Lighting question

[gfddser]

So I recently bought a 37 gallon aquarium, and I wanted to start a planted aquarium. I was doing some research and found out I need probably 100 watts of lighting so all the plants can grow. Problem is, I was looking at the hood I had and there was a warning label saying not to put in light bulbs with 25 watts or more. My question is, would I need new lighting to get the required lighting for plant growth?

 

[fort384]

You don't necessarily need 100W of light. But 25W isn't going to get you there. What kind of fixture is currently on the tank?

 

[gfddser]

It's just the normal lighting that came with the aquarium hood. I was wondering what I could do since the lighting is built into the hood.

 

[fort384]

Understood. Need to know what specific kind of light it is though as it makes a difference and there really is no standard when it comes to stock lighting. Is it fluorescent or incandescent? If fluorescent, what kind of bulbs (T size, wattage)? Is it dual bulb, single bulb, etc? Pics would help of the current setup as well to help suggest some changes/upgrades to grow aquatic plants.

 

[gfddser]

 

[Tobykourtney]

You could just get another hood it would be pretty cheap and get a dual HO light not so cheap depending on what kind of plants you want.

 

[gfddser]

But I could just buy a new hood, and normal planting lights for fairly cheap?

 

[Fresh2o]

I was thinking that 13 watt 6500k CFL bulbs could be used, however, I am not sure how well plants will grow given the size of the tank.

 

[fort384]

For a tank of that size, I would not recommend spiral cfl bulbs. What kind of plants you hope to grow, whether or not you plan to inject CO2, and what types of fertilizer you plan to add will help better address appropriate lighting for your needs.

The current hood you have unfortunately would need to be replaced to get some decent lighting on a 37 gallon tank.

 

[Tobykourtney]

If your doing java fern,amazon swords etc. you could probably get away with that. Most people use T5 or t8 high output for planted tanks though

 

[gfddser]

Well I wasn't to sure about plant specifics, but I wanted a tank with a good dwarf hair grass carpet. I was going to use Eco-complete as the substrate or whatever. And I was not going to inject co2 if you could suggest a lighting now.

 

[fort384]

Carpeting hair grass generally requires pretty high light and CO2 injection.

What kind of budget are you looking at? Are you interested in LEDs, or just fluorescent lighting?

 

[gfddser]

Well could I do like a small DIY co2 injection and get a good hair grass carpet? And I'd defiantly be looking at some led's or whatever will work best. I'm looking for a cheap setup for now.

 

[fort384]

Unfortunately DIY CO2 on a 37 gallon tank would be a losing battle.

Cheap would not be LEDs.

I would go with a dual T5ho if you aren't going to inject CO2. That would be medium light on that tank. Fishneedit.com sells economical t5ho units. LED fixtures capable of carpeting growth would be in the hundreds.

 

[gfddser]

T5-ho 3ft / 2LAMP Aquarium lighting

Would something like this work?
And if I got this, would I even need a hood?

 

[Tobykourtney]

Unfortunately DIY CO2 on a 37 gallon tank would be a losing battle.

Cheap would not be LEDs.

I would go with a dual T5ho if you aren't going to inject CO2. That would be medium light on that tank. Fishneedit.com sells economical t5ho units. LED fixtures capable of carpeting growth would be in the hundreds.

What would be wrong with using diy co2 on a 37 gallon tank?

 

[Tobykourtney]

Well could I do like a small DIY co2 injection and get a good hair grass carpet? And I'd defiantly be looking at some led's or whatever will work best. I'm looking for a cheap setup for now.

Hair grass carpets gonna take a lot of time man good luck and like fort said led lights are crazy expensive. T5 HO is probably the way to go I wouldn't imagine a dual being much more the 100 on a 37 gallon.

 

[fort384]

Trying to maintain consistent CO2 levels above 25+ppm on a 37 gallon tank would take several reactor vessels, and require very frequent mixture changes. It could work, but would just take a lot of labor, and a LOT of sugar. Ultimately, I would advise against it unless one thinks they have the will power to stick with it. Inconsistent and fluctuating CO2 levels can cause more problems than just not injecting CO2 at all.

 

[fort384]

T5-ho 3ft / 2LAMP Aquarium lighting

Would something like this work?
And if I got this, would I even need a hood?

yes, that would work, though not necessarily for carpeting hair grass. It would grow a wide variety of plants. And yes, you could run it without a hood. I never have tops on my tanks.

 

[Tobykourtney]

Trying to maintain consistent CO2 levels above 25+ppm on a 37 gallon tank would take several reactor vessels, and require very frequent mixture changes. It could work, but would just take a lot of labor, and a LOT of sugar. Ultimately, I would advise against it unless one thinks they have the will power to stick with it. Inconsistent and fluctuating CO2 levels can cause more problems than just not injecting CO2 at all.

I use 2-2 liters on my 55 gallon and supplement liquid co2 and it works pretty well it's cheaper then just using liquid or an actual co2 system. A co2 dropper is required though so you're not guessing blindly.