Need help with lighting upgrade on 30g tall

S

SJInverts

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May 24, 2009
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San Jose, CA
Hi Everyone,

I have a Aqueon 30g tall tank (24 x 12 x 24) with a Aqueon flourescent deluxe full hood. The bulb is a 18 inch 15 watt T8.

I would like to upgrade the light to medium/low light (basically I want enough light to reach the bottom so that low medium/low light plants can thrive). I don't want so much light that I have to use c02 and dose ferts all the time.

I will be replacing the full hood with a Aqueon glass top (versa-top). I would like a light that either rests on top of the glass top or that uses legs. I don't want to keep an open top for fear of fish jumping out.

What would be a good quality, fairly inexpensive lighting system that would keep the tank in the medium lighting range?

Based on the watts per gallon rule (wpg) I currently have a 15 watt t8 bulb divided by 30g tall tank = 0.50wpg. Which means a I have very low light.

<1 WPG - very low
1 - 1.5 WPG - low to medium low
1.5 - 2.0 WPG - medium
2.0 - 2.5 WPG - medium high ( Co2 injection might be required )
2.5 - 4 WPG - High ( must have co2)
> 4 WPG - Very High (must have co2)

Any recommendations?

I was thinking of the following strip light.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8&pcatid=13628

This light would give me 1.83 wpg.

I want good lighting lighting that will grow medium light loving lights, will not force me to use co2 and is not super expensive. If it looks cool that is an added bonus.
icon_biggrin.gif


Please help.

Thanks.
 
I'm still kind of new to lights n plants.
But...

Your tank breaks the wpg rule, about as bad as it can be broken.

With that said. The 55w pc could still work for what your trying to accomplish.

I don't use the wpg or inch(of fish)pg things.
But just to use it for an example here. I'd say it'd be around the equivelent of 1 wpg, with the 55w pc.
 
I thought there would have been a light guru or five posting here by now. Maybe some will see it today.

I'm still new to plants and have little experience... with alot of reading.

My thoughts and little experience.
Just going by the "no co2" part.
I'd say go with your first choice. The 55w pc.
Going with the 2-65's would most deffinately put you in the "co2 required" zone.
==============================================

The yada yadas....

Here's what I have experience with so far...

30g - 36" x 16 3/4". Around 14" from substrate to light.
96w pc + 30w flourecent.
1 DIY co2 bottle.
Snails

It went from.
This... (thats a 1" peice of anacharis in the red square)
Anacharis001.jpg


to...
Picture070.jpg

in two months.

Here's a 55 I've changed over to plants.(The plants from the 30g above)
48" x 20" (somewhere around 17" to substrate)
48" pc fixture, that has a 65w on each side.
+ the stock 15w fl on each side.
one DIY co2 bottle

Picture108AC1.jpg


Its growing everything from 3-5 kinds of algae, to plants. lol
Waiting on a phospate test kit to arrive today, before making decisions on how much of what ferts.


 
With (2x65watt) light fixture I would have 130 watts of total light which would be 4.33 wpg. However, with a tank that is 24 inches tall does the wpg rule apply?

Would this amount of light make my aquarium a high light aquarium that requires co2?
 
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