Need a few tips on 55 Gallon Planted

Pofke13LT

Pofke13LT

Dr. Funkenstein
Oct 1, 2010
121
0
0
Grayslake, IL
Real Name
Povilas
I am slowly starting to get my new 55 gallon ready to be a planted aquarium with some Cichlids... It has two 18" T8 bulbs 15watts. One of the bulbs is blown out so I figure might as well buy two new ones because I have no idea what kind of bulb came with it. I have decided to do pool filter sand for the substrate. I am also doing the DIY 3D rock background from that foam stuff. As far as DIY CO2 would 2 2L bottles be enough for the 55 or should I do 3? What should I look for as far as bulbs go? Some people seem to say 6500k is fine other say it will promote algae, so what should I get?
 
which cichlids are you considering? There are a few (few too many) that will rip plants into pieces...

For CO2.. When I used DIY CO2 on my 55g I used about 2 3L bottles and even that wasnt really enough to support the plants. It also depends which filtration you are using (canister vs HOB filter).
And for lighting.. Not sure which plants you wish to grow but focus first on the wattage needed to support the plants you desire. Its good to start at 2wpg (110watts total) for the tank.
 
For my 72G, I have 2x2L bottles going. I am pretty happy with the results, but I have a fish tank with plants, not a planted tank with fish. I think my CO2 levels are ~15ppm or so, I dose dry fertz, and I have plants doing extraordinarily well. Some people on here will tell you that you can't do DIY with tanks as big as 55. I say it depends on the results you are looking for.
 
You will probably need more lighting. You have 30 watts / 55 gallons ATM, you will probably need around 90-100 watts of lighting. And 6500k bulbs are fine... But it alldepends on what plants you want :)
 
i think a 6500 k bulb is fine. I agree you will need more light. get a couple of T5HO lights and you're good to go.

You can get a shop light from homedepot and put that above you tank too. There are a lot of cheep ways to get more light.

djdrz has a good point. Are you trying for a planted tank or a fish tank with some plants because those are two very different tanks.
 
Thanks for all the responses. It is going to be a fish tank with some plants. I was thinking convict cichlids, but am open to suggestions.. I am not sure what kind of plants I am going to do because I have never really had plants before, also open to suggestions. Must be fairly easy to grow. For filtration I will have a Bio-Wheel 350. I just wanted to make sure that I could just throw in a higher wattage bulb in there without worrying about the hood going up in flames lol..
 
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