Low Tech Planted Lighting Help!

[scottb]

Hello all!
I am new to the planted tank hobby, but I am dedicated to having a planted tank due to its natural beauty . I am looking to replace my stock T8 17W bulb, for a completely different fixture. After some searching around, I have narrowed my choices down to two. Here are the links for the two fixtures (Let me know if the links are broken).

1. Coralife Aqualight T5HO Light

Coralife Aqualight High Output T5 Freshwater Aquarium Lighting Fixture 2X31W 30 inch Coralife T5 HO

2. Fishneedit.com fixture, found this site from threads started by members of this wonderful forum!

30in 2Bulbs fixtures

I have a 36g Bow Front, and will be replacing the stock hood for a Versa Top. Currently my tank has 3 Jungle Vals, 2 pieces of driftwood and 5 Harlequin Rasboras (doing a fish-in cycle). I plan to add a few more Jungle Val, 4 Small Amazon Swords, Java Fern for my pieces of driftwood, Dwarf Sag (6-8 stems), and some Crystalwort that I will float. Eventually I plan to add more plants in the future.

My question is what are your thoughts on the two fixtures I linked above. Also, they are both T5HO fixtures, but I know they offer different bulbs, both with different watts. Can I simply replace the bulbs, as long as they're the same wattage?

If anyone has purchased a fixture from fishneedit.com, anyone know what size bulb their 24" fixture takes? And what their 30" fixture fits?

My tank measures 31" long from frame to frame. Will a 24" fixture be too short? Would I be better off getting a 30" fixture which measures 30" in length?

Also, I am open to other suggestions on light fixtures, so feel free to recommend any. Although I am trying to keep it under $120.

Sorry for bombarding this thread with questions, what do you expect from a newbie

Thanks to everyone in advance for all the help!

 

[blert]

I have the CoraLife fixture and it is very nice and works well. One thing to remember about this 30" fixture is nobody but CoraLife makes the 30"/31watt bulbs it needs so your options are limited to what they offer when it comes time to replace the bulbs. They have four types of bulbs I believe, a 10000k, a 6700k, a ColorMax and an actinic.

 

[scottb]

I have the CoraLife fixture and it is very nice and works well. One thing to remember about this 30" fixture is nobody but CoraLife makes the 30"/31watt bulbs it needs so your options are limited to what they offer when it comes time to replace the bulbs. They have four types of bulbs I believe, a 10000k, a 6700k, a ColorMax and an actinic.

blert - thank you so much for the response, it is greatly appreciated. I did not know that the Coralife fixture only took bulbs made by Coralife. Do you know if ALL of their fixtures are like this? This isn't too big of an issue though, I have no problem purchasing bulbs online.

Which bulbs are you using and how big is your tank? If I decide to go with the fixture, I will probably get the 6700k and Colormax, otherwise the 6700k with the 10000k. Is your tank planted? If so, is it low, moderate or high light plants?

Also, my current light fixture has a 24" bulb with a 30" housing. Would I be better off getting a fixture that's 24" and not 30"? Do you know what size bulb the 24" takes, and if replacement bulbs are only available by Coralife?

Thanks!

 

[blert]

It's not the type of bulb, it's just a regular t5ho, it's the size. I have searched and the only folks I have found that make and market 30"/31watt bulbs are CoraLife. If you stayed with the standard sizes (24", 36", 48", etc...) you can use any manufacturer's bulb you like. I think their 24" fixture takes 24" bulbs.

My DT is a 37gallon. The fixture is 22" above the substrate. Bulbs are a 10000k and a ColorMax. This puts me in about medium-high to high light I suppose. If I changed the ColorMax to a 6700k bulb it would likely put me square into high light. My tank is moderately planted I guess but am working on getting it up to slightly heavily planted. I have plants that range from low light (Anubias) to high light (Dwarf Sag "carpet", more like a couple of area rugs ) with some fast growing mediums (Wisteria, H. Corembosa "Angustifolia", Ludwigia).

 

[scottb]

It's not the type of bulb, it's just a regular t5ho, it's the size. I have searched and the only folks I have found that make and market 30"/31watt bulbs are CoraLife. If you stayed with the standard sizes (24", 36", 48", etc...) you can use any manufacturer's bulb you like. I think their 24" fixture takes 24" bulbs.

My DT is a 37gallon. The fixture is 22" above the substrate. Bulbs are a 10000k and a ColorMax. This puts me in about medium-high to high light I suppose. If I changed the ColorMax to a 6700k bulb it would likely put me square into high light. My tank is moderately planted I guess but am working on getting it up to slightly heavily planted. I have plants that range from low light (Anubias) to high light (Dwarf Sag "carpet", more like a couple of area rugs ) with some fast growing mediums (Wisteria, H. Corembosa "Angustifolia", Ludwigia).

Thanks for the explanation! I may end up purchasing the 30" fixture from fishneedit.com instead. I'm pretty sure this houses a standard 24" bulb (waiting to hear back from them). The main reason is due to the limited bulb availability of the Coralife 30" fixture. I guess I could purchase the 24" fixture as well, and not have to run into trouble with bulb compatibility. Hmm.....decisions, decisions. Do you know if the Coralife fixture(s) come with adjustable legs? Do you know how long your tank is?

 

[blert]

Yeah, my tank is 30" long. The fixture has adjustable legs and could probably fit on something about 36".

I have a local shop that stocks these bulbs and AquariumPlants.com has them also for about five bucks cheaper (not including shipping).

 

[scottb]

Yeah, my tank is 30" long. The fixture has adjustable legs and could probably fit on something about 36".

If my current fixture is 29" long and houses a 24" bulb, do you think I would be better off getting a 30" fixture or a 24" fixture? Thanks for all the help!

 

[blert]

I don't know, it's really up to you and how big your tank is. I decided on the CoraLife 30" because it spans the entire length of my tank and I got a killer deal on it from one of my LFSs.

All other 30" fixtures that I have seen all have 24" bulbs. CoraLife is the only one I have seen that uses a 30" bulb.

 

[scottb]

I don't know, it's really up to you and how big your tank is. I decided on the CoraLife 30" because it spans the entire length of my tank and I got a killer deal on it from one of my LFSs.

All other 30" fixtures that I have seen all have 24" bulbs. CoraLife is the only one I have seen that uses a 30" bulb.

Thanks again. Probably will end up getting the 30 inch from fishneedit.com then, as long as it uses a 24" bulb, since I would also like the light to span across my tank. My tank is also about 21" high, but I'd say more like 18-19" with the substrate. I plan to switch out the bulbs the fixture will come with, with probably a Geisemann Midday which is 6000k and a Aquaflora (supposed to help bring out colors in fish and enhances plant growth). Sound like a good idea? I do also like the 24" CoraLife though, since it comes stock with a 6700k and ColorMax bulb.

Here is my tank, just in case it helps.

Aqueon 36 Gallon Deluxe Bow Front Aquarium Kit - Fish - Sale - PetSmart

 

[Sharkbait54]

I'm getting the coralife fixture tommorow I'm pretty excited. I like the fact that the bulbs are 30" long it seems like it would be better.

 

[scottb]

I'm getting the coralife fixture tommorow I'm pretty excited. I like the fact that the bulbs are 30" long it seems like it would be better.

Thanks for your post! So you don't mind that you can only purchase Coralife bulbs with that specific fixture? Also, where are you getting your from, if you don't mind me asking.

 

[blert]

Thanks for your post! So you don't mind that you can only purchase Coralife bulbs with that specific fixture? Also, where are you getting your from, if you don't mind me asking.

Just so you know, there's nothing wrong with CoraLife bulbs. They are a high quality bulb with spectral (is that even the correct word?) analysis's (analysi?) very similar to other high quality bulbs (like Geissmanns and such).

 

[aqua_chem]

While I don't think Coralife makes bad bulbs, they are by no means on par (pun intended) with Giesemann bulbs. That being said, I doubt you'll have any complaints with the bulbs Coralife makes unless you start trying to grow more high end demanding plants (ie high tech, pressurized CO2 setups).

 

[blert]

While I don't think Coralife makes bad bulbs, they are by no means on par (pun intended) with Giesemann bulbs. That being said, I doubt you'll have any complaints with the bulbs Coralife makes unless you start trying to grow more high end demanding plants (ie high tech, pressurized CO2 setups).

Ahhhhh Haaa Haa Ha Ha HeHeHe... "on par". Too rich! Sorry, couldn't resist.

Probably true as you know more about it than me but I was just saying that the spectrum analysis between the two bulbs looked very similar to me. But that, by no means, means that Giesemanns are not the better bulb because, as you know, they are.

 

[jetajockey]

I wouldn't get the 30" bulb fixture just because it limits your choices of bulb sources. If you go with the 24" or even 36" (i know it won't fit well), you'd have more options and places to purchase the bulbs from so you wouldn't be kinda locked into only using a certain supplier or whatever. The 24" and 48" fixtures and replacement bulbs are generally cheaper since they are more common sizes also.

FWIW, a 2x24w fixture is more then enough light over that size tank, especially if you go with a higher end fixture like a FNI, catalina, etc.

I wouldn't discount the bulbs that come with the FNI or Catalina fixtures either, they might not be as awesomeriffic as Geissmans but they are still respectable and work well, I'd use them for a year or whatever and then replace them with the bulbs you want.

 

[scottb]

Thanks for all the posts! I am leaning towards a 24" fixture, simply due to the options of bulbs available for it. Now the question still remains, do I go with the Coralife or the fixture from fishneedit.com. I plan to upgrade my bulbs either way to geisemann's. Anyone own or have ever owned a fixture from fishneedit?

 

[scottb]

I wouldn't get the 30" bulb fixture just because it limits your choices of bulb sources. If you go with the 24" or even 36" (i know it won't fit well), you'd have more options and places to purchase the bulbs from so you wouldn't be kinda locked into only using a certain supplier or whatever. The 24" and 48" fixtures and replacement bulbs are generally cheaper since they are more common sizes also.

FWIW, a 2x24w fixture is more then enough light over that size tank, especially if you go with a higher end fixture like a FNI, catalina, etc.

I wouldn't discount the bulbs that come with the FNI or Catalina fixtures either, they might not be as awesomeriffic as Geissmans but they are still respectable and work well, I'd use them for a year or whatever and then replace them with the bulbs you want.

I'll have to look into Catalina fixtures. And I know that whatever fixture I do end up buying, the lights will look 100x better than the stock bulb I have now.

 

[Sharkbait54]

Thanks for your post! So you don't mind that you can only purchase Coralife bulbs with that specific fixture? Also, where are you getting your from, if you don't mind me asking.

Nope don't care if I can't get other manufactures bulbs I like coralife. I ordered online (amazon) for 100$ and got a 6.7k bulb for 10 bucks also my lfs had all coralife fixture and bulbs in stock to.

 

[jetajockey]

Not to knock coralife, it's a decent shelf fixture and available at many LFS, but if you want a higher quality go with catalina or FNI. They use individual polished reflectors and higher quality ballasts, and end up being around the same price or even cheaper than the shelf brands because you don't have to pay LFS markup.

 

[scottb]

Not to knock coralife, it's a decent shelf fixture and available at many LFS, but if you want a higher quality go with catalina or FNI. They use individual polished reflectors and higher quality ballasts, and end up being around the same price or even cheaper than the shelf brands because you don't have to pay LFS markup.

Thank you for your post! I have decided to go the an FNI fixture. However, I am still debating on whether to get the 24" fixture, or the 30". Does anyone know if the 30" takes the standard 24" T5HO bulb?