Plant Lighting Suggestion

[Wmc2009]

I Just lucked up on this 55 gallon tank (Petsmart Clearance Woo Hooo) and need the best suggestion for lighting to allow it to be heavily planted. The top being split is kinda throwing me off as far as which route I should take. The set came with LED lighting but I'm not sure my plants will flourish with that setup. I have a 30 heavily planted tank w/T5 HO dual lamp and I'm not getting the results I had hoped for after spending what I did to get maximum growth. Any suggestions out there before I go out and waste more money on lighting that's not going to give me the results I'm looking for. I have a DIY Co2 system on the 30 gallon plus I dose with API co2 booster daily. Growth rate is average but not phenomenal. I want better results with this new tank setup. Anybody have good (possibly cheap) solutions. Im going to add a few shots of the top so you can see what I'm dealing with







The lighting hoods that came with it are 23L x 11 1/4W if that helps.

 

[fort384]

Are you planning on a pressurized CO2 injection system?

 

[Number1cookie]

Following along, hubby got me this same set up for Christmas. Right now I have some java fern in there but would love to add better lighting!

 

[Wmc2009]

I will eventually. I'm just going to try DIY first so I don't spend a small fortune all at once

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

DIY co2 is best in tanks 20 gallons and under. If you really want to see great results, you should get a combination of things going ALL together (since they work in concert to give you better results). You'll need better lighting (the original purpose of this thread), co2 injection (or a good liquid carbon like what Rivercats did on her 220g), a good fertilizer regimen (I recommend dosing PPS-Pro with Dry Ferts, much cheaper and well rounded), and a decent planted substrate like Eco-Complete.

For lighting... are you going for low, medium, or high? To me, it sounds like you want to see results so at least medium or higher would be my bet. Right now I'm using a Finnex Ray 2 on my 26g Bow Front. Other than length, the dimensions are not much different than yours... (26g = 24"L x 15"W x 21"H vs. 55g = 48" x 13" x 21"). With the Finnex Ray 2 at that height, you'll get moderate lighting and grow a great deal of plants.
Amazon.com: Finnex Ray2 Aquarium LED Daylight, 48-Inch: Pet Supplies

My 26g thread using the Finnex Ray 2: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...irst-dutch-inspired-scape-journal-235192.html

**Only drawback on my Ray 2 is that some plants that turn red under intense lighting are not doing that here. I might add more lighting. But overall growth has been phenomenal.

Now if you're looking for intense high lighting, then you might want to look elsewhere. I believe Marineland has a new LED fixture that puts out (according to their website) a lot of PAR. It's similar to their Reef Capable light fixture but geared towards planted tanks with the right color temp. This option isn't cheap but it looks to have potential if you want a LED with high lighting... Marineland Aquatic Plant LED Lighting System w/Timer: LED Aquarium Light Fixtures

And if you want to go with the T5HO, you'll probably need at least 4 bulbs I'm guessing. I'm not that knowledgeable with T5HO's, but you can use this guide to get a good estimate on the T5HO you'll need (depending on distance from light to substrate, which in your case is about 18" considering a few inches of substrate): PAR vs Distance, T5, T12, PC - New Chart

For a decent co2 regulator, check out AquaTek. They're value priced and offer a good product IMO. Also IMO, I don't' think the DIY co2 will be sufficient for a tank your size. Take the plunge, and go pressurized

For the ferts, if you go dry ferts and mix your own for dosing, you'll save a TON of cash in the long run. I recommend this PPS-Pro pack from GLA:
PPS-Pro | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums

 

[fort384]

I agree on not running DIY on a tank that large - it generally doesn't work out too well.

I am not sure on the marineland LEDs - in the past their fixtures have not been too great for plants or coral, and I would want to see some PAR #'s and some personal experiences before shelling out that kind of dough.

Another good regulator for CO2 is the Milwaukee MA957. I like it a bit better than the aquatek, though the aquatek works fine as well.

If you want fast/good growth, you will need high light, and good CO2 (or regimented daily supplementation with glutaraldehye). A 4 bulb t5ho would be a good choice if you are really looking to kick the tank into over drive. I have run very high light tanks like that before, and they can be rewarding, but are also a challenge in terms of keeping things balanced to avoid algae growth/sick plants.

As far as LED lighting, while I don't recommend the marineland fixture, for a 55 gallon tank, which is fairly deep, there are not a lot of good off the shelf options for LED fixtures. You could build a very decent fixture with parts from rapidled.com if you have any DIY electrical skills. Most of the commercially available LED fixtures that would work on a tank of that depth are geared towards marine tanks.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I am curious to see this new Marineland LED in action, all I see are the PAR values -- which match their "Reef Capable" version just without the actinic blues and uses a more plant friendly 6,500K. Just to be clear, this planted fixture variant is NOT the Marineland Double Bright and certainly not the Single.

Marineland claims about:
170 PAR @ 12"
110 PAR @ 18"
80 PAR @ 24"

SOURCE (click on Technical Details)

And it's said to be that Values between 80-120 are considered high light. I'd be skeptical because companies like to artificially inflate numbers sometimes to boost sales. I don't have personal experience with Marineland lighting... mine is with Finnex, which I love.

 

[fort384]

Yeah, those numbers look ok - but I would trust the numbers from a hobbyist more. Usually not too long after a fixture is released, we get some good charts/reports from folks using a PAR meter in their own tank. I'll keep an eye out for it. Usually APC or TPT will come through with it

 

[Wmc2009]

Thanks for all the good information. I'm probably about to make myself look dumb, but Im going to ask a few more questions since alot of this is new to me. After looking up some of the ones that have been suggested I'm confused as to what all I have to actually purchase. Some tips on that would be great.

As far as lighting I had already found the exact LED fixture that was first suggested. It is a little on the pricey side but I like the extra lighting effects that come with it. With the dry fert suggestion does that whole lit just get mixed in the substrate?

 

[Wmc2009]

The first paragraph is referring to co2 supplies. My bad.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Which LED fixture did you decide on? LED's IMO, are a great investment. Yes they are more expensive in terms of up-front cost, but they save money in the long run by a lower power bill and by not having to replace the bulbs (granted your LED fixture doesn't go bust).

The dry ferts actually just come sent you as powder seperated in micro and macro categories. You then use a PPS-Pro calculator (or we can help you based on those 500mL dispensers) to determine in much (in grams) of each powder to mix in the bottles with distilled water. It sounds more complicated than it actually is, but it's really straight forward.

I bought a cheap digital scale on Amazon for like $8. And lastly, you'll just need some Excel to mix in the Micro Mix (plantex csm + b) to prevent mold you'll need some Excel (5ml of excel for every 250ml of solution you make).

Here's my PPS-Pro Ferts Pack from GLA with the scale I bought:

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Co2 recommendations...I'd get the full sized regulator and buy a 5lbs or 10lbs cylinder... It would last you a LONG time before you'd have to get it refilled.

Milwaukee regulators are tried and true... I've only heard some negatives about their needle valves or something of the sort..

I like Aquatek, although it's a relatively new company.. but so far people reported nothing but good things about them.. I have their mini regulator for paintball and like it. For the interest of saving money, but still getting a quality rig.. I would piece the stuff together, rather than buying a "kit" with everything -- which tends to be more expensive. The Aquatek regulators are competitively priced.

Here's a shopping list (feel free to change it up):

-Aquatek Regulator w/ Solenoid Valve HERE - $79.99 (comes with tubing and bubble counter w/ integrated check valve)

-Fluval Diffuser (here) - $10

-U.P. Aqua Co2 Drop Checker (here) - $8.32

-4 dKH Reference Solution For Co2 Drop Checker pH HERE - $7.50

-5 LB CO2 Cylinder, Aluminum tank. Found one on Amazon with good reviews for $69.95 (here)

Grand total w/ 5lb co2 tank - Around $170

*these prices fluctuate daily almost... you might be able to find the co2 tank cheaper locally.

 

[Wmc2009]

Co2 recommendations...I'd get the full sized regulator and buy a 5lbs or 10lbs cylinder... It would last you a LONG time before you'd have to get it refilled.

Milwaukee regulators are tried and true... I've only heard some negatives about their needle valves or something of the sort..

I like Aquatek, although it's a relatively new company.. but so far people reported nothing but good things about them.. I have their mini regulator for paintball and like it. For the interest of saving money, but still getting a quality rig.. I would piece the stuff together, rather than buying a "kit" with everything -- which tends to be more expensive. The Aquatek regulators are competitively priced.

Here's a shopping list (feel free to change it up):

-Aquatek Regulator w/ Solenoid Valve HERE - $79.99 (comes with tubing and bubble counter w/ integrated check valve)

-Fluval Diffuser (here) - $10

-U.P. Aqua Co2 Drop Checker (here) - $8.32

-4 dKH Reference Solution For Co2 Drop Checker pH HERE - $7.50

-5 LB CO2 Cylinder, Aluminum tank. Found one on Amazon with good reviews for $69.95 (here)

Grand total w/ 5lb co2 tank - Around $170

*these prices fluctuate daily almost... you might be able to find the co2 tank cheaper locally.

Lol My wife is going to stroke out when she's sees how much this is going to cost us. How long will the tank last? Thanks again for the advice.

 

[fort384]

It depends on your diffusion method, but a 5lb tank will last a couple of months or more usually on a ~30 gallon.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Haha... welcome to the 'money pit' buddy! You can always buy her a nice pair of shoes and she'll be happy with that. One of our members here on AA convinced his wife in letting him get his tank by this very method

Anyway... I have nano tanks so I use the mini regulator with paintball. Your tank is much bigger than mine so you'll need the 5 or 10lb tanks to make it more economical. I think the 5lbs one should last (I'm guessing) at around 3 to 5 months if you put it on a timer and run it at about 2 to 3 bps.

Edit: I'd go with Fort's estimate. But using the Solenoid on a timer will definitely prolong the life of your co2 tank before getting a refill.

 

[Wmc2009]

Lol I Doubt That Method Will Work For Me. Last Question I Think. Do you keep buying actual co2 tanks or just take it somewhere to have it refilled?

 

[Wmc2009]

This is the light I'm thinking I'm gonna go with. Hate that I have to buy two, but one will work for now. Might have one side of the tank heavily planted and leave the other side space for my loaches to roam around.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Why would you need to buy two of them? Wouldn't one 48" model work? And the co2 tank is refillable. I get mine refilled at the local paintball & airsoft shop. They said they refill the large tanks too. I'm sure there are other places that fill co2 tanks.

 

[Wmc2009]

The top is split by a center brace.

 

[fort384]

Welding supply stores also refill them on the cheap.