Vote: 29 Gal lighting upgrade....65W or 130W CF?

[gfink]

When I upgrade, I am thinking 65W CF, but I might get 2x65W CF. I would use excel or DIY CO2.

I think 130 W would be too much, but I might do an overlap like:

Bulb 1: 12 pm-7 pm
Bulb 2: 4 pm to 11 pm.

(3 hours at 130 W like high noon)

This way I have room to expand my lighting needs without needing to upgrade again.

Do you think glosso would grow or carpet in a 29 gal with 65W CF? I guess what I am asking is can I grow pretty much whatever I want under 2.25W CF? (even if the growth is slow, which is fine by me)

 

[Purrbox]

I think you're going to have to spring for the 130Watt fixture to grow a Glosso carpet. Even using Ozz's new lighting calcs 65Watts doesn't get your tank to High light, only Medium to High Light. While Glosso will grow with less light, it will grow up instead of creating a nice carpet effect. Most people have reported the best success with Glosso at the Very High Light level.

 

[ringfinger]

You might have trouble growing Glosso with only 2.25 and DIY Co2.

I would say go with 130W. That is what I am running on my 29 with one 50/50 bulb. That gives me 97.5W of usable light which has grown me anything I want. You bulb schedule looks like a good idea as well and gives you a lot of room to make adjustments. Just go 130W so you have no regrets.

 

[rich311k]

Get the 130w that is what I use. You can always turn one off if things go crazy on you.

 

[malkore]

I know Tom Barr is able to grow glosso with 2wpg of NO lighting (not ODNO) and it grows horizontal.
But he runs 35-40ppm of CO2, and that might be tricky with DIY CO2.

You could also try 1x65w PC and a single T5 HO fixture in tandem. get a little less total wattage.
I tried a 29gal with 130w of PC's and it was rough to keep balanced. It was my first tank, but over 3wpg is just....well, rough to keep up with.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Also, just out of curiosity, could the use of actinics help in holding it down closer to the ground?

 

[gfink]

Thanks for the input. Right now I am planning on going with 65W CF. I should be able to do quite a bit with that, and not have things get out of hand.

Thanks.

Right now I am planning on getting a satellite 1x65W CF fixture with one white moonlight built in(even though I'll have to change the bulb that it comes with):
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11418&N=2004+113345

It is small enough to sit on the glass cover behind the hinge which is good, because I didn't want to use legs on this tank.

Does anyone else use this light?

 

[Simpte]

The glosso will grow fine with 65 watts of pc over the tank. I did it easily and the stuff ran rampant. Either way you will need some sort of Co2. With 130 watts pressurized co2 is the only way to keep things balanced. You could get the 130 watt fixture and run one bulb. Allows for easy upgrading later.

 

[gfink]

Did it stay fairly short, or reach up for the light?