Centrum A to Z for plants?
- Thread starter FtwayneFish
- Start date
co2 will benefit any tank regaurdless of how much lighting is on it. Excel or diy co2 will speed growth up, if you have 1 wpg or 5wpg. Adding co2 will just make that much more a demand on fertilizing. Carbon (co2), lighting, and ferts are your 3 main building blocks for plant growth.
I can tell you that a left hand smoke shifter will work fine, if it's what you want to hear, you'll believe anything.
lol i c what you mean. i wasnt running with the idea since one person said it worked for them. but was curious if there was a success story lol. and i got ur point but whats a left hand smoke shifter?
jmhart what do you think of Darksoul's perfecto hood mod. im hoping to find out his is also 18.5" like mine.
jmhart what do you think of Darksoul's perfecto hood mod. im hoping to find out his is also 18.5" like mine.
sorry im soooo new to forums like. im not sure how to do that. i know if you go to mgamers2000 profile and go to threads started. then diy links mid way down. then go to the drip system link and the 2nd post is by darksoul and he has links to his projects in his sig? signature area. and the 2nd hood mod is awesome for me i think? the first is just led's. sorry. id appreciate it though if you could give me your advice. you rock!
These are the two things I saw in DarkSoul's sig:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123794
and
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123794
I'm not sure about the exact dimesions of your tank, but I don't think that will work for you. I think you said you have 18" to work with. At most(at most) you could fit 4 CFL's in that space, but probably only 3. Currently, the highest wattage 6500K CFL on the market is 27W. 27 x 4 = 108, or 27 x 3 = 81. Not going to be enough for you. According to the wpg rule, you need at least 110w over a 55g. Due to the restrike of CFL's, the poor reflection quality of any reflector you can DIY, and the depth of a 55g hex, the wpg rule doesn't work(as you know). Therefore, I would call 165w the minimum over that tank.
So, you need 6 27w bulbs = 162W.
Start googling combinations of DIY, HOOD, HEX, CUSTOM, LIGHTING, WATTS, PLANTS,etc....
And read, read everything you see. You may just learn enough to design/build it yourself.
Eventually, you will find a plan for a hex hood. I've seen one, but I don't have the time to find it now.
Again, this is all only relevant if you want to add ferts, co2, and lighthing all at the same time.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123794
and
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123794
I'm not sure about the exact dimesions of your tank, but I don't think that will work for you. I think you said you have 18" to work with. At most(at most) you could fit 4 CFL's in that space, but probably only 3. Currently, the highest wattage 6500K CFL on the market is 27W. 27 x 4 = 108, or 27 x 3 = 81. Not going to be enough for you. According to the wpg rule, you need at least 110w over a 55g. Due to the restrike of CFL's, the poor reflection quality of any reflector you can DIY, and the depth of a 55g hex, the wpg rule doesn't work(as you know). Therefore, I would call 165w the minimum over that tank.
So, you need 6 27w bulbs = 162W.
Start googling combinations of DIY, HOOD, HEX, CUSTOM, LIGHTING, WATTS, PLANTS,etc....
And read, read everything you see. You may just learn enough to design/build it yourself.
Eventually, you will find a plan for a hex hood. I've seen one, but I don't have the time to find it now.
Again, this is all only relevant if you want to add ferts, co2, and lighthing all at the same time.
I thankyou again Jeffrey.
But either i forgot to mention or it wasa missed. i am getting another lighting fixture for the other space designated on the perfect o hood.
and when you mention the "Currently, the highest wattage 6500K CFL on the market is 27W. 27 x 4 = 108, or 27 x 3 = 81."
are those thread in socket style? i only thought theres was 15w bulbs, so if there socket thats GREAT.
and yes i understand you have to have all three and all three to do any good. lol like a car. you cant have combustion without all three (air,fuel,spark)
if i have two hoods. and i could do 4 in each thats 216w!!!!!
but i think i would run 3 in each to stay down on the watts and it would be easier on space under the fixture. so with 162w i would start DIY co2 and trace ferts. only after i got my master test kit and checked everything. ive read about hardness and co2 and ph swings.
im thinking turn my airstone off (of course) during the day and crack it just a bit at night.
and whats ur opinion with the dawn dusk lights? like if i ran 4 in each i coulh have 4 on a separate timer to have 4 on at dawn, then 8 at day and then 4 at dusk.
think it really makes a diff to the fish? i.e. nobody i know does it? lfs, friends, etc.
but i do know the fish go nuts with light out and kinda when its lights on. there still all faded and asleep.
But either i forgot to mention or it wasa missed. i am getting another lighting fixture for the other space designated on the perfect o hood.
and when you mention the "Currently, the highest wattage 6500K CFL on the market is 27W. 27 x 4 = 108, or 27 x 3 = 81."
are those thread in socket style? i only thought theres was 15w bulbs, so if there socket thats GREAT.
and yes i understand you have to have all three and all three to do any good. lol like a car. you cant have combustion without all three (air,fuel,spark)
if i have two hoods. and i could do 4 in each thats 216w!!!!!
but i think i would run 3 in each to stay down on the watts and it would be easier on space under the fixture. so with 162w i would start DIY co2 and trace ferts. only after i got my master test kit and checked everything. ive read about hardness and co2 and ph swings.
im thinking turn my airstone off (of course) during the day and crack it just a bit at night.
and whats ur opinion with the dawn dusk lights? like if i ran 4 in each i coulh have 4 on a separate timer to have 4 on at dawn, then 8 at day and then 4 at dusk.
think it really makes a diff to the fish? i.e. nobody i know does it? lfs, friends, etc.
but i do know the fish go nuts with light out and kinda when its lights on. there still all faded and asleep.
So, with that second 18" hood, you could have 3 bulbs in each and reach a decent output of light using the CFL's.
The bulbs I am speaking of are the cfl that screw in, just like old incandescents. Wal-mart sells GE 6500K 26watt bulbs, 2 for $7.
Personally, I don't do the whole dawn/dusk thing. Both of my tanks are in rooms that light up slightly due to sunlight before my autotimer turns on the lights. Therefore, they get the "dawn" effect. As far as the dusk effect, I think turning the lights off suddenly isn't much of a problem. I've never noticed my fish stressing out over having the lights off. This is really a personal thing, plenty of people do it.
The bulbs I am speaking of are the cfl that screw in, just like old incandescents. Wal-mart sells GE 6500K 26watt bulbs, 2 for $7.
Personally, I don't do the whole dawn/dusk thing. Both of my tanks are in rooms that light up slightly due to sunlight before my autotimer turns on the lights. Therefore, they get the "dawn" effect. As far as the dusk effect, I think turning the lights off suddenly isn't much of a problem. I've never noticed my fish stressing out over having the lights off. This is really a personal thing, plenty of people do it.
