lighting advice needed

[plantnoob]

with my co2 gear as good as sold , i will be converting to a soil substrate tank very soon . im not sure the best way to go with regards to lighting though . the current light unit i have got will allow me to either have 1x24w t5 or 2x24w t5 . problem i can see with that are that with 1 tube all the light is at either the front ot the back , depending on where i have the tube , id like an even spread but fear 2x24w t5s may be too much light for a tank with no co2 injection . id rather not go out and spend money on swapping lights to t8 . would using both t5 tubes be too much , and if so would using both and diffusing the light a bit with floating plants be ok ?

 

[Martin in Holland]

could you let us know how big your tank is?.....liters or Gallon....also maybe how deep it is....
Are you going to use EasyCarbo or Flourish Excel?

1x24W should be more than enough if you have a 50-60liter tank (also depends on which plants you are planning to use) and T5 reaches about 40 to 50cm deep.
in a tank without CO2 is it better to use as little light as possible

 

[plantnoob]

its a fluval roma 125 , 80x35x45cm 125 liters . not planning on using any liquid carbon

 

[tim]

Plenty of floating plants to diffuse the light or even reflectors under the centre of the bulbs to lessen the intensity could work mate, run with a short photoperiod to start and see how it goes, I think in trois soil article he recommends t8s maybe drop him a pm and see what he thinks.

 

[plantnoob]

good idea , il drop him a message . i seem to remember something along the lines of 1wpg t5 or 1.5wpg t8 . with an impending holiday to pay for im restricted to using the money from the co2 sale to finance the switch . i really dont want to be using most of it to swap lighting if avoidable . im hoping to use the money to get soil , grit and sand . then lots and lots of plants

 

[AshRolls]

Some things to consider...

I am currently using a reflector to shield one of my two T5 bulbs, however I can't recommend it as a long term solution as the light bulb that remains gives imbalanced light to half the tank (brighter at the back), and it rankles me that I'm wasting energy/money running two bulbs when I only need one.

I also have some floaters (amazon frogbit), but they don't like the amount of surface flow I have. Additionally in my Juwel hood the t5 bulb is so close to the surface that the floaters are overheating whenever they get too close.

 

[plantnoob]

my problem is exactly the same .

 

[tim]

Would it be possible to fit or does your tank have a condensation tray between hood and water this could be covered in a couple of layers of frosted window adhesive backing to maybe diffuse the light without the need to remove a bulb add upside down reflectors maybe ?

 

[plantnoob]

ive had a little play around with the hood configuration , and managed to get it so that a single tube sits central , giving even light throughout the tank . so im going to just stick with the single 24w t5 tube . soil etc will be ordered tonight then once that is all set up and ready il order the plants

 

[Henry]

Even with 1 T5, I would still put some floating plants in there, at least until the plants get their roots established. My most stable tank to date was an unlit tank kept 2' from a North-facing window.

 

[faizal]

ive had a little play around with the hood configuration , and managed to get it so that a single tube sits central , giving even light throughout the tank . so im going to just stick with the single 24w t5 tube . soil etc will be ordered tonight then once that is all set up and ready il order the plants

I would watch out for the signs of any co2 related algae & be quick to raise the lights a little if it occurs. Also keeping the total photoperiod about 3- 3.5 hrs initially should help a lot. I am sorry but have you removed the light reflectors?
And as Henry says there,...floating plants are also well worth looking into IMHO.

 

[Michael W]

As mentioned above raising lights, having and relatively short photoperiod to start off and floating plants will greatly help in reducing potential problems in a low tech tank.

Some floating plants to consider:

Duckweed - Can get messy once it has taken over.
Red Root Floater- produces red roots and leaves and is very attractive
Amazon Frogbit- Big leaves compared to the above and is easier to manage, it produces big root structures which can provide shelter for fry/shrimps
Water Sprite- Can be floated and will branch across the surface to create shade and it will send up leaves above water which looks awsome
Riccia Fluitans- Will for a nice mat on the surface but can get messy if you don't harvest it