HOW do i start This

[tntfish]

hey guys I have a fresh water 55 gallon tank i want to make the tank a densly planted tank im am going to start with the lighting later the substrate i have some amazon sowrds in ther there doing relly good ther huge but i want to know what the best lights would be for a densly planted tank how many watts? what kind? where can i buy them? i jus sold my halide because when i changed the bulbs to t5 bulbs they would burn out so i thinks something wrong with the light(he really wanted it i told him the sitiation promise) so know i have a dilema plz helpp!!!!

 

[SWerner13]

If you are looking for "high light" you are going to want something close to 300 watts over your tank.

 

[tntfish]

sounds good im making a canopy for my tank so would u suggest buying lightsbulbs form a pet store or a home depot?

 

[GhostKnife]

The pet stores or ordering online would get you the aquarium rated bulbs... Well not rated but bulbs geared towards aquariums.

 

[tntfish]

k so if i need about 300 watts over my tank wut bulbs should i get ?which ones are the best petstore wize?

 

[fort384]

300W? Seems like a lot. That is almost 6 WPG. I think closer to 150W would be more than sufficient to grow almost any plants with the right mix of CO2, and fertilizers. You can find a bunch of fixtures online from various sources, including Ebay. You will need to decide between Power Compact Flourescents, T5HO, or Metal Halide if you want high light.

You need to decide how much maintenance you want to do with your tank -- if you go with high light you are going to need to add a pressurized CO2 system (it would be hard to use a DIY system with a 55G tank). You are also going to need to dose fertilizers multiple times per week.

Purrbox's article is a great read if you want to know where to start. You can find it here.

 

[tntfish]

thanx alot def helps alot

 

[tntfish]

ODYSSEA lighting?

wut do u guys think about ODYSSEA lights are they any good?

 

[GhostKnife]

I have no experience with them. Ive heard people not liking them.

 

[tntfish]

i didn't think they where any good thanx so def need something good i jus wanna buy a system once

 

[SWerner13]

3wpg wouldn't give you the option to have any plant you wanted in there I would think though?

 

[tntfish]

240?

so def get something stronger u think 240 wtt would be good ?

 

[SWerner13]

Well it depends also on the type of light. Metal halide is more efficient than compact lights so you could go with a lower wattage. But if you are looking to go all out and be able at least in the future to put any plant in there I would look into 250 watts or more. I look around at the articles and other ongoing posts and get a feel for what you are thinking.

What I would do is plan out your tank. Look around and read. Know exactly what you want and what you want it too look like and go from there. Then you can see how much light you want/need. Don't just go out and buy a light that is gonna cost you hundreds of dollars and not know if you need it.

 

[tntfish]

ok thanx great idea

 

[Gunz05gunz]

I would recommend against that much light actually. 300 watts over 55 gallons is ALOT of light and is asking for an algae attack if not carefully balanced. I just did a 55 gallon 'test' tank with 130 watts of a Coralife PC 130W (2x65w) over a 55 gallon. I was able to grow any type of plant in there. The reason I did a test tank is because I set up my 90 and fully scaped this one with the plants that I ended up liking. I'm throwing 54w of T5 HO lighing on there too.

Also, since you want a high light tank, you will need CO2. I started with a Red Sea Pro system. After a while I ended up using a Rhinox 2000 on it because the included reactor could not keep up. (the bubble counter broke as well)

Also, check out this thread if you haven't already. Has some good stuff about different lights. Lets say 100W of T10 lighting, vs 100W of PC lighting. Might be beneficial to you. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/updating-the-wpg-rule-theory-69964.html

So hopefully my experiences will be of help to you. And with the high light comes the need for CO2 injection, and nutrient dosing. I use the EI method now and have noticed a big difference in plant growth.

Good luck.

 

[tntfish]

okay to ur saying i could have a tank with alot of plnts with about 130-150 wtts and a C02 system ofcorse?

 

[fort384]

I think that would be sufficient for most plants. Read up on fertilization though, you will most likely need to dose fertilizers and CO2 if you want to grow difficult plants that require medium high to high light.

 

[tntfish]

i have read alot of stuff the ferts ive read a little but ill look for more details thanx

 

[Gunz05gunz]

fort384 is right about the fertilizers. It makes a major difference. I've kept cichlids for over 10 years and this is my first attempt at a planted tank, started my 55g about 6 months ago. Ferts make a huge difference. Check out EI method. I use it and have no complaints. EI "light" for the less techical aspects of the Estimative index - Aquarium Plants - Barr Report

You should be good with 130-150 watts, depending on the type. I have used T8's, T5HO's, and PC's and found a huge diference with the HO's and PC's. Much more efficient. The higher the light, the less room for error.

I'll be posting a thread in the show your tanks forum or w/e its called showing the history of the tank and when I added CO2 and whatnot. Hopefully it could help you in your decision. (will give you a visual to see). I'll try to get it up tomorrow for you.

 

[tntfish]

thank you extremly helpful