And so it begins....again after about a 4 year hiatus

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ina1032

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Jun 12, 2008
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There is another piece of wood supporting the bottom of the edges, if you look close enough. It really IS sturdy. But I will consider what you're saying as well.
The light fixtures that you see sitting on top of the 55 are, I assume, what you would consider traditional fluorescent light bulbs. They aren't very bright and I would imagine they aren't functional in terms of growing anything. They DO work, but they buzz, so either the bulbs need replaced or the whole sha-bag needs thrown out and a new lighting system purchased.
I have done some very preliminary research on plant light systems. Seems like a T5 system would be good, you think? I've priced them and the LFS sell complete systems for upwards of $129. Is there a cheaper way to do this? The systems they sell come with light bulbs that don't mention anything about being rated for plant growth.
I was thinking something like this and then buying my own bulbs. What do you all think? Again, total noob here. I don't know anything about growin' no plants. ;-)
 

dougall

...
Mar 29, 2005
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There is another piece of wood supporting the bottom of the edges, if you look close enough. It really IS sturdy. But I will consider what you're saying as well.
The light fixtures that you see sitting on top of the 55 are, I assume, what you would consider traditional fluorescent light bulbs. They aren't very bright and I would imagine they aren't functional in terms of growing anything. They DO work, but they buzz, so either the bulbs need replaced or the whole sha-bag needs thrown out and a new lighting system purchased.
I have done some very preliminary research on plant light systems. Seems like a T5 system would be good, you think? I've priced them and the LFS sell complete systems for upwards of $129. Is there a cheaper way to do this? The systems they sell come with light bulbs that don't mention anything about being rated for plant growth.
I was thinking something like this and then buying my own bulbs. What do you all think? Again, total noob here. I don't know anything about growin' no plants. ;-)
I'm not seeing anything supporting the tank... that would be my concern, not the shelves themselves.

as for plants, you'll likely do better with a single 48" fixture that spans the tank, you will probably want to lose the current hood and either go open-top or glass tops.

the spectrum of the bulbs with that fixture should be fine for growing plants, but you might want to change based on how they make your tank look, but definitely not necessary for growing plants.


might also want to consider beamsworks LEDs too...

or do you not have a budget? the folks at Build My LED should be able to help you out :)
 

ina1032

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Jun 12, 2008
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Haha, yes, I most definitely DO have a budget.
As for the 55g tank, I probably will get rid of (or at least put aside and use as an emergency backup) the two hood lights and get glass tops (I can't do open top, I have cats and I don't trust them). Like I said, the lights buzz and aren't in the best condition.
How effective are LED's for plant growth vs. standard plant bulbs? And what are the price differences between them both? With LED, if one of the LED lights goes out, does that affect ALL of the LED's or just the one? How easy are they replaced? Do they put out a lot of heat?
 

Tifftastic

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Sep 9, 2008
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From what I have read and had experience with the LEDs that you are going to buy for cheap at something like Home Depot or any pet store are not going to be useful for growing plants. You are going to need specific type of LEDs for that. If you buy an LED light bar from a pet store, you are not going to be able to replace just one light very easily and the cost is pretty high. They don't put out a lot of heat or use a lot of electricity. Using the T5s that you found on Ebay will give you a lot of light, but also a lot of heat. . .however you can easily replace the bulbs by purchasing them from Home Depot/Lowes/any home improvement store, which will save you money in the long run. The important thing to remember is that the more light you have the more ferts and CO2 you are going to need as plants need a balance of all of these to thrive. I highly suggest starting with low light/low maintenance plants if you have never done them before and then maybe upgrading as you learn/gain experience. But that is just me.
 
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