High-lighted Tanks?

[Nicki Gaga]

Dear All,

At the moment, I have a Juwel Rekord 800 (24 gallons) with 2 18W bulbs, which makes it around 1.5wpg. I would like to upgrade to a new aquarium with a higher wpg, let's say, around 3wpg, so that I can grow a higher variety of plants. Can anyone please suggest an aquarium or aquarium brand which suits this requirement? Thanks.

Nicki

 

[dcutl002]

Dear All,

At the moment, I have a Juwel Rekord 800 (24 gallons) with 2 18W bulbs, which makes it around 1.5wpg. I would like to upgrade to a new aquarium with a higher wpg, let's say, around 3wpg, so that I can grow a higher variety of plants. Can anyone please suggest an aquarium or aquarium brand which suits this requirement? Thanks.

Nicki

Watts/gallon is dead. Nobody refers to that anymore. Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts - The Planted Tank Forum

What size of tank are you looking for? For a planted tank, I would recommend a long type tank because of the low height. That will give you higher PAR at the substrate.

For Low Tech, taller tans are good because less PAR is needed.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

The Juwel Rekord 800 is a long tank and I am trying to find one of similar shape and size. However, I cannot find a tank with enough lighting that suits the needs of plants like red hygro etc. If there is a way of increasing the intensity of the light without buying a new tank, that would help too.

 

[dcutl002]

The hoods that come with tanks like that are garbage. You need something like this to put on your tank:. You could try this on the high end: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QVHJQD8/ref=twister_B01MZ1GHXE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

or this on the low end: https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...9369756&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=beamswork&psc=1

Or you could just buy a bigger tank and put an aftermarket LED fixture on it like Finnex, Current USA, Fluval, Marineland, Beamswork, etc. A cheaper alternative would be to buy a T5HO fluorescent fixture.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

Are LEDs the only option that I have if I want very intense light? I thought they are pretty ineffective when growing plants and I have never had a lidless tank before. They also seem a bit too expensive for my liking. Are there any tanks that use T5HO fluorescent fixtures which emit the same high light intensity as the LEDs you mentioned?

 

[dcutl002]

You can go withT5HO. you just need to find a fixture to fit. Just make sure the color temperature of the bulbs is close to 6500K. You do not want Actinic!

Question: what is your budget?

 

[Nicki Gaga]

Around £300. Yes, I am trying to find a tank with a light fixture which supports T5HO fluorescent lamps with a very high light intensity. I also want a new tank because of other reasons too.

 

[dcutl002]

300 pounds? That is like 365 dollars American. You can buy a really nice light for that! I take it that you want a bigger tank AND a light. Unfortunately, the lights that come proprietary with tanks are useless for growing plants. That is why i am driving the nail home on better lighting. As far as LEDs go, I am growing plants just fine with my fixtures. I use Kessil and Finnex, but Fluval and Current USA fixtures are good also. Your current tank is about 18 inches deep, so an LED fixture, especially a good one will work. But if you really want fluorescent, a 2X24 Watt fixture would give you about 1.67 watts per gallon (110 liters = 29 gallons), not really enough. But, you could get a 4X24 Watt fixture and suspend it about 6-8 inches above the tank.

 

[dcutl002]

Are LEDs the only option that I have if I want very intense light? I thought they are pretty ineffective when growing plants and I have never had a lidless tank before. They also seem a bit too expensive for my liking. Are there any tanks that use T5HO fluorescent fixtures which emit the same high light intensity as the LEDs you mentioned?

Juwel Rekord 800 measurements: LXWXH - (80 X 35 X 45) cm equals roughly 31.5X13.8X17.7 inches

The Beamswork Pent series PAR:
http://rudy.sloup.org/projects/PARData/PARdataSept2016RudySloup.png

The Beamswork Pent produces about 60 PAR at 18 inches, add about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of substrate and the PAR is higher. Anyway, light levels are not written in stone but here is what I use: Low light - 15 to 30 PAR, MED light - 30 to 50 PAR, and High light above 50 PAR.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

Yes I understand the science behind the bulbs. I just don't know how to install them into my tank. I was thinking about getting a Juwel Rio 125, but it only comes with two T5HO bulbs. Is there any way of adding more light fixtures to the tank? I will also look at the bulbs you suggested.

 

[dcutl002]

First off, it IS a nice looking tank and stand, and I like the way they hide the heater in the filter and insert that into the back corner, but still not enough light to grow what you are looking for. If you could get a glass top for it, you could possibly insert another fixture in the front. Something easily removed for feeding and then easily reattached. If you click on the web link under my signature, you can see one of my tanks.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

So if I were to attain the desired lighting, I would have to use one of the lighting systems that you suggested? If so, would I have to buy a specific tank to suit them or just add them to the top of my Juwel Rekord 800?

 

[dcutl002]

There are many brands on the market and I am not sure what sells in the UK, so I am unclear in that area. What i am saying is, if you want to upgrade, buy just the tank tank and then add your own equipment; for example, heater, lighting, filter, etc.. Again, I am not even sure if tanks are sold by themselves in the UK, but I do know there are a lot of aquarists from the UK on this forum that have planted tanks. I have to claim ignorance because I am over here across the pond.

I do like the "looks" of the Juwel product line though, it is visually appealing.

 

[dcutl002]

I did find this online store based in the UK. I am not saying you should buy from them, but you can peruse through the site to get an idea.

Glass Aquarium Aquascaping Tanks from Aquarium Gardens - Dennerle, Clearseal Edgeline

One of these lights would work nicely on your existing tank. http://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/kessil-tuna-sun-a360we-led-aquarium-light-2163-p.asp

Pros: it is a good light and will grow anything you desire.

Cons: expensive. You'll need to remove the hood. You will need the gooseneck accessory.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

Oh cool. Am I able to adjust the light fixture to fit the top of my tank or do I have to buy a specific size (and shape) that would suit my tank? And thanks a lot btw. I had no idea I can customise my tank setup.

 

[dcutl002]

One A360Tuna Sun light will light up your whole Aquarium. You can either hang it from the ceiling or buy the gooseneck. If you hang it from the ceiling you will be better enabled to raise the light up or down depending on your plants needs, CO2, etc. I use the goosenecks, which limits how far you can raise the light, but I infuse CO2. In a nutshell, people raise the light fixtures up to prevent massive buildups of algae. Red Hygro is only a medium light plant, so you should be able to raise the light up off of the surface about 12-18 inches or more.

You may also want to look into a screen for the top. You can do this yourself. here is an example for a rimmed tank, but they make them for rimless also. DIY Aquarium Screen Top Kits for Rimmed Tanks - 1/4" Netting - Bulk Reef Supply

How to build a screen net top:

 

[Nicki Gaga]

Thanks a lot. I shall try to find a cheaper light fixture to fit onto a gooseneck. Just to let you know, my tank is a freshwater tank. These Kessil products seem like they are for marine tanks.

 

[dcutl002]

Kessil has both freshwater (Tuna Sun) and saltwater ( Tuna Blue) fixtures. The website that I linked you to is Freshwater (Tuna Sun).

 

[Nicki Gaga]

I am looking at LEDs for now. How do I know whether the LED fixture has enough intensity for my tank?

 

[dcutl002]

You will need the PAR values of the light from the fixture to the substrate. Some manufacturers provide that information and some do not in which case you will have to dig up that information on the internet or an aquarium forum.