Lighting question for 30 gallon Planted tank

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sundragon

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Dec 8, 2010
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Hi Guys, second post. Noob here :)

Specs:
Plants Amazon swords, Java fern, Onion plants, Red Foxtail, and Wisteria.
I dose with Seachem Excel (every other day) , Flourish (every 4 days), Iron (every 3 days) on a weekly basis.
No CO2, though I've thought of getting some.

I upgraded my 30 gallon x-high tank from the 15w T8 bulb to a Zoomed 48w T5 HO one week ago...

The T8 bulb that came with the starter kit was obviously too low for plants, but the swords, java, and onions survived and grew slowly - The Wisteria (grew well), - the foxtail is dying - I'll probably remove it if it doesn't revive.

I suspect the 30 min to hour of morning sun that hits the tank makes the difference.

I upgraded to the 48w T5 HO to breath some life into the plants - I want a natural planted tank, and I want to add babies breath/foreground plants that are more demanding to cover the gravel.

So here goes: 48w for a 30 gallon tank makes it about 1.6 watts/gallon, a bit on the low side. I have seen a Coralife 65 watt 24" fixture that would increase my lighting to above 2 watt/gallon. The Coralife fixture is also about $40 cheaper after shipping.

http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/2465wattaqualightfreshwaterbycoralife.aspx

1. Will the light make a difference, is it worth returning the Zoomed light for the Coralife fixture? I can't find any specs on the lux/lumen output for the 21" compact florescent bulb in the Coralife unit to compare it to the 2 T5 HO 24 watt bulbs in the Zoomed unit.

2. Any cool foreground plants that you recommend for this setup. I want grass like coverage, not too demanding for a newbie.

3. Should I breakdown and do CO2? How much should I spend and what specs should I look for if so. I would do lowtech CO2, but I don't want to deal with stinky yeast - the tank is sitting in my living room and I don't like clutter :)

Thanks again :)

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DJDrZ

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Jul 31, 2010
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Collegeville, PA
I got this. I am a no expert, but I guarantee you will be inundated with some variant of this response:
You need to address your nutrients first, and CO2 is a crucial nutrient for plants. Lighting should be the LAST to be addressed.
I would add the CO2, and spend for what you can. You could DIY on a tank this size and be pretty successful. Once you start doing it though, you will eventually go pressurized, everyone does just about. I did DIY on my 72G, but just went pressurized. However, in terms of the DIY, it doesn't stink because it is a closed system (or should be).

Let me also add, I like your tank alot.
 

rockhoe14er

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Jul 19, 2010
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you have plenty of light for that tank. In fact you might have too much. 48 watts of T5HO is plenty of light for a 30 gallon. I agree with DJDRz he's got the right idea. If you want more growth in your planted tank first add co2. If you still want more then add some fertalizers, If you still want more then add more light. You should do it in this order.

Since you already have a lot of light i would raise it about 8 inches above your tank and have a photoperiod of 6-8 hours a day. Just make sure you keep dosing excel and you should be pretty happy.

I will always suggest co2 if you have the money. You should look to spend around 150 dollars on a tank and regulator.

You can get a really good one if you actually put the regulator together. I just got a victor dual stage regulator off ebay for 99 cents (I still don't know if it works). You just need a regulator, needle valve, and solinoid. Also you need to make sure you get a drop checker (this is a way to measure you co2). If you are interested in more advice about regulators and how to build them look for any post from leftc he has great advice and really knows what he's talking about. He has posts that can tell you how to easily create a 400 dollar regulator for close to 150 dollars.
 

sundragon

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Dec 8, 2010
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Thanks for the feedback!

I appreciate your feedback and the compliments. I'm trying to do it right the first time.

"Too much light" Why are there so many sites that post 1 watt/ gallon as low and 3-4 watt/gallon as high and recommend medium high light for plant growth? It's a pain to get that much wattage into 24" without spending a ton and using Marine equipment.

I will look into CO2 and Leftc's posts. Any recommendations on brands or models? I don't want to spend a lot, but if it's worth going straight to CO2 injection instead of yeast, I will make the transition.

Any suggestions for easy foreground plants?
 

Left C

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Jul 21, 2005
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Burlington, NC
Herns got a brand new Concoa 212 series chrome plated two stage regulator for 99[FONT=&quot]¢ on ebay about a year ago. He was the only bidder too. It happens.
[/FONT]
 

Left C

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Jul 21, 2005
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Burlington, NC
Herns got a brand new Concoa 212 series chrome plated two stage regulator for 99[FONT=&quot]¢ on ebay about a year ago. He was the only bidder too. It happens.
[/FONT]
 

sundragon

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Dec 8, 2010
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Washington, DC
Makes sense

watts per gallon is an old rule the only applies to T12 lighting. If you have T5HO that produces close to 4 times the amount of light from less watts. This bulb is much more efficient.

dwarf sag is a good foreground plant that grows pretty easy.
Got it. I'll take a look at the Dwar Sag! Thanks
 
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