Yet another start-up question (type of plants and lighting)...

[MichiganMan]

The background:

30g high tank - same footprint as a 20g (24w x 12d) but taller, in this case 24 inches high.

Will be my first tank. Planning some "riverbed" type pebbles for substrate (this substrate came with a different tank I bought but never set up).

The tank came with an all-in-one Eclipse hood/light/filter.

The plan:

Building my own hood, as I have HOT Mag 250 HOB cannister filter I will be using. So my tank will be somewhat overfiltered, not that that is a bad thing.

The hood will be 1x4's, and I'm tentatively planning to have it hinge all the way across the top, either 1/2 way or 1/3 of the way back. To provide lighting, I'm wondering if a single 1x55 Bright kit from AH supply will do the job for lighting. Since it is my first tank and my first planted, I'm planning on easy care, low light plants. The 55w should give me almost 2w/gallon (I know there are other considerations as well) and the reflector should help with the extra depth on this tank.

Plant-wise, I would like and need some taller plants to help fill the vertical space. As noted, I'm a noob so please advise accordingly...

There will be no CO2 at this time but maybe in the future. I used to brew my own beer and am well familiar with how CO2 gets produced as a yeast byproduct.

I'm planning to mix some Flourite dark with the river pebbles, both to assist the plants and to darken the substrate a bit. I've also purchased one set of the Mini Garden Pack Tank Planters from Riparium Supply and plan to use these for some of my plants - easier to re-scape as I figure out how I want it to look.

Any thoughts and comments are more than welcome!! I'll be journaling the build in either the general or newbie forums once I get rolling.

Thanks,

MM

 

[dundadundun]

if you're dead set on using the 55 watt kit i'd do something like this hood here... http://www.ahsupply.com/diy.htm ... and add the hardware to hang it to make the height ultra adjustable. reason being i think that much light above your tank is going to be too much for your goals. however, with 24" in height i can't see t8 bulbs doing much for your plants either.

i think italian vals would make a perfect background plant for your setup. they should reach right up to the top and lean over just slightly without growing out of control blocking your light.

another thing to consider (especially if you don't want holes in your walls or ceiling to hang your light) would be nice floating plants. red root floater or frogbit would make for enjoyable displays even from the bottom and help to cut back on some of the light penetrating into your tank to keep things manageable. it is likely, however you MIGHT need to fertilize to keep them happy, so keep that in mind.

there are a lot of plants that would be suitable for your tank. i suggest picking up something of a plant pack from someone in the marketplace here. preferably from someone with a low-light or non-co2 tank if at all possible.

hmmmm... if i think of anything else, i'll check back later.

have fun with it and definitely link your build thread right here if you can.

 

[MichiganMan]

I took a swag at the 55w set-up, as it fit the space guidelines. I could go with the 36w just as easily (actually, would probably be easier to fit it...). I'm just not sure how much light I'll really need, and my thinking was that I would set the light on a timer - 55w for 6 hours = 36w for 10, roughly speaking. Of course, I could be talking out of my hat, which is why I posed the question.

One of my drivers is that the hood has to sit on top of the tank, and I want the top to be hinged with enough space to do vacuuming and feeding chores without removing the whole top.

My plan was to build something like this:

www.plantgeek.net/articles/hoodarticle/hood.jpg


but with the lid sectioned either in half or 1/3 (opening) and 2/3 (fixed). I could then mount the light fixture on the fixed part, but would still have an opening of 4-5 inches across the front of the entire tank.

 

[tanker]

PS--Your dimentions are for a 25gal not a 30.

IMO--A tall tank is not easy to plant. You need to look for plants that grow tall and not need lots of light. Good luck.

 

[MichiganMan]

PS--Your dimentions are for a 25gal not a 30.

IMO--A tall tank is not easy to plant. You need to look for plants that grow tall and not need lots of light. Good luck.

According to the calculators I've used, 24h x 24w x 12d = 29.9 gallons, so I'm confident it is in fact a 30g tank. The height will definitely be an issue, kind of why I was thinking that a bit more light (the 55w) will be OK in this tank.

 

[scooba]

The 55w kit from AH supply is good, I have the same one and it's still working beautifully.

Just a tip so you don't make my same mistake..the instructions say to leave the protective plastic film on the reflector until final assembly. Just don't forget to remove the plastic film before installing the bulbs, else the heat bonds to the plastic making removal a pain.

 

[J-P]

totally depends on the plants...
if you can obtain a variety and see what does well. Compost the rest.

Sometimes the quick growers aren't always the best but they are good to start to get the tank balanced.

 

[dundadundun]

i think the 55 might actually be a better fit... depending what plants want to take hold for you under the 36 and what doesn't. however this would be based on easy height adjustment. either way... with such powerful lights (either of them being they're both pc) you'll want some distance between them and the tank for best results. say 6"-10" minimum.

beings you're just starting off with your first planted, i highly recommend having the height of your lighting adjustable. got algae... raise the light ---> plants unhealthy... lower it.

if you're dead set on putting an immobile hood on there, i'd go with the 36 if you really want to use the kits. i, personally would probably just use 2 clamp lamps with ge 6500k daylight cfl's to get me started.

orienting the bulbs towards the back of the tank may prove to create dim spots in the front making it hard for your shorter plants to get the light they need. something to consider.

for this tank... being taller than it is deep... i'd definitely consider a heavy valisneria "theme". http://www.tropica.com/advising/plant-articles/vallisneria.aspx

mini twister near the front... biwaensis near the mid-back area... spiralis against the back wall... and nana as an accent plant maybe on either side of some hardscaping. throw in a couple smaller, ineresting crypts... some needleleaf java fern and maybe a small bunch of stem plants and you're good to go.

you cannot make up for light intensity by adding more hours. either it's enough for the plants or it's not. just an fyi.

if you are going to go with that design i would not alter how the top opens... unless you're adding a fascia board to the top. i would just mount my lights on the middle portion.

ugh... it's to early... fizzling out quick... i need COFFEE...