planning 6x2x2 aquarium

[fishkid951]

hey all,:dance:

i am planning to get a large aquarium in the next few months(cant hurt to plan now) and was wondering a few questions. the tank will be 6x2x2(all in foot) which is 648 litres/170gallons.

i currently hav a 3ft discus, tetra, cory etc tank(planted) with diy co2 that i am upgrading. so i am no novice to plants...just lighting.

i have no idea about lighting for this tank. i dont want it to make my electricity bill blow through the roof as i dont think mum will apreciate this at all. :confused:

i hav heard that in a tank this size 3watts/gallon is very high light. is this correct? :confused:

i am intending to keep plants such as tiger lotus lilly, crypts, swords, riccia, anubias along with other plants too. :idea:

i will be putting together a presurised co2 unit using co2 cylinder(like the ones used in beer manufacturing) and regulator.

so my questions are.......

~what lighting will suit my needs?
~how many watts/gallon do i need?

thanks in advance:):):)

[krytan]

For 3 watts per gallon you are going to need 540 watts of lighting and thats going to be expensive on your electric bill. You need to research what plants you want before you decide how many watts of lighting you'll need.
A 6x2x2 tank is 180g/681 litres by the way. It's going to weigh about 3/4 of a ton, have you checked your floor can hold that much weight.

[jpappy789]

The average cost in the U.S. for electricity is 11 cents/kilowatt-hour. Running 540 watts of light isn't going to cost that much. Basically 8 hours of lighting (a full day) will cost you just over 40 cents if I'm looking at this correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong)...of course it does vary by region.

Lighting will depend on the plants, however larger tanks do need more light than smaller tanks with the same plants as you will need to deal with the penetration of light.

For Co2, go pressurized. DIY Co2 isn't going to do much for that size of tank and pressurized is much more efficient from what I have heard.

[Bk718]

You can go with 400w and you should be able to grow plants good in a tank that size. Can go for either t-5/PC or Metal halide.
You can expect your electricity bill to rise by $15-20 with just the lighting, then theres filters/heaters/co2. Overall you can expect a $20-25 rise in your bill.

[fishkid951]

am intending to keep plants such as tiger lotus lilly, crypts, swords, riccia, anubias along with other plants too.

they are the types of plants i plan on keeping. how can i check if the floor will hold that much weight? how do mh lights and t-5/pc compare to compact fluro? ands are they energy efficient compared to them? i am goin to do pressurised co2.

thank you again

[Bk718]

they are the types of plants i plan on keeping. how can i check if the floor will hold that much weight? how do mh lights and t-5/pc compare to compact fluro? ands are they energy efficient compared to them? i am goin to do pressurised co2.

thank you again

Can contact a contractor to come check out your flooring and what wall can hold what.
The different lights differ by how much light they put out especially compared to regular fluorescent bulbs. They are more energy efficient.

[jpappy789]

You can go with 400w and you should be able to grow plants good in a tank that size. Can go for either t-5/PC or Metal halide.
You can expect your electricity bill to rise by $15-20 with just the lighting, then theres filters/heaters/co2. Overall you can expect a $20-25 rise in your bill.
I stand corrected :lipssealedsmilie:

[Bk718]

I stand corrected :lipssealedsmilie:
ex:
100w light thats on for 10hrs = 1Kwh (kilowatt hours or 1000watt hours) (X)
Take 30-31 day billing cycle (Y)
If avrg cost of 1Kwh is .11cents (Z)
Then:
X x Y x Z = Rise in bill just from the lighting

1kwh x 30 days x .11 cents = $3.30 rise
2kwh x 30 days x .13 cents = $7.80 rise
3kwh x 30 days x .15 cents = $13.50 rise

The kwh cost changes monthly and can be as high as .28 cents (as it was this summer)

Though it may be higher since the electric company charges for supply and delivery and above calculation is just for delivery. The supply charge most of the time is .05-.09 cents (also changes monthly)

[jpappy789]

ex:
100w light thats on for 10hrs = 1Kwh (X)
Take 30-31 day billing cycle x the Kwh used = Kwh for the month (Y)
If avrg cost of 1Kwh is .11cents (Z)
Then:
X x Y x Z = Rise in bill just from the lighting

1kwh x 30 days x .11 cents = $3.30 rise
2kwh x 30 days x .13 cents = $7.80 rise
3kwh x 30 days x .15 cents = $13.50 rise

The kwh cost changes monthly and can be as high as .28 cents (as it was this summer)

Though it may be higher since the electric company charges for supply and delivery and above calculation is just for supply. The delivery charge most of the time is .05-.09 cents (also changes monthly)

I forgot about the monthly billing...though seeing as I don't actually pay electricity bills I'm not quite sure if a $3 rise is significant.

[Bk718]

I forgot about the monthly billing...though seeing as I don't actually pay electricity bills I'm not quite sure if a $3 rise is significant.
Can go from a $3 rise to a $8-10 rise during the electricity consuming months.
Throw in all other equipment and fluctuations in the Kwh cost it can add up.

Plus its $3 just for delivery. Add another $1.50-3 for supply and you got a slightly higher spike.

The cost is really insignificant for smaller tanks. But when you go BIG it really can put a dent in the wallet.

[jpappy789]

Can go from a $3 rise to a $8-10 rise during the electricity consuming months.
Throw in all other equipment and fluctuations in the Kwh cost it can add up.
Good point...makes me want to rethink getting large tanks in the future...well, not really :D

[Mgamer20o0]

those are mostly low light to med light plants. right now i run 2x55w and 2x96w ahsupply set up... if your going to go with cf i would try 4x96w ahsupply set up with co2. another option would be T5.... once you hit 3wpg and your having trouble growing something in 100gal plus tanks you should look to other problems first. there are some great deals out there. its not going to be to cheap to plant. my 120 i did 20 crypt pots plus anubias plus other plants.

i can get you lots of high quality plants so if your having troubles finding the amounts you need send me a pm.

[jmhart]

For low light plants, 180w total. I wouldn't go higher than 350 watts total.

[fishkid951]

tiger lotus plants and riccia are moderate light plants right? i dont know the full list of plants but they will prob be medium(tiger lotus) to low light(crypts). there will be many other species of plant too, just need to find what i like.

so goin by this...what light setup should i get. mh or cf? and amount of each?

i thank you on all your help

[jmhart]

tiger lotus plants and riccia are moderate light plants right? i dont know the full list of plants but they will prob be medium(tiger lotus) to low light(crypts). there will be many other species of plant too, just need to find what i like.

so goin by this...what light setup should i get. mh or cf? and amount of each?

i thank you on all your help


Well, I'd say at least consider MH, CF, and T5. I know that makes the choice harder, but still.

The difference between MH and fluorescent(CF or T5) is really a matter of personal preference. IMO, I wouldn't go with only MH. I don't really like the way it grows plants.

As far as CF or T5, the main difference is that T5 will be much more efficient, so you'll be able to get the same amount of useable light out of nearly 60% of the wattage. 160w to 180w T5 would be like ~275w CF. So if energy is a concern, T5 is the way to go.

All that being said, I'm planning a similar tank, and I'm looking at MH/CF combo, with about 370 watts total. I'm looking at 3x65w CF and 3x175w MH. Seems like a crazy amount of light, but you have to keep in mind that MH reflectors only reflect the light over a 2'x2' area, so 3x175w MH just puts a spread of 175 over the entire tank. I decided on CF over T5 for my fluorescent element because I want to use the GE 9325k bulb.

For any of these lights, I recommend retrokits from either AHSupply or Catalina Aquarium.

Those are my ramblings, hope they help.

[Spewn]

ex:
100w light thats on for 10hrs = 1Kwh (kilowatt hours or 1000watt hours) (X)
Take 30-31 day billing cycle (Y)
If avrg cost of 1Kwh is .11cents (Z)
Then:
X x Y x Z = Rise in bill just from the lighting

1kwh x 30 days x .11 cents = $3.30 rise
2kwh x 30 days x .13 cents = $7.80 rise
3kwh x 30 days x .15 cents = $13.50 rise

The kwh cost changes monthly and can be as high as .28 cents (as it was this summer)

That's crappy. I don't think I've ever paid over 10c per kwh(not including the debt reassignment fee and the delivery charge or whatever, but they aren't dependent on my monthly usage). I pay 5ish for the first 780kwh or something, then a little more than 7 for everything over that.

[Bk718]

That's crappy. I don't think I've ever paid over 10c per kwh(not including the debt reassignment fee and the delivery charge or whatever, but they aren't dependent on my monthly usage). I pay 5ish for the first 780kwh or something, then a little more than 7 for everything over that.

will differ for each location/company.

[Spewn]

Right, but that's why I'm saying that estimating someone else's cost is not the best way to go about it. Give him the total power usage, and let him look at his bill. I'd pay about $7 per month to run a 400w light. At 28 cents per kwh(highway robbery!!!) it would cost almost $30 a month. Some people might not think $13 is a lot, but IMO a 300% increase is a lot.

[Bk718]

Right, but that's why I'm saying that estimating someone else's cost is not the best way to go about it. Give him the total power usage, and let him look at his bill. I'd pay about $7 per month to run a 400w light. At 28 cents per kwh(highway robbery!!!) it would cost almost $30 a month. Some people might not think $13 is a lot, but IMO a 300% increase is a lot.

Right but still all the person would have to do is just plug in a different # for Z and in the end its a good estimate.
28 cents was highway robbery, my jaw dropped when i saw an almost 100% rise in the bill. At first i thought it was an ESCO company that was screwing me (they had been known to scam) but after talking with my previous company I actually found out i saved about 2-3cents per kwh for that month. When the Economy is in the sh....er(toilet) the prices really seem to jump.

[plantbrain]

Let us get one thing striaght here, more light is not better, certainly not for your goal.

4 x 96 PC light can grow anything you might have planned.
Look nice etc.

T5's would be a nicer option.
6 x 39W 90 cm lights would be ideal at 5cm, 30cm and 55cm across the top:

Top view:
___________ ___________
___________ ___________
___________ ___________

The wide spread will give good coverage, even low light across the entire tank and also highlight the Discus much better(higher light washes colors out more).

Run the out 2 banks for say 10 hours and the middle for 6 hours in the middle.

This will give you 234 watt and plenty of light for most of the things you might wanna grow. Lower light at 156 watt for 10 hors will keep things growing well etc.

You will also have more wiggle room with CO2 and not need as much as you do with higher light.

Nor do you need as much nutrients with reduced light.
This means it's much more manageable!
Easier dosing, less stress for you, the fish etc.
But just a little more paitence and keeping your hand out of the cookie jar:)

It's really worth it.

I'm not sure if you have access to ADA aqua soil, but if so, it will cost, but will make the tank very easy to grow most things also.

Sand will work also obviously. Also, consider aesthetic white sand foregrounds(easy to keep, no pruning etc).

I'd work out the hard scape and spend a lot of time thinking about what you want there, spend some $ and time getting the materials you really want.

It's a big tank and lots of $, time etc and it will be right in the middle of your home. So take the time to do that right. Chose the fish very carefully etc also.

I've seen folks spend a lot of the tank, then toss in a few rocks and blocks of wood.

Sort of a waste..........

Regards,
Tom Barr

[jmhart]

Yep, 400w or something like that will be algae city on a tank like that. With larger tanks, it's harder to maintain adequate co2 concentrations, mostly due to poor circulation and huge surface area. I'm seen people start out with 6x80w over a 180w tank and end up with a tank full of algae.

(Edit: Also, I second Tom's suggestion on the 36" 39w T5 fixtures. Most "72 inch" setups use 80w T5, with 80w T5 are only 5 ft long, so you don't get the spread over the entire tank, better to use 2 of the 36" bulbs end to end to get a full spread)

As I mentioned earlier, I'm planning 3x65w PC and 3x175w MH, with the space to add 3 more 65w PC later if I want/need. Even with the start up lighting, it'll all be staggered with short photoperiods in the beginning. Even if you install a 6x80w T5 setup, I'd start with only 2x80w for the first 3-4 weeks, then bump up to 4x80w, and then maybe after 3 months use the full 6x80w.

As Tom alluded to, maintenance on larger tanks is of course harder, so it's much more enjoyable if your plants aren't growing 1"+ a week, so less light on bigger tanks is more enjoyable.

[fishkid951]

T5's would be a nicer option.
6 x 39W 90 cm lights would be ideal at 5cm, 30cm and 55cm across the top:

Top view:
___________ ___________
___________ ___________
___________ ___________



with a settup like this, would i need to take the tubes out of the reflecters? or what?
also is there a link or something i can see more about these t5 lights and all?
diagrams, pics and links would be very helpful in this as i hav no idea but hav decided with th t5 lights.

thank you

[jmhart]

with a settup like this, would i need to take the tubes out of the reflecters? or what?
also is there a link or something i can see more about these t5 lights and all?
diagrams, pics and links would be very helpful in this as i hav no idea but hav decided with th t5 lights.

thank you

You edited out the question, but I'll answer it anyway. I'm planning my setup to be high light high tech. My first scape will be a Dutch scape. My lighting will have the ability to go overboard....if I ever need to.

[Bk718]

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1418&osCsid=d923e5e30aa7bd2ccc556fff224f9864

(just for photos)