36 gallon build plus stocking ??s

[paytertot]

Maybe she likes the bubbles...

I took one with the flash on.

Paytertot, there is a starlight on aquabid FYI.

Thanks, I see it. I think I'm going to wait on anything but fish and plants for a while till I get a few paychecks lol

 

[paytertot]

So what kind of lighting would I have if I've got one coralife 6700k 14w t5 bulb and one aqueon 6700k daylight 14w t5 bulb?

 

[Luananeko]

If they're regular T5 bulbs that would be low light.

 

[paytertot]

If they're regular T5 bulbs that would be low light.

D: what?! Aagghh I thought t8 was low light and t5 would give me higher light Dx I'm so upset, I spent about 70 dollars on all that ...

 

[Luananeko]

It is higher light than regular T8, but unless it's a T5HO fixture you usually follow a watts per gallon rule. Under 1-2 wpg is low light, 2-3 is medium light, 3+ is high light. At least I think that's the scale last I checked... I might be off on the medium light range. In either case, two 14w bulbs gives you 28 watts, over a 36 gallon tank, which is firmly in the low light range.

 

[paytertot]

It is higher light than regular T8, but unless it's a T5HO fixture you usually follow a watts per gallon rule. Under 1-2 wpg is low light, 2-3 is medium light, 3+ is high light. At least I think that's the scale last I checked... I might be off on the medium light range. In either case, two 14w bulbs gives you 28 watts, over a 36 gallon tank, which is firmly in the low light range.

Omg now what am I gunna do x( I can't return any of it now, my dads going to killlll me. I'm so disappointed now :/ Grr

 

[Luananeko]

Low light is fine for Anubias, java ferns, etc. You can still grow some plants, just make sure you research the plants before you buy them to make sure they can handle the low light.

 

[paytertot]

Low light is fine for Anubias, java ferns, etc. You can still grow some plants, just make sure you research the plants before you buy them to make sure they can handle the low light.

Yea I know I have a 55 gallon planted tank already. I'm just upset because I spent so much money -all of my money- for nothing.

 

[Luananeko]

Yeah, that is frustrating At least it's still better than a T8? In the future a cheaper alternative would probably be a DIY shop light set up from Home Depot. If you're not a DIY type, then look for a dual T5HO or a quad-bulb T5 fixture next time.

 

[paytertot]

Yeah, that is frustrating At least it's still better than a T8? In the future a cheaper alternative would probably be a DIY shop light set up from Home Depot. If you're not a DIY type, then look for a dual T5HO or a quad-bulb T5 fixture next time.

Ok :/ thanks

 

[jetajockey]

Yea I know I have a 55 gallon planted tank already. I'm just upset because I spent so much money -all of my money- for nothing.

I wouldn't say that. I don't really apply the WPG rule because it's not very accurate, in this case for example both your 36 bow and 55g are about the same since they both have similar tank height. Because of that you should get somewhat similar results between the two. There are a lot of other variables in play there, but as far as lighting goes there's a great similarity anyhow.


I like and usualyl recommend the basic 2 bulb t5ho fixtures for the 55 and up but that doesn't mean that the 2 bulb t5no is a slouch by any means. You should still be able to grow/maintain a vast array of plant species with that particular fixture. Many people have been growing under t12s and t8s for decades. It's not going to be so much that you'll be looking at pressurized co2, but iirc you weren't really wanting to go that route anyway.

 

[paytertot]

I wouldn't say that. I don't really apply the WPG rule because it's not very accurate, in this case for example both your 36 bow and 55g are about the same since they both have similar tank height. Because of that you should get somewhat similar results between the two. There are a lot of other variables in play there, but as far as lighting goes there's a great similarity anyhow.

I like and usualyl recommend the basic 2 bulb t5ho fixtures for the 55 and up but that doesn't mean that the 2 bulb t5no is a slouch by any means. You should still be able to grow/maintain a vast array of plant species with that particular fixture. Many people have been growing under t12s and t8s for decades. It's not going to be so much that you'll be looking at pressurized co2, but iirc you weren't really wanting to go that route anyway.

Pressurized, no. DIY, yes. So its still low lighting tho pretty much right? I really wanted this tank to be highly planted

 

[jetajockey]

Many of my tanks that have been heavily planted are low light, you don't have to have medium or high light and co2 to do a densely planted tank. The only major drawbacks to lower light is that there are some plants that will grow leggy (to get up to reach the light easier), and generally speaking with the less light, the slower speed the plants grow. It really doesn't mean anything when it comes to having a nice planted tank though, you can do it super low tech just fine.

 

[paytertot]

Many of my tanks that have been heavily planted are low light, you don't have to have medium or high light and co2 to do a densely planted tank. The only major drawbacks to lower light is that there are some plants that will grow leggy (to get up to reach the light easier), and generally speaking with the less light, the slower speed the plants grow. It really doesn't mean anything when it comes to having a nice planted tank though, you can do it super low tech just fine.

Yea but it puts some limit on to what kind of plants I can grow right?

 

[Luananeko]

Yes, a lot of the red plants will struggle in lower light tanks... If you're doing co2 then your lighting requirements aren't quite as strict though. There's a lot of cases where a medium light plant will still stay compact and grow well in lower light scenarios that co2 was used.

 

[paytertot]

Ok. On a side note, I'm thinking of making this tank a blackwater setup.

 

[Luananeko]

Hmmm, I've never messed with blackwater setups before. You'll want to check that the plants you want will tolerate salt.

 

[jetajockey]

Yea but it puts some limit on to what kind of plants I can grow right?

Well you can't expect to force a plant to carpet, like hc, but most of the time the recommendations are extremely conservative. Normally people rattle off a small list of plants like anubias and the ferns, the various rhizome plants, maybe some beginner mosses. There are a ton more options though, and I suggest to just get a bunch of random clippings from someone to see what works out best for you.

The various ludwigia (arcuata, hybrid, red ludwigia) are some of my favorites. Out of the dozens of species I've kept there's only been a couple that I can think of that have ever given me any problem, and most of those were emersed when I got them.

 

[jetajockey]

Blackwater setups have no relation to salt.

Also note that recreating a blackwater biotope will also reduce your light intensity greatly. Doesn't meant you can't do it, but if you have light related problems with your plants you will know the culprit.

Most of the creeks and rivers I wander around in are tannin stained waters.

 

[paytertot]

Blackwater setups have no relation to salt.

Also note that recreating a blackwater biotope will also reduce your light intensity greatly. Doesn't meant you can't do it, but if you have light related problems with your plants you will know the culprit.

Most of the creeks and rivers I wander around in are tannin stained waters.

Yea I know I've been wanting to do it for a while and that's another reason I was upset about the light thing :/ idk what to do really.