CFL Question???

S

Seasand

Sean
Apr 26, 2008
80
0
0
Millport, Scotland
I`m wanting to change my light system in my DIY hood.At present I have an Arcadia Original Tropical FO36 (48" T8 ).
I have tried to keep plants without any success as they keep dying on me.Spent too much money to watch compost being made!!!:rolleyes:
My tank is 54"L x 12"W x 18" H which equates to just over 50 US gal or 42 UK gal with a pea gravel substrate. Filter is a Tetratec 600.
I want to go for CFL`s but don`t know how many and at what wattage and again what plants to go for?
Looking for Idea`s please!!! :wall:
 
Before you change your bulbs I would recommend you consider changing your substrate instead. Pea gravel isn't doing you any favors. If it were my tank and I didn't have any money to spend I'd pull out the gravel, put down a layer of potting soil and top it off with the original gravel, enough to keep the soil from floating up. If I wanted to spend some cash I'd change out the pea gravel for some Eco-complete.

You should be able to grow low light plants (Aponogetons, Cryptocorynes, Anubias, Java ferns, etc.) with the bulb you have. If you want to bump up to medium light plants I'd recommend doing at least 2-3 watts per gallon.
 
Seasand said:
Hi Dr. Awkward,
thanks for the reply. I`ve not heard of using potting soil before.Is it the same as a multi-purpose compost?
Click to expand...

Yes, as long as it doesn't contain any fertilizer sticks or additives and hasn't been exposed to pesticides. You want soil that looks like dirt. If you already have some lying around just spread it out and pick out anything that doesn't look like dirt. You'll also want to pick out any larger pieces of wood.

Try doing an internet search for "Diana Walstad" and you can find a lot of very good information on this style of tank.
 
How much eco-complete would I realistically need for the size of tank that I have and is it ok for higher light level plants?
Sorry but new to this as you can probably tell !!!
 
Get or make a CO2 generator, and you'll have your plants growing out the top of your tank. As long as you have decent light and good substrate.
 
Wait...

What bulbs are you running on your T8 Fixture?
Before you do anything else, get some 48" T8 Daylight bulbs.

If you're not running daylight or full spectrum bulbs then that is most likely your issue

Fluorescent bulbs do lose power over time, so if you have old bulbs, more than a year, its time for replacements anyway.
 
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