Lights? CO2? ACTION??

[andytwite]

Hello all,

Even tho' I said I wouldn't get into CO2 and upgraded lighting, I find that the irresistable lure of spending yet more money (well some) on my aquarium is proving too much!

So, I'm thinking about upgrading lighting and adding CO2 and have a few questions:

1. My hood only has a single fluorescent bulb so I know I need to get that changed if I want to get some decent light in my tank. The tank is 29gal and I've read that 2-3 watts per gallon is good for plants. Options:

a) Double strip standard fluorescent fitting as in here and here .

However, because it seems like 20W bulbs are the max I can get for my size tank, that would only work out at approx. 1.4WPG.

b) Compact fluorescent - not sure about going this way - looks expensive and may be outside of my current budget.

So with lighting - is the double bulb setup going to be sufficient? Will I even need to add CO2? What happens if CO2 is added at lower light levels?

The CO2 route: either DIY as in the sticky post or thought maybe something like this which esentially looks like a glorified DIY setup.

What do you guys reckon? I turn to you all for advice and guidance.

 

[anonapersona]

Light sources

On my 29 gallon I have a 55 watt retrofit from AHSupply.com. The lights are great, the kit is great, the coverage of a 24" bulb on a 30" tank is OK, not great but OK. Only when the apongeton ulvaceus gets growing tall do I notice the dark edges and corners at the top. 1.8 wpg is fine, I grow a lot of stuff and have DIY CO2. If you add CO2 to a lower light tank, you will still see improvements.

I had double tube 24" flourescents on a 20High (24" long) and did not like them, too dim. I have triple tube 36" flourescents on a 36 inch tank and that is great. Double 24" tubes on a 30" tank will not be very good, too dim and too short.

A pair of 36 watts from AHSupply might be better. A 65 watt strip light from any of several vendors might be better. A pair of 55 watts from any of several vendors would be a bit much for me but many people think it is great. Look at AHSupply, PetSupplyLiquidators, and the regular sources... BigAl'sOnline, DrsFosterSmith, PetSolutions, ThatPetPlace, there are other sites but those are a few to begin with.

You are looking at something near $80 to $100 to upgrade the lighting, maybe more. Be sure that you get what you need, it is painful to spend that much and then end up ripping the guts out of it for a retrofit anyhow.