Help with Lighting Please!

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FishCrazyBenBOMB

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Well, i've got 2 different light fixtures above my 10 gallon planted tank, both have 15watt flourecent bulbs and I wanted to get rid of both of those and get one fixture for the 10 gallon that gave enough light out for around medium-low to medium lighting. So how many watts per gallon would that be for a 10 gallon and what do you suggest for a fixture?


Pictures and/or links would be great! So would pricing.




Thanks in advance!
 
It would probably be between low and medium as far as the plants you could have. Some people would call it medium or higher, but geometry is not your friend on a small tank and it takes more watts per gallon to satisfy a particular plant in that arrangement.
 
The list of stuff you can grow with 36w over 10g is way bigger than what you can't grow. The size of the plant will be a bigger limitation.

You'll need CO2 and fertilizers.

2x13w AH supply (proper CF) with their reflector is way way brighter than say 2x20w spiral screw in (incandescent fixture) and my DIY reflectors. Way brighter. IME 14w T5 + 26w CF is all sorts of high light: I could bend plants any way I wanted and grow practically whatever I wanted, including P. stellatus, E. diversifolia (with the bottom parts of the stem looking good), low glosso, etc. One of the recently uploaded pics in my gallery is that 8g with the 26w AH Supply CF/reflector and a T8 fixture (with no reflector). (Its a pic from like two and a half years ago, though.)

If I could do it again, I would have just used a 36w AH kit, fwiw.
 
The list of stuff you can grow with 36w over 10g is way bigger than what you can't grow. The size of the plant will be a bigger limitation.

You'll need CO2 and fertilizers.

2x13w AH supply (proper CF) with their reflector is way way brighter than say 2x20w spiral screw in (incandescent fixture) and my DIY reflectors. Way brighter. IME 14w T5 + 26w CF is all sorts of high light: I could bend plants any way I wanted and grow practically whatever I wanted, including P. stellatus, E. diversifolia (with the bottom parts of the stem looking good), low glosso, etc. One of the recently uploaded pics in my gallery is that 8g with the 26w AH Supply CF/reflector and a T8 fixture (with no reflector). (Its a pic from like two and a half years ago, though.)

If I could do it again, I would have just used a 36w AH kit, fwiw.


Could you give me a list for fertz I would have to use please?

And would I have to buy a bunch of co2 stuff or can I stick with DIY co2?
 
You asked your fert questions elsewhere, but for the purposes of this thread, I just remembered this tank, which my mind blocked out of memory but ran for around 6 months with super high CO2 and my at the time inquisitive nature of dosing and goofy ideas (this was a great learning tank). More importantly, it used a 40W CF (Current? Coralife? Its around here somewhere...) and amongst those plants you'll see Rotala mini type 1, Rotala "Goias", Eriocaulon "Guang Zhou", Rotala rotundifolia "colorata", legit Rotala indica (back then it was Ammania sp. "Bonsai"), Rotala pusilla, Tonina fluviatilis, L. "Cuba", Rotala macrandra (both regular and narrow), "Purple Bamboo", HC, and other stuff Plantbrain called weeds. Seriously: could grow whatever I wanted. This was also the tank that got me over light. And the tank whose greenwater defeated me and made me cry like a little boy. There were better pics somewhere but that site disappeared -- these pics are a couple years old. Anyway, seriously, read up before running that much light and jsoong's suggestion will let you have whatever garden you want.

tensoftwater_060522.jpg


rotundifolia_colorata_top.jpg


guangzhou_060522.jpg


peek_060522.jpg


rindica_060522.jpg


Incidentally, the annoying part about springing for a nice 20" fixture is you'll never be able to upgrade size without looking ghetto. If you can invest the time and money on a nice DIY fixture, consider something like 30" for 20 gallon long (which is a great size) so you have the option of, say, a 29 gallon later (never had one but sure is a nice shape). Then you'll need to reconsider lighting options and stuff but AH Supply's options are definitely nice and have a long track record of happy customers.
 
You asked your fert questions elsewhere, but for the purposes of this thread, I just remembered this tank, which my mind blocked out of memory but ran for around 6 months with super high CO2 and my at the time inquisitive nature of dosing and goofy ideas (this was a great learning tank). More importantly, it used a 40W CF (Current? Coralife? Its around here somewhere...) and amongst those plants you'll see Rotala mini type 1, Rotala "Goias", Eriocaulon "Guang Zhou", Rotala rotundifolia "colorata", legit Rotala indica (back then it was Ammania sp. "Bonsai"), Rotala pusilla, Tonina fluviatilis, L. "Cuba", Rotala macrandra (both regular and narrow), "Purple Bamboo", HC, and other stuff Plantbrain called weeds. Seriously: could grow whatever I wanted. This was also the tank that got me over light. And the tank whose greenwater defeated me and made me cry like a little boy. There were better pics somewhere but that site disappeared -- these pics are a couple years old. Anyway, seriously, read up before running that much light and jsoong's suggestion will let you have whatever garden you want.

tensoftwater_060522.jpg


rotundifolia_colorata_top.jpg


guangzhou_060522.jpg


peek_060522.jpg


rindica_060522.jpg


Incidentally, the annoying part about springing for a nice 20" fixture is you'll never be able to upgrade size without looking ghetto. If you can invest the time and money on a nice DIY fixture, consider something like 30" for 20 gallon long (which is a great size) so you have the option of, say, a 29 gallon later (never had one but sure is a nice shape). Then you'll need to reconsider lighting options and stuff but AH Supply's options are definitely nice and have a long track record of happy customers.


Thanks czcz.


Hey quick question, if I did get the AH kit could I still grow low to medium light plants without having to use co2?
 
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