ooo nice, i didnt see that, thanks i will proably order from there withing the next 2 weeks, thanks alot
Don't know what kind of light to get
- Thread starter MMartini13
- Start date
Good deal
The AH Supply 36 watt kit that Rex suggested looks pretty reasonable at ~$58+shipping ($42/kit & $16/bulb). I looked into those kits but didn't have a fluorescent hood to cannibalize at the time, so I went with the double strip lights. Sounds like you already have a hood for this if you are willing to gut it. I should probably keep my eyes open at garage sales for cheap hoods in case I want to do this in the future.
I will say that the double strip light config has a few potential advantages over a single 36W CF (believe it or not). This includes the ability to stagger your light durations and mimic natural sunlight by turning on a single light in the morning, then later turning on the second for full afternoon "sun", then in the evening turning one off as the sun "goes down". Of course this could easily be accomplished with two cheap timers. Other possible advantages I've come up with include: 1. the ability to have two different types of bulbs 2. wider lighting coverage front-to-back (Since the AH kits in a standard hood are positioned either centrally or slightly back from center) 3. I find it handy to be able to remove either the front or back light when I need to get my hands in the tank (front or back), yet still have light to see 4. No technical skill needed for retrofitting. I'm not trying to downplay the benefits of CF, just saying there are other options.
Regarding ferts, personally I haven't needed them yet in my heavily planted tank since I've got Fluorite base to add iron, and CO2 injected. I dose lightly in my other tanks with Hagen PlantGro, but have no way of knowing if it is helping or not. I would suggest reading as much as you can about water column ferts before using them though. Of course if you are interested in the natural approach, get the book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. It is a bit of a technical read, but I've found it to be a good way to balance the "High-tech" approach to planted aquaria and the "Au Naturale" approach. I truly believe that utilizing the balanced approach has helped this tank thrive. I haven't lost a single fish in this tank since setup and it is fully stocked, if not a little over. I also don't do regular water changes on it (my readings are always perfect), or use the gravel vac (I can't anyway with all the plants). So when I'm doing my weekly water changes and vacuuming on my other 3 tanks, I'm grumbling, wishing I had done them all like my balanced tank.
Again, I mean no disrespect to Rex and the other experts, I'm just putting in my .02 cents based on my experience so far and from what I've gathered in books and in forums like this as well as resources like "The Krib". Of course, Having a brother that is a marine biologist doesn't hurt either since I can always pick his brain on certain aspects
.
Regards,
Geoff
The AH Supply 36 watt kit that Rex suggested looks pretty reasonable at ~$58+shipping ($42/kit & $16/bulb). I looked into those kits but didn't have a fluorescent hood to cannibalize at the time, so I went with the double strip lights. Sounds like you already have a hood for this if you are willing to gut it. I should probably keep my eyes open at garage sales for cheap hoods in case I want to do this in the future.
I will say that the double strip light config has a few potential advantages over a single 36W CF (believe it or not). This includes the ability to stagger your light durations and mimic natural sunlight by turning on a single light in the morning, then later turning on the second for full afternoon "sun", then in the evening turning one off as the sun "goes down". Of course this could easily be accomplished with two cheap timers. Other possible advantages I've come up with include: 1. the ability to have two different types of bulbs 2. wider lighting coverage front-to-back (Since the AH kits in a standard hood are positioned either centrally or slightly back from center) 3. I find it handy to be able to remove either the front or back light when I need to get my hands in the tank (front or back), yet still have light to see 4. No technical skill needed for retrofitting. I'm not trying to downplay the benefits of CF, just saying there are other options.
Regarding ferts, personally I haven't needed them yet in my heavily planted tank since I've got Fluorite base to add iron, and CO2 injected. I dose lightly in my other tanks with Hagen PlantGro, but have no way of knowing if it is helping or not. I would suggest reading as much as you can about water column ferts before using them though. Of course if you are interested in the natural approach, get the book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. It is a bit of a technical read, but I've found it to be a good way to balance the "High-tech" approach to planted aquaria and the "Au Naturale" approach. I truly believe that utilizing the balanced approach has helped this tank thrive. I haven't lost a single fish in this tank since setup and it is fully stocked, if not a little over. I also don't do regular water changes on it (my readings are always perfect), or use the gravel vac (I can't anyway with all the plants). So when I'm doing my weekly water changes and vacuuming on my other 3 tanks, I'm grumbling, wishing I had done them all like my balanced tank.
Again, I mean no disrespect to Rex and the other experts, I'm just putting in my .02 cents based on my experience so far and from what I've gathered in books and in forums like this as well as resources like "The Krib". Of course, Having a brother that is a marine biologist doesn't hurt either since I can always pick his brain on certain aspects
. Regards,
Geoff
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