Lighting suggestions, please

romaric

romaric

prayers into outrageous dares
Sep 28, 2007
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Brooklyn, New York
boytiger.wordpress.com
Hi all. I'm getting a 20 long tank soon, my first. I've asked a lot of questions here, thanks for all the help.

The last thing I need is my lighting.
I'm going for a planted tank and would like some advice on lighting for a 20 gl long, please. I plan to have a few tetras in there, but mostly plants.
Do I usually need 2 watts per gallon? Is that true?

Thanks in advance!

romaric.

ps, I haven't been on in a while cause I was moving and couldn't set up my tank, but I'm all moved in and good to go!
 
What kind of plants do you want? That should be the starting point. Different plants need different lighting. 2 WPG should be enough for most plants, but on others it won't be enough. Take a look through Plant Geek for what plants you like.
 
hmmm, well, I don't really know what I want. I'm very new to this. Anything beginner and easy to maintain would be great. Can you suggest a plant/lighting set up for me? There are so many options for lighting, this is the last thing I'm getting hung up on and I'm ready to start!

Here are a few links to planted tanks I like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_v_socal/1234908647/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bereninga/317810126/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_v_socal/1234908647/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifecapture/275439176/

THANKS!!
 
all those tanks are nice and require med-high light especially with those foreground plants.. The light kinda depends on how much you are willing to spend. You can go with an ahsupply kit, coralife, current usa or even a diy light.. With all those you should aim at 2.5-3+wpg to keep those plants running..

But also remember its not just the light, its also ferts/co2 which made those tanks look the way they are right now..
 
Thanks for the info! Yes, I have fert and a co2 system on order.
I think I found some good lighting! Can someone confirm that this is a good buy for me, please?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13733&pcatid=13733

I'm looking into the 24", 130 watts, Includes a 21" 65 watt Actinic & a 21" 65 watt, 10000°K bulb
(Straight pin base)

that goes for $150.

Looks ok?

Biggest question!!! That lighting is 24" long and my tank is 30" long!

When I buy the lighting arms, will the lights cover enough of the tank??
that's 3 extra inches on each side, tank vs. lighting length.

Can anyone confirm that this is ok to buy?

THANK YOU!!
 
its not okay to buy.. If you are looking to grow plants then you need a freshwater light strip. Check out bigalsonline.com or seacorals.net and you will find a 30" FRESHWATER strip there. 1- it will fit your tank perfectly, no dark spots 2- it will be perfect for plants since bulbs are 6,700K
But are you sure you want 6.5wpg?? thats a bit 2 much and you risk algae bloom.. Why not try 65w (just an opinion, not trying to force anything on you)
 
oh thanks, dood!

No, I really do appreciate all the help! I want to get this as right as I can the first time around. Yes, that wattage did seem a little extreme!

I'll take a look at those sites, thank you!!!

If I can find a single 65 that's 30" long, that would be awesome!

:)
 
thanks bk828! (you're not in Brooklyn, are you?)

so, I found this on seacorals.net!
Looks like the one I need, whattya think?

http://store.seacorals.net/30co6aq65wsi.html

I'll just order a set of mounting legs and I'll be set.

Does this look good to you? 65 watts looks good...
 
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