Best plant lights for a tall aquarium??

Well, since its pretty deep, i would go with T5 HO to get the most depth light penetration. I would use.....................

catalina aquarium lighting fixture
just email them, they make great low price custom fixture, and u have 2 options, high light or low-med light. High light requires Co2 usually, or there will be lots of algae growth, med-low doesn't, and ferts help a lot. flourish excel is a great liquid fert.
 
What level of lighting are you looking for?

If low then a normal output T5 would be fine. If medium a single bulb T5HO. If high a dual bulb T5HO.
Halide would be overkill for a freshwater tank at moderate depth (that really isn't extremely deep).
 
The problem is that hex tanks are not only tall, but often not wide enough to accept a T5 without having it overhang. Metal halide and LEDs are your best choices if you need really bright light, power twists would work for moderate intensity.
 
It is a tall tank and right now had the original lid and single florescent bulb light fixture it came with. I have basic plants right now, some wisteria, some type of grass, 2 anubias and a moss ball and a banana plant. Its a lot, I know! But right now its my only fish free tank so I'm using it for plant quarantine. My substrate is aquarium plant soil and crushed coral because I want this tank to be for my apple snails!!
 
SubRosa said:
The problem is that hex tanks are not only tall, but often not wide enough to accept a T5 without having it overhang. Metal halide and LEDs are your best choices if you need really bright light, power twists would work for moderate intensity.
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I agree. Because of shape of the tank, metal halide would be the best fit if you want high lighting. They get the best depth penetration for a small area. Or, for moderate light, you could try a large cfl twist grow bulb (you can get them at hydroponics stores and such). Might have to make your own housing for it, though.
 
I'd go Vals or Cyrpt balansae, maybe make a nice driftwood center piece......then Powercompact FL light......maybe Excel to get things growing well for the first 2-3 months.
An 18- W PC light is pretty small, they sell a number of smaller lights for PC, T5's are good/better, but will not fit the dimension. Metal halides are not appropriate.
This aquarium is not that deep, it's about average.

Hexes are tough because they have very little surface area, which is tough for O2 exchange and lighting.
So big filter, good surface movement.......flow etc, and PC lighting will get you where you want to go fairly well for reasonable $.
 
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