Proper lighting?

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Aphexic

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
18
So I have a 20gal long tank and have lots of plants in it. But, I don't know what kind of lighting would be good for it. I don't know what the plants are called, so I'll just upload a picture for you guys to see.

I was looking at these two. Would they be good for my tank?

Amazon.com : Recessed Full Aquarium Hood Color: Black, Size: 30" x 12" : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Marineland LED Light Hood, 30-Inch by 12-Inch : Aquarium Lights : Pet Supplies

Picture of my tank
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The first light doesn't say what wattage of bulbs it has but I do not think they come with very plant friendly light. It would be low light at best. The second one I do not believe has enough strength for anything but low light plants. Most stock hoods come with very low light. Some you can just get better bulbs and increase the efficiency.

I use this light on my 20 long tank. Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting It comes with not so great bulbs but they would work fine for that size tank. On deep tanks they do not penetrate enough. You can buy replacement 6500k bulbs at 1000bulbs.com for cheap. A T5 light will give you high light and you will need to use CO2, pressurized or diy, to keep algae at bay. You can also raise the lights up to decrease the amount of light that gets to the tank. I have mine siting on the legs that hook onto the tank edge and use diy CO2 or algae starts to grow.

You can also just get some dome lights, also know as brooder lights, and use Spiral CFL bulbs in the 6500k range. You can get them at any store just about it. They come in different wattage too.
 
Thanks for your advise!
My tank is 30' long so I guess this one is better for my tank?
Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting

Do I have to run co2 system? It seems very costly and I don't know if I have enough money to afford it.
Algea growth has been a big problem for me. I really don't think I'm over feeding my fish so I don't know where it's all coming from, but is getting a co2 system the only way to prevent it?
 
An alternative to DIY or pressurized CO2 are products such as Seachem Excel and API CO2 Booster can be used. They both contain Glutaraldehyde or glut for short . Or you could get a gallon of Metricide 14 which contains twice the concentration of glut and costs much less.


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Thanks. I've been using Seachem Excel for a while now. Most of my plants are doing okay except my java moss. I don't know what the problem is but it has turned completely brown.
 
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