Questions on DIY cfl lighting and C02!

i use 6 100watt( 26 watts each) on a 29g tank to get medium high light and i have a reflector.

its alot of light but i wanted higer lighting, if you want low light the 4- 26 watt bulbs will be fine. youll be gettin around 1.5 watts per gallon with the 4 bulbs on a 55g.
these bulbs arent actual 26 watts because of there shape, you loose alot of light with there shape. there more like 20 watts each bulb
 
Thanks for the input. Im about to make a hanging fixture for the 55 so ill take that into consideration. Right now im using some HIGHLY polished metal reflectors on the 4 26w bulbs and they seem to be doing the job.

The guy that i bought my c02 reg from on Ebay emailed me the other day and said itd be a few weeks to a month before hell have more in stock. There were a few others on ebay but the sellers ratings and responses seemed shady, so i decided to go to a reputable store. I found one at BigAls but the pic is different from the one on ebay. Is this the reg i need?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU.../milwaukeeinstrumentsco2regulatorwithsolenoid

BTW-Ive been dosing with Flourish and Excel for the past few days and all but one of my plants have really taken off. My Anacharis pretty much hates it but i dont really care because that stuff is a dime a dozen.
 
Well i did some research and im pretty sure thats the right reg so i just ordered one. I guess ill just trade in one of my welding tanks for a straight c02 tank and keep it in the closet. The guy that was gonna machine an adapter for me was a friend and doing it in his spare time, but they just got a HUGE contract so he wont be able to do it for a while. I think a big bottle will fit in the closet so it wont be an eye sore.

I also ordered some good check valves and good tubing. What else am i gonna need to do this? That reg has a good needle valve and bubble counter so im good there. That should be it, right?

Also, does anyone have any input on injecting the c02 straight into the intake of an xp2? Ive read that Eheims do good with it, but Fluvals are prove to making weird noises and burping when doing it that way. I havent really found anything about Renas xp series though.

BTW-I love this filter. It cleared the water up in a day and its been crystal clear since then...and thats with the minimal media that they include with it. Im about to put in another 20ppi and 30ppi, more bio stars and a better polishing pad. Cant wait to see the results!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom