Light questions. Please help 60 $ on the line!

[GodFan]

Ok I have a 26 gallon bowfront that will probably be my planted tank soon. It has a colormax bulb in it right now. I want to do low light plants. I am not willing to do co2 or ferts. So my question is this:
Get a basic t5 light, or just buy a daylight bulb? My LFS selkls a "plants" bulb but it is not t5. So would t5 be to much light for low to medium light plants? Or is that possible?
Any help would be appreciated. Before I buy this 60 dollar fixture I want to be sure that it will actually grow the plants. Again no co2 or ferts.

As a side question. Do some plants grow better in gravel versus sand? I had cobamba that grew like a weed in my 20 tall with gravel. I switched to sand and bought cabomba and now it wont grow?

Thanks is advance and God bless!

 

[Smcoyle87]

Well a "general" guideline for lighting in a planted tank is 2-3 watts per gallon.
IMO low light would be 1-2 watts per gallon.
Is the t5 fixture in question a duel bulb fixture?
Because for a 26g tank, two 21 watt t5 bulbs would be 42 watts. Or you could maybe try and find lower wattage t5 bulbs..
Anyway, what i said above is only if its a duel light fixture haha. Can you tell us more about it?

 

[Smcoyle87]

Also, bulbs that have a light temp of 5,000k - 10,000k (6,700k is daylight) are perfect.
The "low-light" term really applies to wattage.

 

[jetajockey]

I deleted your 2nd post GodFan because bumping is against site rules. Apply a little patience please.

A T5no is not going to be too much light in most scenarios, it'll probably keep you in the low range on a bowfront. Is it a single bulb or double?

If it were me I would probably just spend the money on a 2x24w t5ho fixture off of ebay.

I've had good luck with the PC fixture on my bowfront, but it's not my favorite.

I've used quite a few different fixtures and setups and one thing I absolutely refuse to do when getting a new fixture is to get something underpowered. It's frustrating when you shell out for one and end up finding it lacking. If the fixture is too much light for your intended goals, the solutions for that are much simpler to deal with, and it leaves an avenue open if you ever do want to go medium or high tech later on.

 

[GodFan]

I believe it is a dual bulb fixture. Might have been nice if zi would have looked and seen what wattage it had lol Forgot to check! I posted a build thread outlining what plants I want. here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/26-bowfront-build-187420.html#post1736416
will you tell me what would be best for those plants?

 

[aqua_chem]

If you get a T5HO, make sure you have a plan for reducing the light intensity to a level that meets your requirements. I don't think that 26 bowfronts are very tall, so you might be dealing with more light than you are expecting.

 

[GodFan]

what about this one: Amazon.com: Zoo Med AquaSun T5-HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood, 24-Inch: Pet Supplies it has dual switches so one bulb can be turned off. How else can I adjust light output? Put a bad bulb in one side? I guess I could do one side daylight and one actnitic.... I like the blueish color...

 

[jetajockey]

That's true, a dual t5ho setup might be a bit much, but it really just depends on a lot of things so it's hard to say without setting it up and trying it. I've never used zoo med but I have read that it is one of the cheaper quality fixtures so it's less intense than some of the more expensive brands.

As far as reducing intensity, you can drop it to one bulb either by removing one, or some fixtures have multiple switches. You could also add the actinic, but I don't know how that works in regard to algae.

 

[GodFan]

What about the one I posted?

 

[aqua_chem]

The thing about actinics is that spectrum aside, they still have a good 50% of the PAR. Another problem with cheaper fixtures is that you often can't run only one bulb. You're right about the quality of the fixtures though. The cheaper fixtures usually have pretty poor reflectors, which lend to reduced light quality.

 

[jetajockey]

Please re read my post.

If you never intend on ever going past medium light then I'd go with a 2 bulb t5no. It'd save you from the real potential of algae issues in the case of a 'too much light' scenario, and if you never see yourself going into co2 or ferts then you'll never make use of higher light intensity anyway.

That said I've never used zoomed products personally so I can't say for sure what quality they are from personal experience.

As far as your gravel and sand thing goes, that particular plant takes its nutrients primarily through its leaves, it doesn't have a complex root structure or anything, so the substrate does not play much of a factor at all.

 

[GodFan]

ok. Is that the right kind of fixture though? It is a 2 bulb I think. How do I know the ones at my LFS are no or ho? Will it say?

Oh wait I just saw the link I posted says ho duh! So a t5no is ok for medium as well?

I suppose this would be better than? Amazon.com: Fish Tank Aquarium Light 24" 2x24w T5 Lamps Fixture: Pet Supplies