Is this enough, or too much?

[Incredulous_Ed]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Would that be good for a 20gH heavily planted tank? Or would it be too much?

I was thinking about going with this: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
But The compact fluorescent is only 10 dollars more. Is it good? bad? what do you think?

Could I have good plant growth with the twin tube fluorescent combined with my current 15w hood? I would have a total if 45w.

Should I go with the twin tube fluorescent and have 45w or go with the compact fluorescent and have 125w. What would be the better choice?

BTW, I am planning on growing plants such as amazon swords, ludwiga, hygrophila, and maybe some cabombas.

[cocoa_pleco]

that ebay light is good. you can keep really high-demanding plants then providing you can get a CO2 system

[dev]

I'm not familiar with these compact fluorecent types, but if you can get a set with twin T5 tubes those are great and allows for a lot of flexibility.

The lower plants in the front of your tank will typically do better with a different kind of light than the taller ones in the back.

Also, combining different kinds of lighting can add nice depth and contrast to your tank.

I think you should be able to fit 2 x 24w T5 tubes. These are 55 cm, about 22 inches. (multiply the wattage by 1.5 to compare with traditional T8 fluorecent tubes, so about 70-75 watts).

I would not have more than 0.5 watts (the traditional T8 kind of watts) per liter (1.8 watts per gallon?) unless I was adding CO2.

Whats the H in 20 Gallon H? :)

[cocoa_pleco]

T-5's with reflectors are excellent. i have that as one of the lights on my 33g salt and the T-5 with reflector keeps the corals extremely happy

[dev]

T-5's with reflectors are excellent. i have that as one of the lights on my 33g salt and the T-5 with reflector keeps the corals extremely happy

The reflector is of course a must for any light, imnsho. Gives you up to 100% more light for the same wattage. But you all knew that :)

[Drumachine09]

The reflector is of course a must for any light, imnsho. Gives you up to 100% more light for the same wattage. But you all knew that :)

A reflector cant give you more light, it can just make your light more efficient

[dev]

A reflector cant give you more light, it can just make your light more efficient

Ah, don't be difficult. I'm sure we all know that a reflector can't increase the actual amount of light produced by your light source, but it will effectively increase the amount of light that reaches your tank. So for any practical purposes, it gives your more light.

I've also noticed that a lot of people on AC appear to go for an open light hood which i find a little puzzling. Is there any particular reason why you don't use closed hoods with the lights sort of built into the tank? Any drawbacks I don't know about?

To illustrate I have attached a picture of one of my Juwel tanks. It came with 2 x 18w T8 built into the top, and I've added another 2 x 24w T5 using the Arcadia IP64 kits.

[Bill Brasky]

Ah, don't be difficult. I'm sure we all know that a reflector can't increase the actual amount of light produced by your light source, but it will effectively increase the amount of light that reaches your tank. So for any practical purposes, it gives your more light.

I've also noticed that a lot of people on AC appear to go for an open light hood which i find a little puzzling. Is there any particular reason why you don't use closed hoods with the lights sort of built into the tank? Any drawbacks I don't know about?

To illustrate I have attached a picture of one of my Juwel tanks. It came with 2 x 18w T8 built into the top, and I've added another 2 x 24w T5 using the Arcadia IP64 kits.


Personally, I'm not using a glasstop because my water is uber-hard... that top will be looking like frosted glass in about 4 days. Other than that, I think it looks more "clean" if you will.

[dev]

Personally, I'm not using a glasstop because my water is uber-hard... that top will be looking like frosted glass in about 4 days. Other than that, I think it looks more "clean" if you will.

A glass top would be pretty bad tho, wouldnt it? So if you use a sort of small light hood that you hang above or set on top of your tank, I assume you dont use the cover glass at all?

Anyway, I was talking about a real hood with lights in it that covers the entire top of the tank. Don't know if you have a certain word or expression for it.

There is no glass between the light and the water in my tanks who all have hoods/tops that cover the entire tank, similar to the one on the picture. The only exception is my 10 gallon fry tank which is open for practical reasons.

Um, sorry for kinda hijacking your thread Incredulous_Ed, I just thought it might be interesting to know, since we had a discussion on light systems :)

[Incredulous_Ed]

Thanks guys. I seem to have reached a major road block on my planted tank quest. I can't order stuff online. I asked my dad if he could bid on the ebay Item and I would just pay him if he wo the bid, but he said, just get it at a petstore. I'll never find such a great deal at a pet store! I told him that it was a great deal and that I would end up paying over a hundred dollars for something like this in a petstore. He then said I don't get good plant growth because I don't have the right kind of bulbs, so you get the picture.

So this sucks.

Where can I get the T5 bulbs and fixture for a good price?

[dev]

Thanks guys. I seem to have reached a major road block on my planted tank quest. I can't order stuff online.


If he doesn't want to use his credit card online, perhaps you could buy some of those cash cards for PayPal?


Where can I get the T5 bulbs and fixture for a good price?

I know a few great places in Norway, Denmark and Germany ..hmmm .. hopefully someone else knows a shop somewhere closer ;)

[cocoa_pleco]

T-5's can be found at many stores. here, chain stores just have the regular ones. but, single shops have T-5's. i know aquarium illusions and aquagiant here have cheap T-5's. the Big al's store here too.

[Incredulous_Ed]

If he doesn't want to use his credit card online, perhaps you could buy some of those cash cards for PayPal?

He has an ebay account, I don't know why he doesn't want to use it for this.

[cocoa_pleco]

He has an ebay account, I don't know why he doesn't want to use it for this.


lol, it does get to be a pain, trust me. a few years ago when i had to ask my parents to get my stuff off ebay for me i would find something like 50$ less than in stores, and they think they have a good reason for "no". one time i showed them. i wanted a 36" paintball sniper end, and it was 30$ on ebay and theyre 800$ in stores here. i gave up and took my parents to a paintball store and proved it. a 30" was 755$. i ended up getting the 36" for 30$

[Incredulous_Ed]

Oen more qustion on the light fixture on ebay: Are the bulbs that come with it suitable for freshwater plants?

[cocoa_pleco]

im pretty sure, wait for more replies. good luck and hope you get a good light!

[zackish]

I have seen several T-5 2x24 watt lights for around $50 which doesn't sound bad. I know marinedepot.com had that but I think that may be saltwater with the 50/50 light.

[dev]

I have seen several T-5 2x24 watt lights for around $50 which doesn't sound bad. I know marinedepot.com had that but I think that may be saltwater with the 50/50 light.

I have no idea what the 50/50 means, but most tubes meant for saltwater can be used in a freshwater configuration, in combination with lower kelvin tubes.

The nice thing about having a fixture that uses standard type tubes is that they can be replaced with whatever you want, and there are literally hundreds of variations to choose from.

Look at the selection of T-8 and T-5 tubes from
* Hagen / Nutrafin
* Gieseman
* Aqua-Medic / Aqualine

The webpages of all three have good information on different tubes and configurations.

Keep in mind that T-5 gives you at least 50% more light than T-8 with the same wattage. 2 x 24w T-5 equals 2 x 36w of standard T-8 (or more). All T-5 tubes use electronic ballast and will last a lot longer than standard T-8 tubes. (I replace T-8 every 12-15 months and T-5 every 22-24 months)


I have no idea what the 50/50 means, but most tubes meant for saltwater can be used in a freshwater combination, in combination with lower kelvin tubes.