48" tank lighting & marimo algae questions

[Dahlia]

Any opinions on whether the Formosa Deluxe 48" 260 watt light fixture on this website (http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/en-us/p_94.html) is worth the money? Also any idea if it comes with bulbs or if you buy those separate, I wrote the store an email since they aren't very specific with that or the dimensions of the fixture. Which sort of surprises me since this site seems of decent quality and you would think they would provide that sort of info.

As a side note, has anyone grown marimo algae balls? They seem very odd, also on this website. How slow do they grow?

*edit*
I received a very prompt response on my dimensions question. The fixture is 48" x 9" x 3.2" and includes the bulbs. The legs are separate... I am unsure what these are, are they necessary? What do they do? I am considering this fixture for a 55 gallon tank. It seems like a nice fixture to me but I have little experience so any input is helpful.

[Captain Hook]

I have no idea about those lights but they do seem pretty expensive. For a 4' long tank you could get 2' 55 watt lights from ahsupply. They would still cover the whole tank and give you a ton of light for much cheaper.

A 4 x 55 watt (220 total) kit costs $125 and a 6 x 55 watt (330 total) costs $185. I just noticed the bulbs don't come with these kits are like $20 each so I guess it isn't much cheaper if the package you find has bulbs included.

[Dahlia]

One of the main things I am concerned with is whether this is overkill on lighting since it would put me at about 4.7 watts per gallon. It claims to be great for high light plant set ups and ideal for a 55 gallon size-wise. I do want to have lush growth, but as a newbie I'm worried about stepping into an algae trap or something. Budget is a concern for me in that I will have to wait longer if I get something pricier since it takes me a while to save up for things.

[Dahlia]

I've decided to consider this light fixture for my 90 gallon instead of my 55s, and to use 2 twin strip lights for the 55s (which would be 160 watts total). Any opinions on whether that light would be good for a CO2 injected 55, though? Or if it will be a good choice on my 90 gallon? I'm considering combining it with the twin strip light that already exists on my 90 which would put me at 3.7 watts per gallon, does this sound excessive?

[Cearbhaill]

I bought a 4 PC 220 watt light for my 90 and it was way overkill- I never even turn on the two back bulbs.
I run a low tech planted tank with no CO2 and have great success using only 110 watts.

Edit:- I have three algae balls also. They stay nice and green but haven't changed size much in the several months I've had them.

[Dahlia]

I could get a triple tube all glass strip that holds 3 40 watt bulbs for around $100. If I added this to the twin tube on the 90 I'd have 200 watts, which is 2.2 watts per gallon. Is this enough for high light plants in a CO2 injected tank though? I thought I needed more for really good growth?

On my 55s, is 160 watts (2.9 watts per gallon) good for a CO2 tank?

[Kagh't]

marimo balls are a type of higher non-invasive algae. they're mainly from japan, and can reach sizes of a football within 10 years if given lots of light and fertliser.
they're best left to their own devices in a tank, where they'll rapidly find a place they like and sit there and grow. they take up nutrients from the water that algae would naturally thrive on, so they're good at keeping it down, not to mention they look really nice.
reproduction is done by budding. a parent ball will grow a smaller ball on it's side, which will eventually drop off and grow on it's own.

[Robert H]

You want between 2 and 3 watts per gallon of water. Anything higher than 3 watts per gallon you have high intensity light which will create very fast growth and be demanding for ferts and C02.

The legs for this fixture raise the light about three inches above the tank. It is also hinged, so it allows you to flip the fixture up so that you do not have to remove the fixture to get inside the tank.

These fixtures are used on an open top tank. A glass cover is not needed because the fixture has its own cover over the lights. This fixture should NOT be used inside a canopy. It has three built in fans to keep the temp cool inside the fixture. When using the legs the rest of the heat will disapate. PC bulbs do not make that much heat any way, as compared to Metal Halides and others.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/media/48formosaflipup.jpg

The legs themselves fit on the frame of the aquarium.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/media/48formosa.jpg

I like having this semi open top tank. It allows me to see floating plants and plants that flower out of the water.