Lighting a 60 gallon

[Jconner3]

I got a 60 gallon tank for Christmas which was awesome, but I'm having trouble finding a light that will work well with the height of the tank. I'm getting conflicting answers with my research. Some people are saying that a 2 bulb fixture will be enough, and others are saying it wont and that a 4 bulb is the way to go. I want to pretty much be able to grow anything, but I don't have any plants on my list that demand high light. I'll also be dosing dry ferts (PPS pro) and injecting pressurized co2. Any recommendations on a good quality not too expensive light fixture that will let me have a nice planted tank?

 

[Rivercats]

I run 2 bulb T5HO's on my 55's and often wish I had gone with 4 fixture ones. If your planning on planting heavily, running CO2, and dosing PPS-Pro I would go with a 4 bulb fixture. But you are going to have to watch how many hours you run your lighting and be sure to really plant your tank heavy. I have a combination fixture with T5HO's and Metal Halides on my 220g and can only run my halides 6 hours a day. With a 4 bulb fixture and CO2/ferts you can also use red/pink/yellow plants.

 

[Jconner3]

I run 2 bulb T5HO's on my 55's and often wish I had gone with 4 fixture ones. If your planning on planting heavily, running CO2, and dosing PPS-Pro I would go with a 4 bulb fixture. But you are going to have to watch how many hours you run your lighting and be sure to really plant your tank heavy. I have a combination fixture with T5HO's and Metal Halides on my 220g and can only run my halides 6 hours a day. With a 4 bulb fixture and CO2/ferts you can also use red/pink/yellow plants.

I wasnt planning on planting too heavily. Jungle val. some Alternanthera reineckii, and maybe some pennywort for the background and various crypts for the mid/foreground. My main concern is the 24 inch height of the tank. I kinda feel like a 2 bulb fixture wont be enough but a 4 bulb would be over kill.

 

[Rivercats]

A two fixture would work for the Val and Pennywort but not sure about the Alternanthera reineckii.

 

[Jconner3]

A two fixture would work for the Val and Pennywort but not sure about the Alternanthera reineckii.

If the tank isn't heavily planted would I have serious algae issues running a 4 bulb?

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah, I think you would.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

I have a 60 gallon, which I have Alternanthera reineckii and corkscrew vals in it, and I run a 48" long 2 bulb T5HO along with 2 48" TrueLumen Pro LED strips. All of my low and high light plants grow well, and it is pretty heavily planted now, and I just got rid of most of my algae. I also dose PPS-Pro, pressurized CO2 injection, etc. etc...I think the 2 bulb would be fine if thats all the plants you want to grow, and you could try LED's which would provide a bit more light..

 

[Jconner3]

I have a 60 gallon, which I have Alternanthera reineckii and corkscrew vals in it, and I run a 48" long 2 bulb T5HO along with 2 48" TrueLumen Pro LED strips. All of my low and high light plants grow well, and it is pretty heavily planted now, and I just got rid of most of my algae. I also dose PPS-Pro, pressurized CO2 injection, etc. etc...I think the 2 bulb would be fine if thats all the plants you want to grow, and you could try LED's which would provide a bit more light..

That's good to know! Do you think the 2 bulb fixture alone is adequate enough light? I looked at the LED's and they're a little pricey for my poor college student budget lol

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

That's good to know? Do you think the 2 bulb fixture alone is adequate enough light? I looked at the LED's and they're a little pricey for my poor college student budget lol

Well I started out my tank with the 2 bulb T5HO, and I could grow most of my plants quite well, it's just that I wanted to grow a carpet plant and with my light it couldn't penetrate through all the way to the tank floor, so the more compact plants didn't get enough light. I was then suggested to look into LED strips, and now I can grow lots more plants plus it lighted up the tank alot better than the bulbs did...I also noticed more color from the plants came out with the higher light. A 2 bulb is definitely adequate lighting lighting to grow the plants you listed though. That said, if you are planning on dosing PPS-Pro and pressurized CO2, the plants are going to want higher light for photosynthesis, since you are giving them so much nutrients and CO2 they will need even more light. So a 4 bulb would also work, but you may get more algae as Rivercats said.

 

[Jconner3]

Well I started out my tank with the 2 bulb T5HO, and I could grow most of my plants quite well, it's just that I wanted to grow a carpet plant and with my light it couldn't penetrate through all the way to the tank floor, so the more compact plants didn't get enough light. I was then suggested to look into LED strips, and now I can grow lots more plants plus it lighted up the tank alot better than the bulbs did...I also noticed more color from the plants came out with the higher light. A 2 bulb is definitely adequate lighting lighting to grow the plants you listed though. That said, if you are planning on dosing PPS-Pro and pressurized CO2, the plants are going to want higher light for photosynthesis, since you are giving them so much nutrients and CO2 they will need even more light. So a 4 bulb would also work, but you may get more algae as Rivercats said.

This may be a silly question, but do you think getting a 4 bulb fixture with crappy reflectors I would be a little better off? I was thinking I could get some duckweed or another similar plant to help block some of the light if its too much and to help absorb excess nutrients. I'm not opposed to heavily planting the tank, its just that my aquascaping skills are sub par and I have a hard time getting a lot of plants to look nice, so I try to keep it moderate.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

This may be a silly question, but do you think getting a 4 bulb fixture with crappy reflectors I would be a little better off? I was thinking I could get some duckweed or another similar plant to help block some of the light if its too much and to help absorb excess nutrients. I'm not opposed to heavily planting the tank, its just that my aquascaping skills are sub par and I have a hard time getting a lot of plants to look nice, so I try to keep it moderate.

Reflectors would definitely help, 4 bulbs alone should be fine. I use duckweed and dwarf water lettuce to control the light in certain areas of my tank where I keep the low light plants, but once you put duckweed in your tank, it STAYS in your tank. Lol, there is no getting it out! Tha may be exaggerated, but it multiplies FAST. I have to take a handful out every morning to keep it controlled. You can check out my tank- link is in my sig.

 

[Rivercats]

Buying a 4 bulb fixture with a sub-par reflector is a waste of money. Your best bet is to get a good 2 bulb fixture, in which you could do CO2 but liquid carbon such as Flourish Excel would be more than adequate for the plants you want. I run a very high light, very heavily planted 220g tank using only liquid carbon and get excellent growth. If you get a 4 bulb fixture with what your planning your doing to have to most likely only be able to run 2 bulbs with those few plants.

 

[Jconner3]

Buying a 4 bulb fixture with a sub-par reflector is a waste of money. Your best bet is to get a good 2 bulb fixture, in which you could do CO2 but liquid carbon such as Flourish Excel would be more than adequate for the plants you want. I run a very high light, very heavily planted 220g tank using only liquid carbon and get excellent growth. If you get a 4 bulb fixture with what your planning your doing to have to most likely only be able to run 2 bulbs with those few plants.

If I want to at some point do a carpet of dwarf hair grass, should I go ahead and get a 4 bulb fixture? And doesn't excel melt jungle Val?

 

[Jconner3]

Reflectors would definitely help, 4 bulbs alone should be fine. I use duckweed and dwarf water lettuce to control the light in certain areas of my tank where I keep the low light plants, but once you put duckweed in your tank, it STAYS in your tank. Lol, there is no getting it out! Tha may be exaggerated, but it multiplies FAST. I have to take a handful out every morning to keep it controlled. You can check out my tank- link is in my sig.

Your tank is amazing! My 60 gallon is going to be a planted angelfish tank as well and I can wait until I get it fully set up

 

[Rivercats]

If I want to at some point do a carpet of dwarf hair grass, should I go ahead and get a 4 bulb fixture? And doesn't excel melt jungle Val?

If you want a carpet which you didn't mention earlier then yes, get a 4 bulb fixture. Excel does melt Jungle val but does fine with Corkscrew Val. Check out the large stand of Corkscrew Val in my tank picture... January 2013 TOTM: Rivercats' 220 gallon Planted Community - Aquarium Advice. I only dose liquid carbon, no CO2 and have 90-95% of my substrate planted.

 

[Jconner3]

I'm up in the air about a carpet. I would really like to do dwarf hair grass, but my pleco is a big lumbering beast and I'm sure he would uproot it.

 

[Rivercats]

If it's a really big pleco then your probably right that a carpet isn't going to work. You could always rehome him and get a smaller bristlenose pleco. They are pretty good about not uprooting carpets, at least all of mine have always been good.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

If it's a really big pleco then your probably right that a carpet isn't going to work. You could always rehome him and get a smaller bristlenose pleco. They are pretty good about not uprooting carpets, at least all of mine have always been good.

I have some DHG and HC and dwarf sag in my tank and 2 BNP's and they have never uprooted anything.

 

[Jconner3]

I have some DHG and HC and dwarf sag in my tank and 2 BNP's and they have never uprooted anything.

That's good to know. My Pleco is an albino bristle nose. I was just concerned that since he spends all day rummaging around for food that he would up root any dwarf hair grass that I planted

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

That's good to know. My Pleco is an albino bristle nose. I was just concerned that since he spends all day rummaging around for food that he would up root any dwarf hair grass that I planted

I have an albino BNP and a brown spot BNP love them!