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Lighting Ideas

Elliot Downs

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2016
Messages
26
Location
United Kingdom
Hi there!

New to the forums, I currently have a 2 1/2 ft tank (30"x 15" x 12") low tech, low light set up.

I am currently mid way through upgrading it to a high light, high tech tank. I have just added a pressurised CO2 system and need some help with the lights.

I have a budget of around £60 for the lights and ideally I would like to go open top, I would like to be able to grow some plants that require high light and CO2.

I have no idea how much light I am going to need for a tank like this because I am told that the old WPG rule isn't (and never was) effective.

Does anyone have an ideas how much light would be required? For example, would 2 x T5HO 24w 6500k be enough?
 
Hi Elliot, what lights do you have now?
Anyway two x T5s the length of the tank will grow any plant in your size tank but, it is more about the C02 than the light that will lead to success.
Two T8s & great C02 will also grow any plant with less chance of algae but with slower growth.
Two T5s and bad C02 will grow algae faster than you ever thought possible :)
 
Im currently running 1 x T8 24" 20w 6500k

What constitutes bad CO2? I'm currently running a pressurised FE system at about 1 bps (I've only just got it running so I'm slowly increasing the bps).
 
BPS don't mean much but PH drop does.
BPS are a good guide for yourself but as each unit can produce different size bubbles it is not a very good universal guide.
PH pens cost around £14 & will give a good indication of when you are getting close to 30 ppm of C02 in your water.
Generally speaking a PH drop of one point just as the lights come on will be about right.
 
Decided on a cheap eBay T5 unit.

Is there a difference between the tubes specifically marketed at aquariums and the cheaper bulbs found on lampspec?
 
Yeah I've read through that a couple of times.

Am I right in saying that the old 6500k guideline isn't particularly relevant anymore? As long as you've got enough light between 4000k-10000k then plants will grow?
 
Decided on a cheap eBay T5 unit.

Is there a difference between the tubes specifically marketed at aquariums and the cheaper bulbs found on lampspec?
Yup, basically the price . You will find different opinions, but I am with the ones that think that light is light, marketed for aquarium or not. I've been using over a tank like yours a cheap light unit like yours (2x24w T5HO) with standard Osram/Philips bulbs and to be honest if I am not been able to grow any plant it has been my fault, not the light.

In your case, with just two tubes, you cannot play too much with weird color tubes (as you can do when your hood holds 6 tubes). So if you get one of this tubes which are "special for plants growth" (pinkish tubes) you will end up with a very weird pink glow in your living room and a tank looking very artificial. I like a combination of a 6,500K tube and a 10,000K one. Enough warm colors and bright greens... But now I have two 6,500K and it looks also very nice. At the end of the day it is a matter of how you prefer your tank to look like (and I personally like something close to the sun light), plants will grow or not depending on a lot of things, but light color won't be that critical IMO

Jordi
 
Yup, basically the price . You will find different opinions, but I am with the ones that think that light is light, marketed for aquarium or not. I've been using over a tank like yours a cheap light unit like yours (2x24w T5HO) with standard Osram/Philips bulbs and to be honest if I am not been able to grow any plant it has been my fault, not the light.

In your case, with just two tubes, you cannot play too much with weird color tubes (as you can do when your hood holds 6 tubes). So if you get one of this tubes which are "special for plants growth" (pinkish tubes) you will end up with a very weird pink glow in your living room and a tank looking very artificial. I like a combination of a 6,500K tube and a 10,000K one. Enough warm colors and bright greens... But now I have two 6,500K and it looks also very nice. At the end of the day it is a matter of how you prefer your tank to look like (and I personally like something close to the sun light), plants will grow or not depending on a lot of things, but light color won't be that critical IMO

Jordi

Thanks for the responses (everyone)

I heard about the 6500k and 10k combo somewhere else too, I'm going to buy some tubes on lampspec and see what looks good! Probably going to stick with at least one 6500k bulb.
 
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