Lighting - The more I read, the more confused I get.

[jazzybell]

I have a 24"x24" square that holds 65 gal.

I have a light that has two florescent bulbs that are 24w each.

I'm working on making my freshwater tank planted and I know that this isn't enough, but I am completely lost as to how to fix the problem.

Using the W/Gal rule I need to have about 180w in order to make the tank med-high light...

How on earth am I supposed to get to 180w when the longest fluorescent bulb that I can buy is 22" long and the max wattage on 22" bulbs is 24w? That's 7.5 bulbs!? No way that will fit over my tank and there isn't a fixture alive that will hold it.

So I started looking at compact florescent.... apparently a 90w cfl is only really 23w? That doesn't make any sense to me at all. How can a bulb have two different wattages? I was thinking maybe a couple clip on lights at the top of the tank would fix the problem. Two of these (if they really are 90w) would meet the 180w goal and not cost me an arm and a leg. Awesome. Do they provide the type of light that plants need to survive tho?

Then I started looking at LED lights and my confusion multiplied tenfold. I found this and don't even know how to make sense of the specs to tell if it's what I need or not. I love the size and the price! It says that it's "high output" but there is no way that anyone would consider a 24" light that only puts out 12w as something to brag about.... So I think i'm just ignorant and don't know how to read what it really does. I don't even know if LED will give the plants any nutrients.

So I have three different types of lights that all have different specs that don't seem to correlate (in a way that I can see), no idea which of them are best for the tank (healthy plants goal in mind), and not a clue where to shop for something that is going to fit in the available 24"x19" space above the tank. My head is going in circles and I'm about to reach information overload shut down.

SOMEONE HELP PLEASE! The more I research how to fix this problem the more options I find, the more questions I have and the fewer answers seem true.

I also would like to find the most cost effective way to fix the problem. The cheaper the better as long as it provides what the tank needs. I've put my whole tank together for under $250 including substrate, decor, filter, heater, puffer fish, everything and there is no way that I'm going to drop over $150 on lights alone. I don't particularly care how it looks, but it can't be permanently affixed to my apartment. Hanging lights are okay, so long as I can plug them in and not wire them to the house. I'm a renter.

 

[20cc]

it depends what light your gonna use. the watt per gallon rule does not apply to T5 or LED. 200 watts of PC does not put out the same amount of PAR as 200 watts of t5ho or 200watts of L.E.D. the newer the tech the more efficient the light.

 

[DownDogKate]

Following. I'm undereducated in wattage & lighting tech and would like to learn too!

 

[20cc]

with a 24 inch 2 bulb light fixture T5HO , depending on the make of the fixture and if it has separate reflectors for each bulb you will be in the mid to high mid range in light. with a 4 bulb T5H0 24 inch light fixture you will be high light , with individual reflectors it will be prob overkill.

 

[Sillyfishies]

A cheap 24" 4 bulb t5ho odyssea fixture will give you high light. They're 60$ and come with moon lights.

Or if your a beginner I'd suggest getting a 2 bulb t5ho fixture that will give you low-medium lighting.

 

[jazzybell]

with a 24 inch 2 bulb light fixture T5HO , depending on the make of the fixture and if it has separate reflectors for each bulb you will be in the mid to high mid range in light. with a 4 bulb T5H0 24 inch light fixture you will be high light , with individual reflectors it will be prob overkill.

How does a 2 bulb fixture put me into mid to high light? Its a 65 gal tank and the highest wattage bulb I can find is 24w. Wouldn't that mean I need at least 190w for it?,

 

[jazzybell]

it depends what light your gonna use. the watt per gallon rule does not apply to T5 or LED. 200 watts of PC does not put out the same amount of PAR as 200 watts of t5ho or 200watts of L.E.D. the newer the tech the more efficient the light.

So how do you know how much light you need with these bulbs? Lumens? How do you figure out what is right for your tank?

 

[jazzybell]

A cheap 24" 4 bulb t5ho odyssea fixture will give you high light. They're 60$ and come with moon lights.

Or if your a beginner I'd suggest getting a 2 bulb t5ho fixture that will give you low-medium lighting.

ho means high output I'm assuming?

How does moon lights affect plant life? Is the spectrum useable to most plants? Does it affect how much light you need?

Any way I can get a link to the Odessa fixture you're talking about? I've been searching and simply can't find it.

 

[gravereaper0]

The old watt/per gallon rule is outdated. But for a 2 ft tall tank if you want high light and co suffering live carpeting you're gonna need something that can give u good lumens @24". And since you dont want to spend much, go with a metal halide light.

 

[wildroseofky]

I have the dual 24" Odyssea T5HO on my 29 gallon tank and have medium and highlight plants that are growing nicely. Some people do not like them because they are cheap but I like mine. It sits on my tank nicely and is low profile. The website is aquatraders.com. Odyssea is the brand they carry. I have not been able to find them anywhere else besides Amazon. They are higher on Amazon. Here is a little chart I gave up and started following. It seems to work pretty good. I got a headache trying to figure this light thing out. I am currently trying to figure out LED lights and think I may go crazy. LOL