Lighting Help

[Reneegadeprincess]

Bought an Aqueon 55 gal kit. Lighting is standard 2 seperate tops. Would this auction be a good replacement as I now have several variety of live plants.
Do i have place a top on tank between light or leave uncovered?
48" T5 Aquarium Light Hood Freshwater Discus Plant 216W LED Lunar Fan Legs Timer | eBay

Thank you

 

[adeebm]

That'll be more than enough for most plants. You might get algae issues with that kind of lighting and no CO2. That's what happened to me. You don't need a cover on the tank, unless you have fish that jump. The light should come with mounting brackets, so you can leave it uncovered or put in a glass top if you want.

That fixture is made by Odyssea, and if you look here, there are some lower wattage fixtures from the same company that should do the job. It'll save you some money if you don't want to go high light.

--Adeeb

 

[Reneegadeprincess]

Should I do the 3 bulb unit? Tank is 18" deep
Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting

 

[adeebm]

Yeah, that will work. What plants do you have/plan to keep?

--Adeeb

 

[Reneegadeprincess]

Currently have Wisteria,water sprite,swords,Moneywort (Bacopa Monnieri), Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden'

Want more

 

[mfdrookie516]

Even 3x is going to be overkilll for those plants. I'd look for a single or 2 bulb, preferrably with the ability to run one bulb at a time. 2 bulbs might require pressurized co2.