lighting for a new planned planted tank

[lionheart]

i would like to use plants in a new tank i am setting up
can you point me in right direction my tank is 48" length 18" high 16" depth approx 59.8 US gals
my lighting is 2 x39watts T5 each tube 10,000 lumines
will this be adequate lighting for a low tech planted tank
my own view of the lighting suggests it ok
but i am just guessing seen as the bottom of tank is well illuminated
i dont no what sort of wpg i am supposed to have for my size tank
also i dont fully understand the co2 side of things
what is to much water agitation and what is ok

 

[mfdrookie516]

just forget you even heard of the wpg "rule", its got more holes in it than a spaghetti strainer... I think with t5ho lighting, you'll probably be ok with some low light plants like anubias, anacharis, java fern and moss... nowhere near enough to even worry about needing co2.. you shouldnt have to worry about too much agitation either, thats only really a consideration when dealing with co2

 

[lionheart]

thanks mfdrookie516
is there a rule of thumb as to the amount of plants i could put in my size tank before you would need to consider co2 systems
basically i just want to create a natural planted look ( not heavy planted aquarium )
which will also aid the nitrate levels as nitrate from my tap its between 20/40ppm

 

[JustOneMore20]

The need for co2 is more for high light plants when you have alot of light...or if you try to keep co2 needy plants. If you stick to the plants mfdrookie mentioned, which would be good for your lighting, you won't have a need to inject co2, no matter how many of those plants you pack in there.

 

[lionheart]

a few pics to give you general idea of the present lighting
and a few plants which i have not yet planted into substrate