Verminator
Member
Basically thats the dilema, do i go with T5's or T8's over my tank. The tank is a custom built ND Aquatics 4ft 61G. Measurements are 48"x22"x16" (LxHxW). The tank itself will be home to my breeding Jack Dempsey cichlids with the male being the Electric Blue strain. I plan on this being a South American/Amazon biotope to put it simply. Redmoor wood as roots with slate rocks scattered everywhere. The only plants i plan on having are Amazon Frogbit, Echinodorus Uruguayensis, Echinodorus Bleheri and possibly another smaller Echi, not 100% on that though. The tank won't have CO2, won't be dosing ferts, although i may stretch to the odd root tablet every once in a while to perk them up.
Ultimately i don't know what lighting and how much to get for this to work. T5 lighting seems to be 50% more expensive than T8 and i'm aware that T5 is better. I can't see myself justifying spending £300 just on lights for a tank without many plants, £150 on T8's sounds alot more reasonable Past experiences with T8's have been a catastrophic fail with plant growth on a Juwel Rio 180, however my growth in a 2ft planted using x2 24W T5HO is fantastic. On a tank this size where its not going to be a planted tank what do you propose is sufficient to maintain my biotope.
Cheers, James
Ultimately i don't know what lighting and how much to get for this to work. T5 lighting seems to be 50% more expensive than T8 and i'm aware that T5 is better. I can't see myself justifying spending £300 just on lights for a tank without many plants, £150 on T8's sounds alot more reasonable Past experiences with T8's have been a catastrophic fail with plant growth on a Juwel Rio 180, however my growth in a 2ft planted using x2 24W T5HO is fantastic. On a tank this size where its not going to be a planted tank what do you propose is sufficient to maintain my biotope.
Cheers, James