Freshwater Tank Lighting

Randillio · 02-24-2010, 01:30 PM

Hello everyone....

I am not new to being an Aquarium enthusiast, but I am however new to aquarium lighting. I've always had issues with lighting in my tank and wanting to grow plants to interact with all my fishes. I have a 120 GAL tank (60" x 18"?? x 24" deep) and I need sufficient lighting. Can someone please give me suggestions on what I might need?? I don't know if metal Halide is the "right" way to go or if T5's or other High Output lighting is sufficient for my deep tank. From my gravel to the top of the water line is about 21". 60" fixtures are rather difficult to find now-a-days, but my tank has a divider in the top of the frame. Basically 2 x 30" fixtures would work too.

Thanks,
Randy

Jay · 02-25-2010, 07:32 AM

Hey Randy...Welcome to the forum.

The subject of lighting an aquarium for plants can be very technical and confusing for a beginner. The interaction of Light, Substrate, and Nutrients including CO2 also come into play.

IMO the first decision needs to be whether you are going to have a high light - high tech approach which results in rapid lush growth or you just want to grow some plants maybe some large centerpiece swords etc.

The next is budget, you can go either way and buy lights that match your dollar resources. I have been successful with plants for years and am a proponent of "no one particular light source is best".

There are however a number of factors to be considered, too much information to be covered in a first post and the experience and opinion of other members will also be valuable to you.

Jay

Randillio · 02-25-2010, 11:45 AM

Thanks for the welcome.......

Regarding the CO2... well, I figured I will start with proper lighting, then look into some form of CO2 if necessary. I don't want a green tank, just some pretty freshwater plants. If I decide to go with a green tank, I will have to do more research later. I am afraid to add CO2 to my tank right away and the effects on the fishes... I want something relatively easy and fairly maintenance free. I don't want to be checking levels every day to ensure everything is healthy... and if there is a failure somewhere... I don't want my tank to go crazy and everything die... that would be horrible. I sometimes travel for 2 weeks at a time and would be afraid to have a disaster happen in my absence.

Cost... I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on these systems either... I would prefer to keep the cost reasonable and do what is best for my fishes and have some nice healthy plants too.

You know??
Thanks,
Randy

Jay · 02-26-2010, 06:42 PM

Two feet deep is a concern but not impossible. I would look at t-5 or at the least compact floursent in the 65 watt per lamp. I would also look at a kelven rating above 6500. These lights are not cheap, probably mid range.

Check out Fosters & Smith aquarium supplies/ Marine Depot under lighting. You could probably start out with 2 30" 2 tube CF fixtures.

Jay

Randillio · 03-02-2010, 11:00 AM

Thanks Jay...

I'll have a look a the website. I was told that I should be looking into MH if I want to penetrate the water at those depths (22-24"). As long as I can get some nice plants to grow in the tank, I'll be happy. Obviously if I could get some beautiful greenery growing it would be better... but I'll be happy with any growth. All I get now is about1 week of the plant surviving, then they are bald (from fish eating them and uprooting them). It's sooo annoying. So you think my best option is a T5 (other than MH)? It will penetrate the water best?

Randy

Judge · 03-02-2010, 11:12 AM

I may be way off, and I defer to Jay because he is the most knowledgeable when it comes to plants/lights, but I have never heard of anyone using metal halides for anything other than a full blown reef tank. They are expensive, produce unbelievable amounts of heat and watch your electric meter spin!!!

ok, after further research it does appear that they can be used for big time plant growth...hmmm, who knew. My guess is that T5's or any HO type lighting would do for most plant purposes.

Randillio · 03-02-2010, 03:37 PM

Does anyone know the "correct (most effective)" Kelvin rating I should be using? I've read all kinds of ranges, but I don't see how 6,500 - 18,000 narrows it down. I would love to keep the fishes happy and the plants too.

It's funny, (on a side note) I've purchased lighting from Pet Shops for over $30/bulb (T-12), now I find a similar bulb at the Home Depot for $4. I see they also have T8's available with 6,500 Kelvin ratings and also T8 plant growing bulbs (and aquariums) 2,700 Kelvin rating. It doesn't specify the nanometers, but I wonder if these bulbs will work on my old hood lighting system (55 gal fry tank). I was thinking of using one of each bulb in my old 2 bulb hood fixture.

Thanks again for the correspondence lads... it does help alot!!

Sincerely,
Randy (newbie)

Judge · 03-02-2010, 06:06 PM

Your welcome...lads??? Singular, the other would be a lass.

Jay · 03-02-2010, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Your welcome...lads??? Singular, the other would be a lass.

Aye the wee lass from Arkansas is a bit gender sensitive <- I'll only mention this once

.

I agree with judge...metal halides is a bit of overkill. IMO t-5 will work...you may want to be in the 8 - 10 k range for depth penetration. You also need to be sure you have full spectrum daylight tubes.

Jay

Randillio · 03-03-2010, 02:45 PM

Well..... sorry "Judge" I didn't read anywhere that you were male or female. I don't want you to think I am "gender" discriminatory, I do appreciate your input also.

Thank you too Jay... I don't know where to get "full spectrum" bulbs or even how to find out what the full spectrum of the bulb is or should be. Any suggestions? Is there or are there ranges I should be looking for?

Are there T5 HO bulbs or VHO bulbs... or is it all overkill and T5 is just a T5? Do you know of places that sell replacement bulbs for these fixtures that don't rake you over the coals (like a lighting shop or a Home Depot type)?

Randy