should i opt for less light?

[piao liang yu]

right now i have a low light setup, but contemplating a quad t5ho setup for my 60 gallon 48'x13' and it is two feet deep a full 24 inches top to bottom.

i am told that if i go with that quad t5ho setup i will have to inject c02 which is fine, but we have really become accustomed to the bubble curtains lining the back of the tank behind the amazon swords. i understand bubbles work against c02. are there any options for upgraded lighting that perhaps does not require c02. my plants are low light plants for the most part, but i would like to increase lighting for a brighter look as well as opening up the options for ground cover. any and all feedback is appreciated.

 

[George9]

You could dose flourish excel, but nothing is going to replace real co2.

I had a dual t5 ho on your exact sized tank and I was able to grow pretty much any medium light plant, and even a few high light plants. With a quad, you're just asking for algae problems.

 

[Old Scales]

Piao.
I have a quad T5HO AquaticLife fixture on my 29g. It pushes right at 4.0 wpg into the tank. Instead of CO2, I chose to use Gluteraldehyde (What Excel is made of). I bought 1 gal of Metracyde 14, mixed it 1:1 with distilled water. I'm dosing 1 ml per 2 gal of tank. This is a safe level and as a bonus it acts as an algaecide and it's MUCH cheaper than Excel.
If you get a fixture that lets you run 2 bulbs or 4 bulbs separately you can easily customize your photoperiod for the plants you choose to grow. I run 2 bulbs for x number of hours and 4 bulbs for x hrs. You have the versatility to adjust your medium light and high light periods as you see your plants need it.
I'm now growing some very advanced, high light plants with just the glut as the carbon source and PPS-Pro ferts. They are all growing very well and I have great colors in my non green plants. The pressurized CO2 WILL give you faster growth and a bit fuller growth but what I have now in plants is growing faster than I wish to retrim already.
I guess my point is with the quad bulb, you get more adjustability and capacity for the future. I hope this helps some. Good Luck, OS.

 

[piao liang yu]

You could dose flourish excel, but nothing is going to replace real co2.

I had a dual t5 ho on your exact sized tank and I was able to grow pretty much any medium light plant, and even a few high light plants. With a quad, you're just asking for algae problems.

well i currently dose with liquid c02 booster. i have no problem getting a c02 injection system, but if i do does that mean i need to remove the bubble curtains?

 

[Rivercats]

If you go with CO2 the bubble wall has to go. If you get high light and go with Glut/Excel you will have to dose at a higher dosage as the plants will need more to keep up with the high light or you will have algae issues. Also with the higher light you need to dose dry ferts either PPS-Pro or El.

 

[Old Scales]

You could keep the bubbler BUT you'll need to run it only after the CO2 system shuts off for the night. Running it during the day would disperse your CO2 too fast for the plants to get much use from. OS.

 

[piao liang yu]

You could keep the bubbler BUT you'll need to run it only after the CO2 system shuts off for the night. Running it during the day would disperse your CO2 too fast for the plants to get much use from. OS.

yeah, i knew that was the theory. just needed clarification i reckon.

 

[dragonfisher33]

You could keep the bubbler BUT you'll need to run it only after the CO2 system shuts off for the night. Running it during the day would disperse your CO2 too fast for the plants to get much use from. OS.

which also defeats the purpose of a bubbler. it's there for your enjoyment during the day. no point running it during the night. also no point of having co2 and bubbler running at the same time. therefore it's really either/or

 

[piao liang yu]

which also defeats the purpose of a bubbler. it's there for your enjoyment during the day. no point running it during the night. also no point of having co2 and bubbler running at the same time. therefore it's really either/or

well initially I did not even want an air pump, but my wife liked it so I gave in. Now I actually enjoy it as well as the fish like to "play" in themj. my dwarf gourami especially swims back and forth and up and down in the bubbles all the time.