How would you light a 60" plant aquarium?

J

john_doe101274

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May 10, 2005
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I am seeking opinions on DIY lighting options. My dilemna is I would prefer to use a 110 gallon tank with the dimensions of 60"x18"x22" instead of a 90 gallon tank with the dimensions of 48"x18"x24". With a 90 gallon tank, lighing would be much simpler as there are numerous shop light and bulb options. I think 60x22 is visually more appealing and slightly shallower, which may be helpful for a heavily planted tank. I will be attempting a heavy planting style similar to Dutch or Amano styles. (hopefully, I am a beginner with such designs) The tank will be housed in a wall with separate rear room access, so aesthetics are not a concern. I am interested in opinions on how to light such a tank using commonly available T8 or T12 products. I also should note that I prefer low replacement costs, and do not wish to regularly replace $30 bulbs. I am not considering more unusual lighting schemes at this time. (metal halide, etc.) Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Edit: I realized I did not make clear what is confusing me with regard to this lighting scheme. I cannot find 60" (or 30") light products that are commonly available. Perhaps 4-6 48" lights centered in the middle will be sufficient? Or 4-6 light staggered to each end? I assume I need thorough coverage, and lack the experience to make a quality lighting plan.
 
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If you're going to use 48" 40W bulbs, you're going to need 6-8. And I can tell you from recent and unhappy experience that NOF bulbs, like the ones you are suggesting, don't penetrate too far down into the water, perhaps 15" at best. I had 48" NOFs over 160 gallons of water, and they were only truly effective for the upper part of the tank. Anything on the substrate suffered greatly or didn't grow correctly until it got into the "zone."

Also, NOFs need to be replaced about every 6 months. PCs (or CFs, whatever you like calling them) need replacement only about every 12 months (or until the burn out, if you listen to some folks). Your replacement costs will be similar or even less with PC bulbs. You'll also be able to find ballasts for around the same price you'd find NOF fixtures. It may seem pricey in the beginning, but PCs/CFs are the way to go to ensure you don't have to upgrade again in the future.

But, it's your tank. A few months ago, I went down the same path you are suggesting, and have now switched back to my original light kit, two 400W metal halides. I should have just stuck with those in the first place. Like all advice, it is yours to take or to leave. :)
 
I understand your dilema. there are many low light plants that will grow with relativly inexpensive fixtures. (so long as you provide sufficient C02 and nutrients) I would go to a local hardware store and buy about 4 dual bulb 48" fixture ($6 a piece here) and then stagger them out
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this will give you the best coverage. and decent light (4 fixtures at 80 watts a piece =320 watts/110gal = 2.9 w/g-it will work
 
I think you have not thought this through. What do you want? Do you want a high light planted tank? How are you going to add carbon? What plants do you want to grow? What fish do you want to keep? What substrate are you going to use?

The whole thing needs to be in balance. Think about the whole thing all at once. There are trade offs at every point.
 
I'm pretty sure I've seen 60" fixtures from Orbit/Satellite (www.current-usa.com), you'd just need to swap the actinics for something more suited to plants. These are PC fixtures, not NO. PC is more expensive than shop lights, but for what you want to do, the initial outlay is worth it IMHO - if you want a Dutch style tank, with lush growth, lots of reds, etc. you'll need a fair bit of light. PC bulbs are pricey, but only need to be replaced every year or two and produce a lot more light per watt than NOs.
Ergo Sum is right, think about this as a total package - consider what type of planted tank you'd like, then tailor the lighting, substrate, CO2 and ferts to what you need.
 
With regard to the total package, yes I plan to attempt a high light planted tank. (My first) Carbon will be added with a Co2 injection system controlled by a pH controller. I have not decided specifically which plants will be kept, but some I will consider are as follows. I believe most of these are easy to keep, but I have yet to consider many others. Valisneria spiralis, Egeria najans (or densa), Lagarosiphon major, amazon sword, crypt sp. The fish will include a mix of small tropical community fish including cardinal tetras, blue tetras, rasbora heteramorpha, hatchet fish, corydoras, opaline gourami, blue rams, otocinclus sp., etc. I plan to use a 50/50 mix of flourite and gravel for substrate, and am considering substrate heating systems at this time. I have read that light penetration will start having problems nearing 24" rather than the 15" mentioned here previously. Once again I am no expert, but appreciate all your advice and opinions. I am also now considering a 125 gallon tank with the dimensions of 72"x18"x22".
 
Well it seems like a pretty good plan. I would think you could do that with cheap shop lights. At 125g you would need like 250 w. I take that to be about 8 lights minimum. What is that? Something like 2X8X8= 128$/y. For a good daylight bulb.

As opposed to four of these http://ahsupply.com/mcart/index.cgi?code=3&cat=4

Which are about 33$ or 132$/y. But this is more like 400w.

The biggest savings would really be in the fixtures.

I don't know if I have all those figures right or not.
 
Something to consider that has gone out of fashion since the introduction of PC is VHO's,I dont know a whole lot about them but fropm what I heard they run somewhat cooler than PC are a little cheaper and have near the same watts/output power.
 
VHO tubes are expensive and short-lived. IMHO, PCs are a better choice.

But large tanks need a bit lower watts per gallon than medium sized tanks and significant less than very small tanks.
 
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Probably your best high light solution would be T-5's. You will have to purchase all the parts separately (reflectors, ballasts, bulbs, hardware), as I don't think they make 60" complete kits (they do make 48" though). The 60" bulbs are 80w, and they are very potent. I would say 4 on the 60"x22"x18" would be more than enough. The bulbs are very efficient and burn very cool, and last about 2 years. The whole thing would probably run you around $400.

www.specialty-lights.com
 
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