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Lighting a three foot tall tank

whimdriven

Seedling
Joined
26 Aug 2008
Messages
12
Location
Edinburgh
Hi there - I'm thinking of buying a second hand tank - foot long, 16 inches wide and just under three foot high.

I was thinking of planting it with some large anubias and java fern with a sand substrate and some long spindly bits of bogwood, , all of which i have kicking about the house at the moment.

Does anyone have suggestions on what kind of lighting to use?

Thanks,

Byron
 
I have 300 watt mh light and ballast up in the loft - left by a flatmate who was into -ahem- illicit hydroponics.
I'll give that a whirl!
 
whimdriven said:
Hi there - I'm thinking of buying a second hand tank - foot long, 16 inches wide and just under three foot high.

I was thinking of planting it with some large anubias and java fern with a sand substrate and some long spindly bits of bogwood, , all of which i have kicking about the house at the moment.

Does anyone have suggestions on what kind of lighting to use?

Thanks,

Byron

I think this is a really bad idea for a planted tank unless you are 7 foot 6 inches tall. If not, you will always have difficulty getting your arms down to reach the bottom for planting and maintenance - of which you need to do a lot. Those dimensions are good for a reef type setup but not for planted tank. Of course this does not mean that it is impossible or guaranteed to fail but just that it's an unnecessary handicap. If you are of or below average height then limit your tank height to no more than 24 inches.

Not only are there physical limitations to such a tank but it is very difficult to get CO2 and nutrient distribution down to the lower reaches.

Ideally a tank would be wide and long but not terribly deep. Look around some more because there are a lot better options available out there.

Cheers,
 
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