T 5 HO lights questins

[ejaramillo01]

In my 100 G tank I have a canopy on top, when I decided to start adding plants to the tank I upgraded the lights. I went from 2 regular fluorescent 48" bulbs to a retrofit kit with 2 48" T5 HO bulbs. ( both bulbs are White 6,500K and 54 watts ). So roughly I had 1.04 watts per gallon, but the canopy added 10" of distance from the top of the glass to the bulbs. I have been able to grow plants in my tank, like amazon swords, ferns, anubias, and wisteria mainly.
But I liked to increase my lighting to be able to try different plants (more lighting needs).

Last week I was able to buy another retrofit kit. I installed it also, this is similar 2 48" T5 HO bulbs, but this came with two different bulbs:
1 is Marine White 10,000K 54 watts, the second is Purple-Blue 6,500K 54 watts. So, after the installation now I have 2.08 watts per gallon, but now I have questions regarding the combination of bulbs and spectrums:

Remember I'm going to try medium to high light plants

1. Which spectrum is better for plants, the White 6,700K or the Marine White 10,000K?
2. Do I need to replace the purple-blue bulb with another white? To make it all 4 white bulbs?
3. What do you suggest for a bulbs mix?

Note: I don't have CO2 in the tank, I used root tabs, liquid ferts and excel...

 

[aqua_chem]

How deep is this tank? That will play a significant role in how much light you can get.

You'll be ok with medium light plants, but you're going to need CO2 if you cross the nonspecific PAR line, and a 4x T5HO could potentially push you over that line.

Also, you might have to take out a loan to pay for dosing Excel on a 100g tank. 10 mL per day (6) + 50 mL on water change day = 110 mL per week, and the 250 mL bottles are $10. You would literally make up the cost of buying a decent CO2 system in less than a year.


Anything between 10000K and 5000K should be fine to grow plants, with some outliers on both sides. As a general rule, avoid actinic type bulbs.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Answers and more questions

Thanks Aqua Chem... I really appreciate your feedback.
My tank is 22" high....

Also, Can you explain me more here, what do you mean with:

"You'll be ok with medium light plants, but you're going to need CO2 if you cross the nonspecific PAR line, and a 4x T5HO could potentially push you over that line. "

What exactly means cross the nonspecific PAR line? Why the CO2 will be needed?

But you right about the excel $$$$$... maybe make sense for me to look into CO2 systems....

 

[aqua_chem]

What I mean is that once you cross a certain threshold of light intensity, you create an environment where algae will out compete plants, leading to persistent algae issues. CO2 solves this issues, allowing plants to out compete the algae again, but sadly many people buy high light fixtures without realizing that plants need more than light to flourish.


I would say that for a 100G tank, a #10 CO2 tank would be your best bet. The entire CO2 setup you probably run $200 tops, but I think you would save that much after 10 months or so compared to dosing Excel.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Thanks again, I got you, and I understand now the CO2 importance....
Where do you suggest to look for the CO2 system? Do make sense to buy the complete system or buy the parts separate?

I search online and I saw semi-automatic and fully automatic systems.... ??????

 

[aqua_chem]

It depends how much money you want to spend. A regulator will run anywhere from $90 to $250. Many of them will come with a solenoid, etc which is how you will automate it (with the help of a simple timer).

As far as semi-automatic vs fully automatic.... I'm not even sure what they're referring to.

 

[Smcoyle87]

Aqua-chem is the man, he's helped me so much through just reading other ppl's threads. Thanks! Haha

 

[jetajockey]

Thanks again, I got you, and I understand now the CO2 importance....
Where do you suggest to look for the CO2 system? Do make sense to buy the complete system or buy the parts separate?

I search online and I saw semi-automatic and fully automatic systems.... ??????

If you are referring to the difference between the semi-auto and fully auto kits like the ones available on drfostersmith.com, the difference is that the fully auto kit has a pH controller that regulates co2 injection, the former just has a regular old timer that you set the on/off times with.

 

[ejaramillo01]

If you are referring to the difference between the semi-auto and fully auto kits like the ones available on drfostersmith.com, the difference is that the fully auto kit has a pH controller that regulates co2 injection, the former just has a regular old timer that you set the on/off times with.

Thanks, in other words the amount of CO2 in the water has a relationship with the pH value? If I chose a semiautomatic system ( timer ), How do I know for how long do I need to set up the timer? Do I need to check the pH constantly?

 

[jetajockey]

The best method is to use a drop checker with 4dkh reference solution.

With the 'semi auto' system, which is just a solenoid controlled by a timer, you'll just want to have the co2 running during the daytime when the plants can utilize it. You'll still have to adjust the BPS(bubbles per second) aka flow rate of the co2 till you get it set to the sweet spot for your tank.

 

[aqua_chem]

My CO2 comes on an hour before my lights do and goes off an hour before my lights turn off. A drop checker is absolutely essential for a pressurized CO2 system.

IMO, the pH probe is a $100 expense that could better be spent somewhere else.

 

[ldaniel]

I run my carbon dioxide 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and I maintain about 40 to 50 ppm. dKh in my tank is 3, it's a 55 gallon hi tech. in my fixture I run 2 54w 6700k, one blue and one purple (54w each). Both are marine bulbs. I have not had any issues with growth or algae.
Imho, its all about the way you want the tank to look. I prefer the cooler lighting compared to having a yellowish tint.
Just my 0.2 cents.

 

[jetajockey]

When it comes to growing plants, not really. Corals maybe, but plants require a different spectrum for optimal growth.

 

[ejaramillo01]

The best method is to use a drop checker with 4dkh reference solution.

With the 'semi auto' system, which is just a solenoid controlled by a timer, you'll just want to have the co2 running during the daytime when the plants can utilize it. You'll still have to adjust the BPS(bubbles per second) aka flow rate of the co2 till you get it set to the sweet spot for your tank.

I liked the idea of the timer versus the pH controller.

Ok, I saw some systems online, but if you don't mind, I'm still have some questions guys.

What is a reactor? What is a diffuser? Do I need one of this? For a 100G tank, do I need one diffuser Or two? What size?

Sorry to bother you but can you explain me more about the process for the 4dkh reference solution? And the sweet spot?

 

[jetajockey]

Here's a good source for the stuff you are asking about.

CO2 For The Planted Tank | Q and A


Basically, a reactor is a separate container/canister that forces bubbles of co2 through water, it's just a really effective way of diffusion.

It can be costly if you aren't willing to DIY one.

The simpler way is to just use a basic diffuser, they sell different kinds online. Diffusion is just the method that the co2 is dissolved into the water. I've even run the co2 line directly into the intake on my canister filter and that worked well for diffusion also, although I've heard of some having issues with the co2 causing cavitation by the impeller.

Here's a writeup on how a drop checker works. The reason for using 4dkh water in the reference solution is so that you have a known standard (since kh/gh values in aquariums vary from one to another, water sources, fert additives, substrate choice, etc), if you just used tank water you'd have a fancy pH test and nothing more.

The Drop Checker by Walter Reed

 

[rkilling1]

1. Which spectrum is better for plants, the White 6,700K or the Marine White 10,000K?
2. Do I need to replace the purple-blue bulb with another white? To make it all 4 white bulbs?
3. What do you suggest for a bulbs mix?

That all depends on the lights spectrum. Listing the kelvin rating doesn't help with determining the usefulness for plants. Most bulbs list/show the color spectrum the bulbs puts out. Having the color spectrum will determine if the bulbs are any good for plants.

 

[mfdrookie516]

That all depends on the lights spectrum. Listing the kelvin rating doesn't help with determining the usefulness for plants. Most bulbs list/show the color spectrum the bulbs puts out. Having the color spectrum will determine if the bulbs are any good for plants.

Exactly. The reason it is commonly recommended to choose bulbs betwee 6500k and 10,000k, is those bulbs typically have a better spectrum for plants. That isn't always the case.

The purple bulb you have is for coral growth. It peaks at about 450nm and 625nm, where a good plant bulb like the Geisemann AquaFlora peaks around 425nm, 550nm, and 650nm. The purple plus probably grows plants, but has a little too much light in the blue spectrum to really be efficient.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Man! I thought that I knew about aquariums... But I realized how much is still out there to be learn !!

Thanks for all your answers and tips. I will read in detail some of the links provided and I'm sure that I will post some questions later...