Lighting for 35 hex planted.

[imahawki]

Obviously the light bar for a 35 gallon hex is not very big. Will either one of these kits work?

Is there any way to get the right amount of light for a planted 35 gallon hex?

 

[Jchillin]

This all depends on what type of plants you want in the tank. Quick calculations of your tank and the strip gives you @2.7wpg, which is great for low and medium plants.

Of course, you will need to inject CO2.

 

[travis simonson]

I would avoid the 50/50 lamps as they are 50% actinic which is not a very useful type of light for growing plants. How deep is a 35G hex? I seem to recall that they are deeper than average tanks. If so you may want to consider even more light to penetrate to the bottom of the tank if you plan on growing carpet-type or high-light plants.

 

[imahawki]

It is deep, probably 2x as deep as it is wide... and I dont want to do CO2, so should I just forget planted. As I said in my other thread, the tank is unused, at my parents house so I dont have all the specs right now. I will post more specific info when I can.

 

[Jchillin]

No one said you "have" to do CO2. I have a low-light tank with a variety of plants that are doing very well. Take a look at my tank clicky for a visual example.

 

[imahawki]

OK, I got the tank set up and it looks like the hood it came with only has like a 15" NO flourescent bulb. What options, if any, do I have to get the right lighting for this tank.

 

[imahawki]

PS the tank is 22" deep.