I have a 10g want to make it planted
and the onle spec i no is i need 20-30 watts
what other specs does the light have to have
and the onle spec i no is i need 20-30 watts
what other specs does the light have to have
Don't know what kind of light to get
- Thread starter MMartini13
- Start date
i live in the north east
and i dont really have a budget but i try and stay in the median with the stuff i buy
and i dont really have a budget but i try and stay in the median with the stuff i buy
Also seeing as ur like the plant guy, lol, i was wondering what are all of the fertilizers i need?
A 40w power compact fixture would allow you many plant options. If you have an incandescent hood and don't want to change fixtures, then 2 15 or 20 watt screw in PC bulbs would work.
I'd shoot for something in the 6500K to 10000K range.
I'd shoot for something in the 6500K to 10000K range.
Aquatraders.com They have power compact lights and metal halide fixtures for real cheap. I bought 192w for $75 for my 45g that is the exact same light as I paid $300 for another 45g. The 65w light I got for my 20g was $25. They come in brown boxes with no warranty and no instructions but $300 or $75 you do the math.
Lots of options
I'm running three 10G's right now, all with slightly different lighting configs, all are working out for the plants in them.
First thing, what equipment do you currently have? Fluorescent hood, incandescent hood, strip light, nothing? I might have some suggestions for your current setup if you want to leverage what you already have.
If you are just starting out, might I suggest...
My very heavily planted 10 which has DIY CO2, currently has two 15watt stand-alone Perfecto strip lights (fluorescent). The strip lights were ~$23/per at PetSmart if you do a price match to their website. They come with an acceptable Eclipse "Daylight" bulb, one of which I traded for a slightly fuller spectrum philips bulb for ~$8 to give some greater range. I have an All-glass cover ($11), but am not currently using it due to my plants needing a bit more "head-room" since many are growing up out of the water. I've got no less than 14 species of plants growing in this tank, nearly all are flourishing. I will add that I have a full cover of duckweed as well, but that hasn't seemed to hamper the growth of any plants thus far. The only plants that haven't taken-off are a couple of sprigs of Cabomba that I tried to save from my daughters tank about 4 months ago before I injected CO2 and upgraded to my current lights. I thought they had died a while back, but they seem to be hanging on and I won't give up on them just yet.
I'm not an expert, but putting Metal Halide on a 10G tank sounds like overkill, expensive, and potentially tricky/dangerous due to the heat output. Of course you could mount/hang MH up away from the tank, but you would likely have to cover your eyes when you walked in the room
without an enclosure. For the amount of success I've had with my tank(s) so far with a varied list of plants, standard fluorescents seem the most reasonable and convenient when dealing with small tanks.
I'm running three 10G's right now, all with slightly different lighting configs, all are working out for the plants in them.
First thing, what equipment do you currently have? Fluorescent hood, incandescent hood, strip light, nothing? I might have some suggestions for your current setup if you want to leverage what you already have.
If you are just starting out, might I suggest...
My very heavily planted 10 which has DIY CO2, currently has two 15watt stand-alone Perfecto strip lights (fluorescent). The strip lights were ~$23/per at PetSmart if you do a price match to their website. They come with an acceptable Eclipse "Daylight" bulb, one of which I traded for a slightly fuller spectrum philips bulb for ~$8 to give some greater range. I have an All-glass cover ($11), but am not currently using it due to my plants needing a bit more "head-room" since many are growing up out of the water. I've got no less than 14 species of plants growing in this tank, nearly all are flourishing. I will add that I have a full cover of duckweed as well, but that hasn't seemed to hamper the growth of any plants thus far. The only plants that haven't taken-off are a couple of sprigs of Cabomba that I tried to save from my daughters tank about 4 months ago before I injected CO2 and upgraded to my current lights. I thought they had died a while back, but they seem to be hanging on and I won't give up on them just yet.
I'm not an expert, but putting Metal Halide on a 10G tank sounds like overkill, expensive, and potentially tricky/dangerous due to the heat output. Of course you could mount/hang MH up away from the tank, but you would likely have to cover your eyes when you walked in the room
without an enclosure. For the amount of success I've had with my tank(s) so far with a varied list of plants, standard fluorescents seem the most reasonable and convenient when dealing with small tanks.
The AH Supply 36 watt kit is an excellent option for a 10 gallon tank. www.ahsupply.com
As for ferts. You need NPK and micros.
Go to my Guide. Go to the Nutrient section. You will find everything you need there.
As for ferts. You need NPK and micros.
Go to my Guide. Go to the Nutrient section. You will find everything you need there.
I have a 20inch tank and on the site you showed i think the smallest is 24in. As for the post before rexs i have a flouresent light 15 watts and the hood is a 129v 19w 60hz
heres a picture of it
http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=imag0021pq8.jpg
heres a picture of it
http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=imag0021pq8.jpg
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