Trying to improve lighting in 29-gallon tank

[CoyoteWildfire]

Some backstory:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ng-for-29-gallon-planted-aquarium-146311.html

Now that I have the technical aspect out of the way, regarding my means of improving my light in my tank, my question is this:

Will this fixture provide enough light for my plants? http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaSun-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0002DIRAU

According to the wiki, regarding luminous efficacy, T5 bulbs yield 70lm/W, at the very least. The fixture uses dual 24W T5 bulbs, meaning I would have at least 3360lm, total. Some (very) rough math puts that around 115lm/Gal in my tank.

Any input?

 

[TropicalAquariumExpert]

Make sure you have the right bulb for the purpose. Depending on the spectrum the bulbs can have less lumens even with more Watts. Check the lm output of the specific bulb, don't rely on wattage.

 

[BigJim]

That particular fixture won't fit a 29g tank. You'll have to get the 30" model. It should still use the same 24" T5HO bulbs though.

If you got a 2x24W T5HO fixture with ~6700K bulbs for your 29g, you should be solidly in the medium-light range and be able to grow a variety of plants. Just make sure you don't get an actinic bulb. They're useless to plants.

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Actually started a new thread on this. Feel free to take a look if you're interested.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/29g-lighting-and-fixture-change-147393.html

 

[Batt4Christ]

I have a 29g tank and recently upgraded lighting - I went with the ZooMed 30" fixture (uses the same 24" bulbs as the one you posted). Thing is - the fixture needs to be the same length as the tank, unless you are going to hang it from above. While a longer fixture might still work because of the method of attaching to tank - but a longer fixture would over-hang each end of the tank as well (next bulb length after 24" is 36").

Some backstory:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ng-for-29-gallon-planted-aquarium-146311.html

Now that I have the technical aspect out of the way, regarding my means of improving my light in my tank, my question is this:

Will this fixture provide enough light for my plants? http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaSun-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0002DIRAU


Any input?

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Yep, I went with the 30" fixture as well. My post before yours tells about the whole process. :]