Okay, so I am breaking down my 24 gallon aquapod reef tank and setting up a planted tank. My lighting options are 1x96 watt power compact light or a 1x150 watt metal halide, which would be the best choice. I dont plan on keeping any real difficult plants.
Lighting for my planted tank
- Thread starter dkoernert
- Start date
The 96watt PC looks to be the lesser of two evils, can you raise the lighting at all?
Another thing, do you own these fixtures already or are you buying them soon. If its the latter, fishneedit.com has a 70watt Halide for pretty cheap and I personally use one, and recommend them. Since most people hang them, its makes it really easy to control lighting levels.
http://www.fishneedit.com/75w-metal-halide-pendant-ligh75.html
Another thing, do you own these fixtures already or are you buying them soon. If its the latter, fishneedit.com has a 70watt Halide for pretty cheap and I personally use one, and recommend them. Since most people hang them, its makes it really easy to control lighting levels.
http://www.fishneedit.com/75w-metal-halide-pendant-ligh75.html
if you want to keep it simple, using either of those will be too much light for 'simple' although i am sure it can be done. my .02
With 96W you're going to have to use CO2 or find some way to lessen the light. If you want to keep it simple, sell both fixtures and use the money to buy something with around 50W of light.
Screening the light will help if you can find that perfect amount to screen out. Even then, you're just wasting electricity on 96WPH vs. 52WPH.
This is probably your best bet with controlling algae, since you can stagger the lighting periods.
