Catalina Aquarium Light OR Nova Extreme??? Please Help!:)

2 bulbs of HO light is going to put you in the high light category, easily. Without CO2 you may be facing a difficult balancing act, have you seen many high light tanks without CO2? Successful? :) But like you said you can always use just one bulb, it'll hurt your spread a little but it's better than an algae crisis. The catalina fixtures have gotten great reviews, and rightfully so, but may I also suggest checking out fishneedit.com. They make things custom if you want a 3 bulb 4ft fixture too and you'll find the prices appealing.

Good Luck!
 
andyjh said:
I've got that some 3x54 watt fixture on my 75 gal. I use two of the three bulbs. (which can sometimes grow enough algae!). Ive never even needed to turn on the 3rd bulb.
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Could you post a pic of the light and how bright all 3 bulbs on are.

thanks
 
myswtsins said:
2 bulbs of HO light is going to put you in the high light category, easily. Without CO2 you may be facing a difficult balancing act, have you seen many high light tanks without CO2? Successful? :) But like you said you can always use just one bulb, it'll hurt your spread a little but it's better than an algae crisis. The catalina fixtures have gotten great reviews, and rightfully so, but may I also suggest checking out fishneedit.com. They make things custom if you want a 3 bulb 4ft fixture too and you'll find the prices appealing.

Do you have any recommendations on what co2 system to use, and any specific model.
I have never used co2 before.

Anything good under $100.

I am only 14 and on a budget.
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Here you go: This photo based on a good camera histogram and a reasonable representation based on my calibrated monitor. (fish are my hobby, but I'm a Prof. Photographer by day!) Hope this helps.
Andy

catalinalights.jpg
 
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the 65k's are to yellow/green for me. one bulb is a good idea and is bright enough for me.
i have bought the aquatek regulator off ebay and the co2 tank of aquariumplants.com with good results. if you want the best then im sure someone will chime in.
i still have the reg in use for almost 3 years now with no problems
 
With your size tank pressurized CO2 would be the most effective but it is an expensive startup, $200+ easily. I wouldn't use any other method for this tank honestly, it is either ineffective, a lot of hassle, very costly over time or all of the above.

Additional CO2 is not required though if you keep the lighting lower. Keep things simple whenever possible! Or at least until you have enough saved up to go pressurized. :cool:

Why are you looking to do more light than you have in previous tanks?
 
1 x 6500k and 1 x 10,000k on your double bank and 1 x 6500k on your single bay. i think your eyes and your plants will thank you for it. ;)

catalina fixture... hands down.

there is nothing good when it comes to co2 under $100. some folks try diy to avoid the initial investment cost, but most quickly realize it's limitations and struggles and opt to push/save for pressurized. don't skimp out on your regulator, either.

2 t5ho bulbs on a 72 bow WILL NOT provide an exorbitant amount of light. it may be considered high light... but just pushing into that range barely... which is not bad... even without excel or co2.
my 50 gallon (a few inches shorter than your 72 in height) has 2 t5ho bulbs, no co2 and no algae... 2 bulbs should work just fine for you... and if it's too much (and you get the catalina fixture) you can switch back and forth between 1 and 2 bulbs until your burn in period is over... then 2 bulbs should be just about exactly what you need.

maricide 14 day can be used as a substitute for excel until you can afford pressurized co2. you should get good results from that without breaking the bank buying bottle after over-priced bottle.

also... over time, pressurized co2 is the cheapest, best investment for growing your plants. the initial cost is a good hunk of coin, but re-fills and maintenance, price of running, etc. is MUCH lower than anything else you can do for your tank. cheaper than running your lights over time. cheaper than constantly adding excel, ferts, changing filter media, etc., etc. ... and your plants grow like mad... then you can sell them to help with your electric bill, costs of maintenance, etc..

EDIT: also, a good read... http://www.tropica.com/advising/technical-articles/biology-of-aquatic-plants/co2-and-light.aspx
 
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andyjh said:
Here you go: This photo based on a good camera histogram and a reasonable representation based on my calibrated monitor. (fish are my hobby, but I'm a Prof. Photographer by day!) Hope this helps.
Andy
Click to expand...

Thanks
The Picture helped.
Nice Tank. Plants look very healthy.
I just have 1 question.

Do the mounting legs come with the fixture or did you buy them separately?

thanks
 
myswtsins said:
With your size tank pressurized CO2 would be the most effective but it is an expensive startup, $200+ easily. I wouldn't use any other method for this tank honestly, it is either ineffective, a lot of hassle, very costly over time or all of the above.

Additional CO2 is not required though if you keep the lighting lower. Keep things simple whenever possible! Or at least until you have enough saved up to go pressurized. :cool:

I will probably keep the lighting lower until I save up enough to get some co2.(I'll buy the 3X54 watt catalina fixture, and use only 2 of the bulbs until I get co2)

Why are you looking to do more light than you have in previous tanks?
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I am looking to do more light than I have in previous tanks because I want a heavily planted tank, and want to try it. Just to see how it is. I did have my ten gallon as a high light tank for a while because I bought high watt wall attaching desk lamps from IKEA that gave me 90 watts on my ten gallon and I did this without co2.(just a weekly dose of flourish excel) The plants outgrew the tank, and I couldn't put the high light plants into my 20G High because that had a stock lighting hood.

thanks


EDIT: I will probably get the 3X54 fixture and run 2 out of the 3 bulbs until I save up to get a Co2 System :D

I will probably have all the supplies I need for the tank ordered by the end of this month(march), and start the tank up by the beginnin of May.

I will probably have enough money to buy a good co2 system by September.
 
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