Lighting a big tank

How experienced a plant grower are you? If you go past 3W/gal PC w/good reflectors you are going to be driving the plants very hard and fast, so will have to do multiple frequent supplements to keep nutrition up to light available. If it were my tank I'd juggle the tubes selected to stay below 3W/gallon, likely 2 - 2 1/2W/gal. then w/CO2 and other mineral supplements you have a bit more cushion for fine tuning without running on the edge all the time but strong and reasonably fast growth.

Have you ever read any of George Booth's stuff? He advocated that sort of program years ago and was largely ignored or scoffed at in favor of more wattage and higher feeding rates. Now many folks are coming to agree that George was very close all this time and are changing to less intense light.

http://www.frii.com/~gbooth/AquaticConcepts/
 
;) RTR, I've been doing that sort of thing for about fifteen years now with great results BUT with NO tubes -suplemental pressurized CO2 and minimal daily dosing of commercial ferts, using Booth's ideas that were published in FAMA around that time. I haven't had a tank up and running now for over a year because my wife and I sold our house back then and we are totally renovating our new one. I've never used PC before, so that was the main jist of my original question. You've confirmed what I've been thinking all along. I want a tank thats going to look great and exhibit strong growth BUT not have to be pruned every other day because the growth is "explosive". Thanks for the link. . . Thanks for everything.
ROY
 
For the 135 option:

A good method is using only one bank of the lights for 4-6 hours and then the other for the whole day's 10-12 hour peroid.
Bend the reflectors out so they spread out more and strike most of the floor, the reflectors from A&H are narrow so they will shine well on a small band, but if you have fewer bulbs, bending the reflectors outwards some will spread the light out better

If you plan on this, built into the wall, CO2 gas tank, Flourite, Onyx sand substrate etc, you can do well with this set up.
You can go with 6x 55w also or for the 100 gal, 4x 55w.

I'd go for the 135, 4x 96w and then up the lighting after the tank is well grown in and you have a good feel for everything, till then, just use the 2x96w and see how you like it. Then you can add more light with the other bank.
You are right on the border line with light but 2x 96 w will grow most things, 260w on a 125 gal grows anything I know of.



Regards,
Tom Barr
 
Roy - Just FYI if you have not been back on the boards for long - Tom Barr/Plantbrain is currently one of the horse's mouth folk in the planted tank world, you are quite safe following his advice. He has even gotten an old coot like me to change a few of my techniques...;) Not all, I'm still a holdout on some things...:o
 
I wouldnt use PC at all. I hate PC bulbs. Use VHO, HO T5, or MH (which isnt that much more expensive at all really)
 
Slip - Don't those lamps you mention need changing more frequently than PC? I was under the impression that they do. . . PC's having a much longer useful life that VHO or halide lamps. Don't know much about the T5's however. . . aren't PC's just a bent U-shaped T5?
RTR - yes Tom was around when I was here posting much more than I do currently. I always read with great interest what Tom has to say. He and I even had a discussion of Owen Jefferies from "the old days" of FAMA. Owen was one of the contributing editors in FAMA in the late 80's - early 90's, who IMO really contributed to what planted tanks have become today. He and his column just disappeared one month and no one seems to know why. . . it's still a mystery after all these years.
ROY
 
Originally posted by ROYWS3
Slip - Don't those lamps you mention need changing more frequently than PC? I was under the impression that they do. . . PC's having a much longer useful life that VHO or halide lamps. Don't know much about the T5's however. . . aren't PC's just a bent U-shaped T5?
Click to expand...

PCs need to be replaced about once a year, certain MH bulbs can last ~16 months. VHO bulbs last about 8 months, but are generally cheaper than CF bulbs.

CFs are usually T6's bent in half. The bending causes alot of light loss for two reasons, 1. the brighest part of fluorescent bulbs is the middle of the bulb, and that part is cut in half on CFs, and 2. The two parts of the bulb are so close that it is impossible to direct all the light downward as you can do with linear (straight line) fluorescents.

T5 bulbs should last at least 18 months.
 
Tom Barr holds that PCs last indefinitely, but most folks don't seem to push that. The abillity to direct light downward for PCs, as for NOs and HOs & VHOs, is a function of the reflector. IMHO, the AHSupply Miro relector is by a substantial margin the best on the market for directing light downward into the tank.

Also IMHO & IME HO & VHO is dying technology, and I will not miss it a bit. Others still using such are welcome to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom