Help with a freshwater 29 gal setup

S

Slinger11

Registered Member
Oct 29, 2009
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Hello. This is my first time trying to do a planted tank. My current tank has a lot of plastic plants and I think it is time for a change. I have spent the past few weeks reading the forums and tried to figure out some information on my own but was hoping I could get some advice to make sure I am going in the right direction. My current hood is an 18 watt that came with the tank and I know would not grow much. The lights I was looking at getting were:

Coralife Aqualight High Output T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X31W, 30 inch
http://www.marineandreef.com/Produc...=RES08601&HistoryRemove=420&historysingle=YES

or

Current USA Nova Extreme T5 X2 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X24 Watt, 30 inch
http://www.marineandreef.com/Nova_Extreme_T5_Aquarium_Lighting_Current_USA_p/rcu01137.htm

I am looking to do medium-high light plants and wanted to know if these would be a good choice. I am also going to use DIY CO2 to start out. I was going to do one 2 liter hooked up with one of those red seas things cause my friend had one laying around for free. Would this be too much CO2? I may dose ferts I am not sure at the moment what plants I was going to have and if they would need it.

I also wanted to know if one 10,0000K Daylight Lamp and one Actinic Blue Lamp would be the correct light setup for leafy plants if I went that way.
Would that setup give me a good balance of light to grow the plants and how long would I need run them each day?

Tank Params.
The gravel is normal LFS gavel
Temp is 77 degrees

Tank is cycled and is home to:
10 neon tetras
3 yoyo loaches
2 panda corries
1 bn pleco

Any comments would be great thanks.
 
I'm sure others will chime in, but for starters the Actinic bulb won't do anything for your plants. You want either 6700 or 10,000.

I have a 65Watt over my 29, and it seems to work out pretty well. If you want mid-high light plants you will probably need a stronger light than what you have posted. My plants grow slowly when they are short, at the bottom of the tank.

DIY CO2 should work. You don't have to worry about overdosing with DIY. I did this for a while as well, then I got a pressurized set up, just a lot easier.

Ferts will help the plants grow a lot, I saw a huge difference when I started, but you probably don't need them......depending on what you get for your lighting set-up.

That should get you started.
 
I like the new Coralife 30" fixtures, because they have very nice coverage and wattage for the unlucky plant people with 30" tanks. But I would change the actinic to something more beneficial for planted growth, something from 6500k to 10,000K. DIY CO2 can work, but most agree that multiple bottles with be alot more consistent, atleast 2-3 bottles, with one switched out every week or sooner depending on yeast/sugar ratio.

Another thing as you get your tank going, I would run one bulb until your CO2 system is consistent. Then run the second bulb a little more each day, watching out for algae and that your CO2 and nutrients level remain consistent and adequate. I recommend not running total lighting longer than 8 hours total.
 
Riiz said:
I like the new Coralife 30" fixtures, because they have very nice coverage and wattage for the unlucky plant people with 30" tanks. But I would change the actinic to something more beneficial for planted growth, something from 6500k to 10,000K. DIY CO2 can work, but most agree that multiple bottles with be alot more consistent, atleast 2-3 bottles, with one switched out every week or sooner depending on yeast/sugar ratio.

Another thing as you get your tank going, I would run one bulb until your CO2 system is consistent. Then run the second bulb a little more each day, watching out for algae and that your CO2 and nutrients level remain consistent and adequate. I recommend not running total lighting longer than 8 hours total.
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:iagree:
i completely agree with everything riiz said. especially about running multiple bottles for diy. if your co2 levels fluctuate too much you get bba. i would start one bottle this week. next week attach another. the week after attach another. and the week after that, disconnect the first one you hooked up and replace it. every week there after, replace the old bottle.
and DONT forget the ferts
regular old gravel can be used but isnt the greatest for roots. and the plants that dont have roots tend to float away on you. you can pull it off but most people end up changing it out for something better. a lot of people even use pool filter sand. so its up to you... i would put money on you eventually replacing your substrate though
 
and take it easy. gradually increase your setup. its easier to prevent algae growth than it is to get algae out of your tank
 
Ok. This information is very useful. I am glade I asked before I went and bought anything. Maybe high end plants are a bit beyond my reach since I am capped at around $125 dollars for the lights. Maybe I will try medium to low level light plants until I get a good handle on plant growing and then maybe decided to try higher level plants when I get more experience and money.

I guess now the question is can anyone link a good price for lights that would work with my current monetary situation. I do not want to hang the lights and would like to find one I could put over the back of my tank I have a hood with a glass top for the back and a plastic hood for the front. I would like to get the most bang for my buck but I seem to get confused with all the different types of fixtures out there. Would the links I posted be good for medium low light plants or are there better options out there. Barefooter and Riiz, you both said to run one 10,000k and one 6,500k light or something between those ranges. Do I not need the red or blue lights to get good plant growth? Also do legs make the light more efficient?
 
Hmmm... do you need the hood as you described? A cheap way could be to get glass cut at a glass shop and then hunt for a used coralife fixture. I have seen some for about $40-50.

You don't need the acitinc or red "plant" bulbs. And you may/may not want legs. I don't use them for my tanks...
 
I do not need a new hood. I have one and am happy with it. Do the legs make a difference beside effecting the area the light covers?
 
Slinger11 said:
I do not need a new hood. I have one and am happy with it. Do the legs make a difference beside effecting the area the light covers?
Click to expand...

Yes, the legs also help keep the lights form over-heating by allowing more airflow than if the lights were directly on the hood.
 
Jspigs said:
Yes, the legs also help keep the lights form over-heating by allowing more airflow than if the lights were directly on the hood.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. Maybe I will use them then. Does anyone recommend one company over others for bands of lights?
 
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