Lighting Fixture OK?

[TankMan]

Does this fixture look like a good one for plants such as Anubias, dwarf sag, jungle Val, amazon swords, ludwigia, and some other easy plants? Thanks!

 

[Atxpunx]

Yes, that would be medium light over a 55 gallon. That's kind of cheap, what website is that?

 

[TankMan]

Yes, that would be medium light over a 55 gallon. That's kind of cheap, what website is that?

It would be for a 75g. And the website is aqua traders.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Light Strip

Hello Tank...

It looks like a very good light. Those T5s are nice and plants really do well with them. Looks like you have a couple of 28 watt bulbs in the fixture. That amount of light should grow most low to moderate light plants.

Good choice.

B

 

[TankMan]

Hello Tank...

It looks like a very good light. Those T5s are nice and plants really do well with them. Looks like you have a couple of 28 watt bulbs in the fixture. That amount of light should grow most low to moderate light plants.

Good choice.

B

Thank you!

 

[Devon6209]

Hello Tank...

It looks like a very good light. Those T5s are nice and plants really do well with them. Looks like you have a couple of 28 watt bulbs in the fixture. That amount of light should grow most low to moderate light plants.

Good choice.

B

The fixture has 2 54watt bulbs in and 108watts over a 75 is in the low to medium lighting. Should be great for those plants listed tho

 

[rkilling1]

It's an Odyssea fixture. It also doesn't have individual reflectors. You get what you pay for.

 

[TankMan]

It's an Odyssea fixture. It also doesn't have individual reflectors. You get what you pay for.

Hmm okay. Off the top of your head, can you think of a better fixture that won't cause an alge bloom (I don't run co2) and that won't break the bank? I'm only 17.

 

[aqua_chem]

With the odyssea fixtures (which these are), you will be getting less light than any other T5HO on the market, but they are also about the cheapest. That may be what you need if you're not willing to get into co2.

 

[BBradbury]

Your Lighting

Hmm okay. Off the top of your head, can you think of a better fixture that won't cause an alge bloom (I don't run co2) and that won't break the bank? I'm only 17.

Hello again Tank...

Deep Blue Professional has some excellent lighting. They carry a brand of stipe called Solarmax. It's made up of a T5 10,000K bulb, an Actinic-03 Lamp. The two are separated by a row of LED lights. The lights run quite a bit cooler than standard florescents. I have them in all my 55 Gs.

Algae booms are caused by too much dissolved phosphates in the water. Phosphates are one of three main ingredients in plant fertilizers. So, if you use fertilizers in addition to those the fish produce, the plants may be getting too much and algae takes advantage of too much food. If you have a well stocked tank, just feed the fish a balanced diet. Long term, the ferts the fish produce are the best.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B

 

[rkilling1]

Algae booms are caused by too much dissolved phosphates in the water. Phosphates are one of three main ingredients in plant fertilizers. So, if you use fertilizers in addition to those the fish produce, the plants may be getting too much and algae takes advantage of too much food. If you have a well stocked tank, just feed the fish a balanced diet. Long term, the ferts the fish produce are the best.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B

That an old myth. It has been disproved many times over the years. Most algae issues come from imbalances within the environment, but the one thing that always leads to algae is having to much NH3/NH4.

 

[aqua_chem]

I've upward of 15 ppm phosphates without causing algae issues.

 

[BBradbury]

Algae Blooms

Hello r and aqua...

You two are pulling my chain a little, right? Sooner or later, everything dissolves in water. That's why you must be very careful what goes into the tank, especially anything like metallic decorations and such. Phosphates, nitrogen and potassium are three of the main ingredients in plant fertilizers, if you dissolve too much of these chemicals into your tank water, primitive plants, like algae will have a "field day" in this type of environment.

Come on, you two were just testing me. Did I pass?

B

 

[TankMan]

So what you're saying is that it's not the lights? Only the ferts?

 

[BBradbury]

Algae Bloom

Hello again Tank...

Yes. If I had an issue with algae, I would really start with the food source and leave the lighting alone. If you're dosing a commercial source of fertilizer in addition to what the fish produce, then review the dosing instructions on the container. Back off a little on the ferts for a couple of weeks and see how it affects it. Algae is only going to thrive if your complex plants don't use all the ferts.

In the meantime, make sure you're keeping up with your large, frequent water changes. This will keep the water chemistry stable. Algae, under control, isn't a bad thing. It's a sign of a healthy tank and it's a good food supplement for your fish.

Just a couple of thoughts, nobody walking around knows everything.

B

 

[TankMan]

Hello again Tank...

Yes. If I had an issue with algae, I would really start with the food source and leave the lighting alone. If you're dosing a commercial source of fertilizer in addition to what the fish produce, then review the dosing instructions on the container. Back off a little on the ferts for a couple of weeks and see how it affects it. Algae is only going to thrive if your complex plants don't use all the ferts.

In the meantime, make sure you're keeping up with your large, frequent water changes. This will keep the water chemistry stable. Algae, under control, isn't a bad thing. It's a sign of a healthy tank and it's a good food supplement for your fish.

Just a couple of thoughts, nobody walking around knows everything.

B

You're very knowledgable. Thank you.

 

[aqua_chem]

Nope, no chain yanking. I've ran 40+ ppm NO3 and 15+ ppm for weeks without algae issues. In my experience, it's very rarely excessive nutrients that cause algae issues, but rather almost always excessive light and/or insufficient CO2. The other major causes of algae that I see is insufficient nutrients, particularly phosphates (GSA) or nitrates (BGA).

Think about it like this: algae is an extremely simple single-cell organism. I needs minimal levels of nutrients (sub-ppm) to grow and survive. In that sense, it makes very little difference to algae whether there's 1 ppm or 40 ppm of any given nutrient, because algae has all the nutrients it can use in either case, so it's only limitation is light.

 

[TankMan]

Nope, no chain yanking. I've ran 40+ ppm NO3 and 15+ ppm for weeks without algae issues. In my experience, it's very rarely excessive nutrients that cause algae issues, but rather almost always excessive light and/or insufficient CO2. The other major causes of algae that I see is insufficient nutrients, particularly phosphates (GSA) or nitrates (BGA).

Think about it like this: algae is an extremely simple single-cell organism. I needs minimal levels of nutrients (sub-ppm) to grow and survive. In that sense, it makes very little difference to algae whether there's 1 ppm or 40 ppm of any given nutrient, because algae has all the nutrients it can use in either case, so it's only limitation is light.

+1. Just because that sounds right. Lol