T5HO questions

[abbly]

Hi guys ,

I am looking for some help regarding lighting on my setup . I am about to start purchasing lighting / pressurized C02 for my 75G fresh water planted community tank .
I am deciding between a 48" quad T5HO 216 watts /4X54watt/20,000 lumens for 149.95


Or a 48" 8 bulb T5HO 432 watts/ 8x54 watt/ 40,000 lumens for 219.95

 

[abbly]

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.ca/viewi...NG&nid=48444361011&skus=Size:48"+T5+x+4+bulbs

Is the 8 bulb going to be overkill ?
I don't want to be limited as to the plants I can keep . I am purchasing this pressurized co2 as well
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.ca/viewitem?itemId=330924682316&index=6&nav=WATCHING&nid=67173263874

 

[Rivercats]

How deep is the 75g? I have a 220g which is 30" deep and use a combination of T5HO's with Metal Halides. So if you are wanting to be able to grow anything IMO you are going to need the 8 bulb fixture. I run that 220 as a very high light tank, 100% planted, mainly stem plants, and even with the above combination I just added a special plant LED fixture.

 

[abbly]

How deep is the 75g? I have a 220g which is 30" deep and use a combination of T5HO's with Metal Halides. So if you are wanting to be able to grow anything IMO you are going to need the 8 bulb fixture. I run that 220 as a very high light tank, 100% planted, mainly stem plants, and even with the above combination I just added a special plant LED fixture.

The tank is a standard 75 gallon. 21 " deep
I'm also thinking the 8 bulb to be safe . Just wanted to make sure it wasn't overkill and I'm not wasting my money .

 

[Rivercats]

The only thing I can tell you is in the first 3 months you have to limit your lights to 6 hours a day to keep algae in check. Also with that type lighting you need to plan to plant at least 80% of your substrate right away using mostly fast growing stem plants. Also using water sprite and wisteria in the first months helps also. Later you can remove it and add other plants if you want.

 

[abbly]

The only thing I can tell you is in the first 3 months you have to limit your lights to 6 hours a day to keep algae in check. Also with that type lighting you need to plan to plant at least 80% of your substrate right away using mostly fast growing stem plants. Also using water sprite and wisteria in the first months helps also. Later you can remove it and add other plants if you want.

Thanks for the tips . Will do