, a pressurised system would the most reliable and effective method. 2Kg fire extinguishers are popular.

Here's some good articles to get you started -

viewtopic.php?t=266

http://www.ukaps.org/drop-checker.htm

http://www.ukaps.org/EI.htm
 
Hi George,

Thanks for getting back to me with your advice and pointing me in the direction of those helpful links, most appreciated.

I notice you're from Stamford, Im down your way (I live up in Scotland) in a couple of weeks to visit friends, can you recommend any LFS in the area I should visit. Always good to get to a new shop and we're quite limited for choice up here!
Thanks again.
 
samboco said:
Hi George,

Thanks for getting back to me with your advice and pointing me in the direction of those helpful links, most appreciated.

I notice you're from Stamford, Im down your way (I live up in Scotland) in a couple of weeks to visit friends, can you recommend any LFS in the area I should visit. Always good to get to a new shop and we're quite limited for choice up here!
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
You're welcome!

I like The Waterzoo in Peterborough and Maidenhead Aquatics in Crowland. Neither are brilliant for the planted tank hobby but they generally stock a good selection of plants. Their fish and non-plant specialist dry goods are excellent.

For most planted tank gear the Internet is likely your best bet. Check out the UKAPS Sponsors for a good selection.
 
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