Beginners Lighting Question (please help)

[Leto]

I am currently in the process of trying to cycle in my first real tank. (my family has always kept a fish tank around, but I never had...now they are scattered all over the country and I am pretty much alone here and would like to start one.)

Anyway...I would very much like to start an aquarium with some live plants to make a happy home for some fish.

I have a 20 High tank with a HOB filter, average rough gravel from Petsmart. (The tank is an All-Glass tank with the standard All-Glass hood with a single light in the light strip fixture.)

The first and biggest problem as I see it is my stock lighting.....a single 18" 15 watt flouresent tube. ...which gives me only 0.75watts per gallon

Believe me, I have read article after article after article and they all say the same thing "Just get more wattage per gallon!"

Great! How?

Probably a really silly question, and I'm sure for all you vetrans out there the answers are obvious and abundant....for a total newbie like myself though I feel absolutely lost :help:

Is the only way to add decent lighting to a tank to go out and spend 80-200 bucks on fancy new lighting fixtures? If so, I may need to just give up on the idea as I would need to find a more economical solution.

Note: I don't really want or need to go full out and have an aquarium that can support high light requirement plants - I would be more than ecstatic just to be able to have healthy Java Ferns and maybe even Anacharis or Java Moss or something.

I can only assume that just about everybody who gets into planted aquariums has to deal with the lighting issue early on.....the 0.75wpg stock lighting in my tank is just absolutely pitiful for plants

I would really appreciate any advice on this issue.

 

[reiverix]

I was just looking at this light when I read your post. I've been thinking about it for my own 20g. It should be fine if you want to grow low light plants without spending a whole lot.

 

[zazz]

Leto,
I have the SAME question. thanks for asking it. I have kept many tanks for a long time, but never got very involved with plants and what is stopping me is this very question!.
ty Reiverix, for that lead. so.. a different light fixture Is the only answer? Anything cheaper?
FYI Leto, I have always had java ferns, java moss and anacharis do ok with the single flourescent that comes with the hood. No added nutrients, no special substrate. With the exception of the anacharis, I cat sayany of these thrived, but they did ok.

 

[Loachkeeper]

I got my 4' dual bulb T5 lamp at my best local dealer for $70. It's a blue white spectrum, which is what I was told is needed for plants, and it seems to be getting the job done.

 

[Leto]

I was just looking at this light when I read your post. I've been thinking about it for my own 20g. It should be fine if you want to grow low light plants without spending a whole lot.

I wonder how that one compares to this one: All-Glass Twin-Tube

Also curious if either (or both) of those fit the standard all-glass hood...I have seen other all-glass hoods listed for sale specially for the twin-tube lighting fixtures but I don't know if it is a difference in design or whatnot. (i.e., would I need the different hood to go with the different lighting fixture)

Either of those would get me up to about 1.5 watts which I think would be ok for the basic stuff I'd be happy with.

 

[djlen]

If you can afford $40 for something here's the way to go IMO:
http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

Check out the literature on why either of these kits are much better than the standard lighting that are mentioned above and for similar money, and you really have to consider them. Installing them would require a bit more work, but it is not a difficult job. All the hardware is included and if it will fit into your present hood, I suggest you consider them as an option.
If you'd rather spend even less and have 26 watts, which would be quite adequate and less money, you could go with a 2X13 watt bright kit on another page.
Compact Fluorescent is a better way to go and especially with those AH designed reflectors. Search the site and see what you think.

Len

 

[jeep8rus]

I'm not an expert, but today I installed the kit djlen linked from ahsupply. Take some measurements, but it sounds like you have the same setup I had. I ordered the 55w kit with a 36w bulb. The only difference between the two kits is the size of the reflector. Because they use the same ballast I can upgrade to a 55w bulb later if I add a lot of high light requirement plants later on.

It only took me about an hour to install the kit and the instructions were fairly straightforward. No soldering required since they included all the wirenuts, nuts, and bolts.

Total cost for the lighting kit and bulb was $66.23 and it got here about 3 days after I placed my order.


My tank is a 20 gallon 24x12x16. It used to use 18" bulbs.

If you don't mind having suspended lighting, you can also check out home depot for hanging fixtures. I didn't do that since I don't have anywhere to mount the lights.

-Russ