lighting

[dutch47]

Hello,I have a 30 gallon bow front tank that I have changed from saltwater to freshwater.
Can I use the salt water lite that has two T5HO 39W 1500K bulbs in it or will it be to much lite?
I have the aquarium set up with 2 tetras, 2 platy's and 2 corys and 2 snails
and no plants just plastic plants and rocks.
I would like to keep the lite because it has a cooling fan and 3 led moonlites.
Thanks,Rog

[Chrona]

Hello,I have a 30 gallon bow front tank that I have changed from saltwater to freshwater.
Can I use the salt water lite that has two T5HO 39W 1500K bulbs in it or will it be to much lite?
I have the aquarium set up with 2 tetras, 2 platy's and 2 corys and 2 snails
and no plants just plastic plants and rocks.
I would like to keep the lite because it has a cooling fan and 3 led moonlites.
Thanks,Rog

Take one of the bulbs out, or if you can, just turn on one. 78 watts over 30 gallons in a non planted tank will cause you some algae issues.

[dutch47]

Chrona,I tried to turn one bulb out, but when I turn it back on the bulb that is left will flicker but wont come on all the way.
I wonder if I can get lower wattage bulbs.
Thanks Rog

[dutch47]

Would it make a difference if I had live plants instead of plastic?

[jeffs99dime]

Would it make a difference if I had live plants instead of plastic?

absolutely. i would run what you have if you're going to be using live plants, especially if the plants need a lot of light.

[Severus]

Yes, you might want to use your lighting to your advantage and give live plants a try. If you not, you need to decrease the wattage

[Chrona]

Chrona,I tried to turn one bulb out, but when I turn it back on the bulb that is left will flicker but wont come on all the way.
I wonder if I can get lower wattage bulbs.
Thanks Rog

Light bulbs are rated for a certain wattage depending on their length and diamter (ie T-5 vs T-8), so I don't think you'll be able to find lower wattage light bulbs that will fit. To be honest, if you are willing to do the research for planted tanks, live plants are certainly the way to go, but with over 2.5 watts per gallon (especially with higher intensity T-5 lights), CO2 and most likely a dry fertilizer regime (with a trace supplement like Flourish) is a requirement if you want to keep your tank algae free. The 3-4 ppm of CO2 and the nutrients supplied by fish waste won't be enough, and you'll start seeing brush algae, green spots algae, etc. If you don't feel as though you want to commit to live plants, then another solution is just to cover up one of the bulbs (make sure there is adequate ventilation - I'm assuming your fixture has a built in fan)

[xoolooxunny]

being a planted tank lover, I too would say go for the planted, you can grow some really nice plants with that light. But if you don't want to you can do what chrona suggested about covering it up or you can do one of two other things:
buy a new fixture suitable for your unplanted tank, and keep the fixture perhaps for the future - or - sell the fixture and kick yourself a year or two from now when you decide you need it again. We'll vote on it if its too tough a decision for you!

[dutch47]

Thank you for all your help,I'm going to try to block out one lite.
Maybe later I'll try the live plants.
Rog