Mr_Pat

ok well i have seen this site once or twice but never actually signed up i guess.. but i could use some advice on lighting..


I have a 195 Gallon tank.. < and a bunch of others> but I am trying to find a way to get a good amount of light going in this tank so i can get some plants growing.. any thoughts or ideas on good lighting for a tank this big?

I purxhased an old Halide light from a local aquarium shop.. owner of the place sees me often and generally has some second hand odds an ends laying around.. which is the cas with this halide.. he gave it to me for $100 and its a 450 watt light .. or thats what he said anyway.. the only thing is .. does this light provide the right spectrum for plants ????


the only problem with this tank is that someone siliconed a 1/2 thick piece of clouded glass in the center of the tank.. that takes up roughly 18 inches or so of the top center of the tank.. so getting light to the center is a little rough..

Any help would be killer



Pat

Jay

Hi Pat...Welcome

Lighting a Planted Tank.

To be successful with a planted tank it is the intensity and duration of the light not necessarily the spectrum that is important.

Metal halide light(s) is fine, I like the way it makes the water appear to shimmer.

Intensity (and EVEN distribution THROUGHOUT the tank) is going to be your challenge.

Two watts per gallon in the VERY minimum for success. 450 watts/195 gallons is approx 2.31 watts per gallon and gets you in the ballpark, but I'm willing to guess that it will only illuminate 1/2 of the tank sufficiently.

You might want to check out these two sites for ideas or product. I deal with both of them and they come with a ton of good will from experienced plant growing folks.

Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits

Hellolights.com

You might want to rethink the Metal Halide and go to Compact Fluorescent which is going to be much cheaper.

Hope this helps a bit.

FYI I moved the post over to the planted tank forum.

Regards,
Jay

Mr_Pat

Excellent thanks JAy.. so of the lights i am seeing .. do i want the 50/50 or the 6700 K lights ???

Jay

hey Pat!!

No you do not want 50/50 for a freshwater tank. Those lamps are more favored by reef or saltwater keepers.

The "K" (Kelvin rating on a lamp) is the color we humans see as approaching daylight. It is entirely a personal choice of how your light looks to you in your living room on Thursdays . I prefer 8500 to 10000 K because it is closer (for me) to noontime sunlight and just pleases me (sort of clear, slightly blue) 6500K (to me) is a little too yellow/green. Best I can do!

K has very little to do with growing plants succussfully. The other 50 in 50/50 is blue light which is favored by coral and live rock saltwater keepers.

Regards,
Jay

Mr_Pat

HMM ok .. WEll i was just trying to figure out which was the best one for plants .. i always thought that since i am not providing true sunlight that there was a certain type of light which would be the best for them.. thanks for the tips.. AS of right now i'm really only working with java maoss to start since it is supposed to be pretty easy to grow and isn't that picky about its lighting.. < and because i had a small amount of it in another tank and its growing so well i have plenty to start in the big tank>

Pat