Would 4 of these?

[asudavew]

Would four of these lights provide adequate lighting for a planted 55 gallon tank?

http://www.elightbulbs.com/catalog_product.cfm?source=GoogleBaseCSE∏=GL13795


Thanks!

 

[CTD]

These in my opinion are a better choice for plants:

Philips 138370 F32T8/TL865 PLUS/ALTO UPC Straight T8 Fluorescent Tube Light Bulb at eLightBulbs.com

BTW-
Home Depot carries these and it only costs about $7 for two bulbs.

 

[asudavew]

These in my opinion are a better choice:

Philips 138370 F32T8/TL865 PLUS/ALTO UPC Straight T8 Fluorescent Tube Light Bulb at eLightBulbs.com

BTW-
Home Depot carries these and it only costs about $7 for two bulbs.

Thanks!

I'm trying to figure this whole planted tank thing out!

 

[CTD]

A T5HO fixture with 6700K bulbs will grow aquatics very nicely!

How many watts you need will depend on several things: such as Types of Plants, are you going to dose ferts, do you intend on running Co2.

 

[asudavew]

A T5HO fixture with 6700K bulbs will grow aquatics very nicely!

How many watts you need will depend on several things: such as Types of Plants, are you going to dose ferts, do you intend on running Co2.

Eventually.
It is in my plans to dose ferts and inject CO2, because my goal is to grow ground cover and plants that need high light output.

But I want to begin with the proper lighting and start with a few "user friendly" plants.

Would I need 4 t5 bulbs or just 2?

 

[CTD]

If you plan on growing ground cover such as Dwarf Hair Grass it will require higher watts, if it fits in your budget i would go with a fixture that has enough watts to grow them in the first place to save from needing to upgrade your lighting in the future. 3 watts per gallon is a general rule of thumb. but with higher wattage you WILL need to run Co2 of some sort. 1 to 2 watts per gallon will grow alot of plants nicely without Co2. But to really get them to go nuts 3 to 5 watts per gallon along with Ferts and Co2.

 

[BillD]

Those T12 and T8 tubes are cheaper at Home Depot. T12 6500 K are $5.99 for 2 and the T12s are around $7.99 for 2.