3rd time around, lights

bluemeate

bluemeate

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Sep 9, 2008
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okay so this is my third thread about lights and im slowly getting an idea of what is going on.

so i dont really want a lush planted tank, i just want a tank that has live plants... something for the fish to swim in and around, therefore i dont want a super high tech setup with co2 injection and t5 lighting and all that, but i do want plants in there, and maybe even have some that grow a little bit.

so i noticed that the fish stores sell these tube lights that will usually be named like plant gro or something retailing around the 20-25$ range, but home depot has some tube lights for like about over 10 dollars that say "for aquariums and plants" are these basivcally the same? would just two of these be fine for keeping over a 55gal tank? i think that would cap me off at like 1wpg. but yeah are those home depot lights sufficient?

also

right now i dont have a hood for my tank, can i just use one of those aluminum shop lights and hang it over my tank from a chain above the tank? would water being below at all present a problem for a regular shop light fixture?
 
bluemeate said:
the fish stores sell <snip> plant gro or something retailing around the 20-25$ range, but home depot has some tube lights for like about over 10 dollars that say "for aquariums and plants"<snip> would just two of these be fine for keeping over a 55gal tank?

<snip> can i just use one of those aluminum shop lights and hang it over my tank from a chain above the tank? would water being below at all present a problem for a regular shop light fixture?
Click to expand...

The short answer is...a shoplight is a good start for lighting a 55G. You can hang it far enough above the water that it won't get splashed and it will be fine. For lamps, I suggest "daylight" lamps, not the so called "aquarium/plant" lamps which tend to be quite pink-ish (and more $$)

That should get you enough light for low-light plants.
 
i dabble in the low tech planted tank department, i use just regular flourescent fixtures and no co2.

ive found that the 6700k bulbs are the best for growing plants and the actual "plant light bulbs" are not very good. id recommend hagen's life-glo2 bulb.

u can hang the light above the tank but i recommend purchasing a glass top and putting the lights on top of that. they will help slow down the evaporation from the tank as compared to having an open top. also you wont have to worry about fish jumping out of tank.
 
i like the open top

ive found that the 6700k bulbs are the best for growing plants and the actual "plant light bulbs" are not very good. id recommend hagen's life-glo2 bulb.
Click to expand...
how much do those bulbs tend to go for at LFS
 
itsanobsession said:
i dabble in the low tech planted tank department, i use just regular flourescent fixtures and no co2.

ive found that the 6700k bulbs are the best for growing plants and the actual "plant light bulbs" are not very good. id recommend hagen's life-glo2 bulb.
Click to expand...


I have some life glo 2 tubes I purchased 75% off on closeout. They work fine. However...they retail at ~$15-18 each and are made in China.

I have also used Philips Daylight Deluxe lamps from Home Depot. They are 6500K, and work fine. ~$8 for two and made in USA.

Easy decision for me.

Another option is the Philips Natural Sunshine 5000K lamps, also ~$8/two.

For a broader spectrum you could run one 6500K and one 5000K in the same fixture. If $$ is tight, just get a 2-pack of the daylight tubes for now.
 
good info

i'd like to add that i also like the ge shoplight bulbs. same thing... daylight or day and sun.

an easy outlook on medium size tanks...

low light = 2 shoplight bulbs as long as the tank
high light = 2 t5 bulbs as long as the tank
 
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