Hagen Glo HO T5 lights on a 29 gallon

[soupcan]

Hi everybody,

my question, which light would be best for a 29 gallon tank (30x12x18) the double version or the single version? I would love to get into the medium light range without having to do co2. And also will the 24 inch light be able light the remaining six inches?

the single tube
Amazon.com: Hagen Glo T5 Ho Linear Fluorescent Lighting System, Single, 24-Inch: Pet Supplies

the double tube
http://www.amazon.com/Output-Lighti...n+t5ho+glo+linear+flourescent+lighting+system

Thanks!

 

[CorallineAlgae]

It would be easier to get away without CO2 with a single T5. But if it were me I'd get the two light fixture and just put a blue bulb in the second slot if algae ever got out of hand. Also, that way if you ever decided to run CO2 you'd be ready light wise. Those Hagen fixtures are very well made btw.

It would be three inches on each side so no problem. You could look at a corallife fixture. They have 30" light bulbs for that size tank if I'm not mistaken.

 

[soupcan]

alright i'll get the double then thanks for helping!

 

[aqua_chem]

Contrary to popular belief, blue bulbs do give off usable light that may-or-may-not be better for algae than plants. They aren't a good light reduction strategy, and IMO look silly for FW. One of the major drawbacks of Glo fixtures is that they MUST be run with two bulbs.

I own two Glo fixtures, but am only using the 2x fixture at the moment. I needed less light so I wrapped mine in window screening: http://i.imgur.com/TA7GN.jpg

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I ran an actinic bulb on a freshwater tank for about a year without any real algae issues. It was only for looks, which I liked at the time. I never tried it with T5s though. Maybe that would be different. I know they produce some amount of useable light for photosynthesis. Would it actually cause an issue?