55 Gallon Woes

W

water_wako

AC Members
Oct 18, 2007
107
0
0
Canada
Last year I tried to keep a planted aquarium (55 gallons that measures 48"X12"X20") with the guidance of my Local Fish Shop. I had a miserable time. I wasn't told what I needed and not given proper advice. So I took down my aquarium. BUT I really want to get back into planted aquariums. I was thinking of having:

* the 6 gallon bucket of AquariumPlants.com's own: Freshwater Planted Aquarium Substrate
* DIY yeast CO2 generator with the Aqua Medic Aqualine CO2 reactor

I was bit unsure for what filter I should go for though. I was thinking of a canister because I heard that the power filters aren't that good for planted aquariums. Is this right? I was also think of going with a Aqualight power compact lighting (2X65W) or a Nova Extreme T-5 fixture (2X54W), but I didn't want a glass canopy because the light would penetrate in the water better. Is this enough light for most plants? Is one better than the other? But,
biggrin.gif
I found T-12 shop lights at my local Home Depot. They are on sale as well.
cool.gif
They can hold 2X40W bulbs. But they a shiny white reflector, but not silver. If I got two of these fixtures, would the 160 Watts be enough for a medium light setup? I would have to put a glass canopy down though. Or should I go with T-8 lighting if I am going the shop lighting way? They do sell these polycarbonate guard tubes that fit right over T-8 bulbs. Here's a link: http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I3647080/name/guard_lamp_tube_clear_4_t8
I could also see if the hardware store sells T-5 fixtures too.

One last question: what fertilizers should I use?

I have read some articles... But, I am most confused.
confused.gif


Thank you for the time and consideration.
 
either the PC or the t-5 would be fine as long as you get bulbs in the right color spectrum . (6500 to 10K) usually fit the bill.. either plant lights or full spectrum lighting.

if you go with T-5 with good reflectors you should be fine too.
and you should be able to grow most aquatic plants with the exception of a few that require high light.
keeping the wattage at this level you may not need much fertilizer and may not need CO2 tho the plants would prob benefit with it..
btw usually the formula is NPK(nitrogen. phosphate and potassium) these are the macro nutrients. most others are micro nutrients.
 
So I would be able to grow a wider variety plants with the 108Watts of T-5 light over the 160 watts of T-12 light?
 
Riiz said:
I would say yes, if it has a decent set of reflectors.
Click to expand...

This is not true. More watts is always better (again depending on spectrum and type).
 
tanker said:
This is not true. More watts is always better (again depending on spectrum and type).
Click to expand...

T5/T8 output more lumens per watt, so T12 to T5 are not on a 1:1 ratio with eachother. Plus T5s usally produce more light, especially with higher quality fixtures since each bulb has an individual reflector, outputting more light per watt than a shoplight or basic aquarium strip.
 
water_wako said:
I guess I will get the Nova T-5 fixture. But I also saw the Sunlight Supply Sun Blaze fixture. It has 4 bulbs instead of two. Do I really need the extra lighting or would it be a bad idea in the end (make my aquarium more difficult to run)?

Here's a link:
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/...BLAZE&title=Fluorescent Lighting&type=product

Thank You.
Click to expand...

If you buy the 4 bulb fixture, it could be useful for growing plants that have a higher light requirement, but I wouldnt run more than 3 bulbs outta 4 on a 55gal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom