Need some advice (like usual) on my lighting setup. At first I ran 48w T5HO over my small tank but quickly noticed that this was too much light for the co2 levels I could reach and sustain with DIY CO2. So I have recently taken out one of the bulbs reducing my lighting to 24w which sits around 16-17" above my substrate and is on for 8 hours a day. Is this still too much light? I'm currently dosing Neutro+ and Neutro CO2 daily alongside a DIY CO2 system which I change the mixture weekly on to give me a constant bubble rate of around 1 every 3 seconds. As I'm a student living at home money is a real issue so can't afford a pressurised setup at the moment so any tips/changes to help things along would be great!
-
You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up
T5 over 35l
- Thread starter MrMacey
- Start date
It's really hard to advise because no one can guess at the PAR levels. 24W might still be a lot. Less light will give you a lower growth rate and will reduce the demand for CO2 and nutrients. So if you are on a budget then it's in your interest to keep the lighting as low as possible. Try the 17 inches and see what growth rate you get, then raise it another 5 inches or so and see what happens.
Cheers,
Cheers,
Very true ceg. I have all the relevant fertilisers etc for a pressurised CO2 setup but just can't afford the jump just yet.
Edit# would decreasing the lighting too much also have a negative affect in terms of algae takeover? For example, I continued with the DIY CO2 and dosing macro & micro nutrients but raised the light so there would be less demand from the plants therefore maybe some 'leftovers'.
Edit# would decreasing the lighting too much also have a negative affect in terms of algae takeover? For example, I continued with the DIY CO2 and dosing macro & micro nutrients but raised the light so there would be less demand from the plants therefore maybe some 'leftovers'.
