New Tank - need help/opinions

[doughsing]

You could go w/ some floating plants like hornwort, anachris, and water sprite. If you plan on having driftwood or lava rock in the tank, you could add java ferns and anubias, which attach well to that decor. All of these are low light plants and do not really require CO2 unless you increase the wattage of light in your tank. HTH

 

[pedzola]

I guess I am just used to having tanks with no plants. They are easy to maintain, and I'm used to the routine, you know?

Maybe I will consider live plants.......

So does that mean I should stick with the compact fluorescent fixture I had picked out? Just so I have the option of live plants in the future?

Does anyone have a better idea?

 

[hurricanejedi]

Well whats nice about most fixtures is that the light they give off won't be adequate for plants but you can always retrofit it later. I have a light fixture that came with my tank and I'm about to outfit it from ahsupply. So until you get interested in adding plants I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[pedzola]

So whats to stop me from getting the coralife fixtures and just putting really crappy bulbs in there?

lol


I just don't understand lighting... every tank I've gotten before has had lights included with it. The only factory lighting option for this tank is some kind of hood for something rediculous like $500.

I'm just confused... at least nobody has knocked down my filtration idea. Thats way more $$ than lights. lol.

 

[budrecki]

There are no low watt compact compact fluorescent bulbs. I don't mean to dicourge, I just don't want to see you posting in a few weeks "HELP! I have tons of algae everywhere" lol

 

[pedzola]

My trusty algae scraping brush is a hardened veteran of many battles. lol

Maybe I will just prop a couple flashlights on top of my tank and hope my little loaches don't go blind in the darkness....


lol.


I am going to see what is the lowest watt bulbs I can find for the coralife fixtures. Let me know if anybody's got any leads for me. Thanks.