Lighting

[vanewb]

Which light fixture and lighting would you recommend for the 5g fluval chi? I want to start a planted tank but I'm not sure of what to get

 

[Lafeet85]

Personally I would go with an LED fixture to suit your tank. They emit low heat and are quite powerful. And the bonus is it has very low power consumption send me some pictures or your tank so I can see what your tank looks like.. Good luck!!!!

 

[Basefrog]

Deffo use LEDs =D

Did it not come with a lighting system?

 

[vanewb]

Yeah it came with 13, 1 watt LEDs but everyone keeps telling me that won't be good enough

 

[Basefrog]

Hmm.. Well I have just set up at 6gal Fluval Edge which i am hoping to make a planted tank. From what I can gather the higher Kelvin (K) rating the bulb the better!

Below is a great cheap website that sell LEDs:
LEDwholesalers

(TIP look for "cool white" bulbs that fit, they have a K rating of 6,000-6,500)

 

[zach_1_6]

Hmm.. Well I have just set up at 6gal Fluval Edge which i am hoping to make a planted tank. From what I can gather the higher Kelvin (K) rating the bulb the better!

Below is a great cheap website that sell LEDs:
LEDwholesalers

(TIP look for "cool white" bulbs that fit, they have a K rating of 6,000-6,500)

Plants utilize light from the 6000k to 10 000k the best, anything higher or lower plants will use, but not nearly as effective as within the 6000k-10 000k range. I also agree with using LEDs.

 

[vanewb]

I really want the LEDs but they're so **** expensive! D: I'll check out that website though, thanks

 

[zach_1_6]

You could also use a Power Compact light with one of the fixtures that just clamp on to the rim of the tank.

 

[fort384]

Moved to Freshwater & Brackish - Planted Tanks.

I really like this fixture for a 5 gal planted tank.

They also have a really sharp looking LED fixture - though I have no personal experience with it. I have recently started a tank with a different LED fixture and I absolutely love it (but it wouldn't fit on a 5gal so I won't link it).

Ultimately though, you need to consider and decide what kind of plants you want to grow, and whether or not you will be fertilizing and injecting CO2 before deciding on a fixture.

 

[vanewb]

Oh wow, both of those are really nice, thanks