PC's for my 55 Gallon.

[pitt420dude]

I have a 55 gallon (rectangular) that I want to get new PC lights for. I am unsure as to whether I would like to use CO2 yet, but would want beneficial lights if I got it in the future. I like ahsupply.com and am wondering if 1 96w will be good enough (perhaps 2-55 instead?). I also am wondering if the hood that has my 50/50 actinics can be stripped and converted into using thier DIY set up. Please help me please!


P.S. WONDERFUL stickies at the top of this forum!!!! Very useful, thank you!

 

[czcz]

AHSupply lists all measurements so you can see if your current hood and reflector will work, though their reflector is excellent and you should get it if you can. 2wpg of CF over 55g will likely benefit from CO2.

Alternatively you could replace your actinic bulb to get more usuable watts from your current fixture to steepen the learning curve a little while considering and messing with CO2. This way you can go back to an actinic bulb if you find you prefer low light. Then when you're ready for CO2, you could target some med/high light setup from AHSupply if you're so inclined.

 

[malkore]

a 96 watt PC is only 34" long...standard 55gal is 4feet. So you'd have some dark spots on the sides with the 96. 2x55w would need CO2 injection to keep the tank algae free and plants happily growing.

 

[pitt420dude]

Yep, Malkore you are right my 55 gal is 4 feet long. I am simply going to wait until my actinic either breaks or I have some extra cash to splurge for CO2 and Lights simultaneously. As they say, dont put the cart before the horse. I dont want to fight algea constantly. I was thinking about DIY CO2 but I would rather spend the extra cash for compressed than constantly be replacing 2L bottles. 55 gallons is a little big I think for the 2L bottle method of making your own CO2.