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55g planted tank. What lighting?

12K views 30 replies 4 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
So im getting together a freshwater aquarium to start. Want to make sure i do enough research and have everything before i start. This is were my question come in.

Im going to be doing a planted aquarium. What lights do you guys recommend to work with? 2 24" fixtures or one 48'? What kind of bulbs? I see many T5 fixtures ranging from $100-$500. What do i llok for? I dont need the best, something in the middle is what im looking for.

if you could link me or give me a specific one to look for that would be great. I know i wanna get T5 but im lost after that. I dont need the best but i dont want the worst. something in the middle is what i am looking for. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
First questio is, what sort of finished planted tank are you wanting? The amount of light you need varies along with the nutrients (macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients and CO2). This is not at all complicated, but these things have to be in balance, and the level depends upon your goal.

Take a look at the photos of my "Aquariums" and see if that is what you're after; if it is, one T5 HO full spectrum tube over a 48-inch 55g will suffice for light, the fish will provie the CO2, and liquid fertilizer once or twice a week will provide the other nutrients. If you want more, say thick with stem plants, flowering, etc, you'll need more light, CO2 and much more fertilization.

We can discuss types of tubes when you've indicated your goal.

Byron.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for your input. i looked at your aquariums and that is exactly what i am looking for. I want good lighting but not enough that i have to use co2 injection and what not. i want to stick with good lighting and fertilizing. Taht is my goal.

As for as fixtures and such go. what shoul i look for. i dont nee the best nor do i want to spend a fortune. but i do want nice lighting. What should i get?
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
Either one of these fixtures would be fine. The triple bulb fixture takes 3 t-8 32watt bulbs. The twin bulb fixture takes either 2 40watt T-10 bulbs, 2 t-8 40 watt bulbs or 2 t-8 32watt bulbs. I use the triple bulb fixture. I believe Byron uses the twin bulb version.

Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: All-Glass Twin-Tube Oak Fluorescent Strip Lights

Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Triple Tube Strip Lights
Yes, that is the one I bought (got the black, not the oak though) and I like it very much, nice fixture. Over a 55g I would certainly not go with three tubes, you will have algae problems I can guarantee. B.
 
#7 ·
I have the three tube model on my 55gal. You can look at my tank for results. I clean the algae off the glass once a month. Remember. the two tube model is 80 watts vs. 96 for the 3 bulb model. Not that much of a difference. It's almost 2 watts per gal, for a 55gal tank.
 
#10 ·
DrsFoster&Smith site has a lot of info on various fixtures; you can Google them for reviews. Fish Supplies: Fish Tank & Fish Care | DrsFosterSmith.com

If they come with tubes, they may be junk. My regular All Glass fixtures came with tubes and I just tossed them in the recycling and bought my preferred tubes. With one tube I highly recomend the Life-Glo 2 full spectrum 6700K which I believe is 54 watts; this is high in the blue and red that plants need, but balances it (to avoid looking purplish) with green so the plant and fish colours appear natural. This is what I have over all my tanks. May not sound like much, but believe me, this is bright. For years I had a thriving planted tank with one regular 40w tube; the T5 HO tubes are much brighter.

Byron.
 
#16 ·
In my opinion, probably. When I had the two-tube T5 it was too much light for my 115g, 90g and obviously 70g which is shallower. I had thought of getting the one-tube T5, then decided to go for the "older" regular fluorescent because with 2 tubes I can mix the type. That was my personal thing. But having seen the one-tube T5 on a 90g in the store, i was of the view that it would have been adequate.

Don't let the wattage fool you; 54 watts may not seem like much compared to 80 with two regular tubes, but the T5 HO [high output] tubes really are significantly brighter, by more than 100 lumens. For instance, the regular 40w Life-Glo 2 is 320 lumens, the T5 Life-Glo 2 54w is 430 lumens, or thereabouts. That's a signifricant increase.

Byron.
 
#17 ·
I did a little reserach on the internet. The T-5 HO 54watt single bulb will produce about 4400-5000 lumens. 2 - 40watt t-8 bulbs will produce 7000 lumens. 2 - 40 watt t12 bulbs will produce 6000 lumens. So the T-5 HO will be a bit less than 2 - 40 watt bulbs. The 2 bulb configurations will be 1000-2000 lumens brighter.
 
#18 ·
I did a little reserach on the internet. The T-5 HO 54watt single bulb will produce about 4400-5000 lumens. 2 - 40watt t-8 bulbs will produce 7000 lumens. 2 - 40 watt t12 bulbs will produce 6000 lumens. So the T-5 HO will be a bit less than 2 - 40 watt bulbs. The 2 bulb configurations will be 1000-2000 lumens brighter.
This is good info to have; does this vary with the type of light (warm white, cool white, full spectrum...)?

In my earlier post, I said lumens but see now I should have said lux. The lux varies with the type of light. And it has something to do with the intensity, although I am not exactly sure how.

Byron.
 
#19 ·
Yes. In my quick research on the internet, lumens varied by Kelvin rating (warn white, cool white, full spectrym..) and by manufactoror. When I looked up what the difference between lux and lumens were, here's what I found:

"Lumens measure "luminous flux". This is the “quantity” of light emitted by the light source. The purpose of lux is intended to tell you how many lumens you need given the area you are trying to illuminate."

Most of the bulbs will tell you how bright they are by the lumens rating. When I was looking for a light for my 55gal tank, here's the figure I came up with for the bulbs you'd find in a typical fixture. Most of the fixture would use more than 1 bulb:

48" T-5 HO 54 watts 4400-5000 lumens
 
#20 ·
oops. (hit the tab key by mistake) let me continue;

Most of the bulbs will tell you how bright they are by the lumens rating. When I was looking for a light for my 55gal tank, here's the figures I came up with for the bulbs you'd find in a typical fixture. Most of the fixtures would use more than 1 bulb. These are just estimates and again, vary by manufacturer.

48" T-5 HO 54 watts 4400-5000 lumens
48" T-5 28 watts 2750 lumens
48" T-8 32 watts 2700-3000 lumens
48" T-8 40 watts 3500 lumens
48" T-12 40 watts 3000 lumens
22" CFL 65 watts 5400 lumens
 
#21 · (Edited)
oops. (hit the tab key by mistake) let me continue;

Most of the bulbs will tell you how bright they are by the lumens rating. When I was looking for a light for my 55gal tank, here's the figures I came up with for the bulbs you'd find in a typical fixture. Most of the fixtures would use more than 1 bulb. These are just estimates and again, vary by manufacturer.

48" T-5 HO 54 watts 4400-5000 lumens
48" T-5 28 watts 2750 lumens
48" T-8 32 watts 2700-3000 lumens
48" T-8 40 watts 3500 lumens
48" T-12 40 watts 3000 lumens
22" CFL 65 watts 5400 lumens
The Life-Glo 2 that I favour is 320 lux for the 48-inch 40w tube. The Life-Glo 2 T5 HO 48-inch 54w tube is 430 lux. So that is about 25% more brightness. Which meant that with two tubes, the T5 were 50% more bright than the regular; that made a considerable difference--comparable to three of the regular tubes. After a week I went back to the regular tubes. I've had everything in balance for 12 years, and I couldn't see the use in increasing the light that much and risking algae blooms. Besides which, it really was very bright to look at; and the small fish show their colours better under "subdued" lighting. I think they're happier, and I know I am.

Byron.
 
#22 ·
I agree. I tried the 2 tube T-5 Ho fixture and it was way too bright. I switched to the three tube t-8 fixture thinking I could remove 1 tube if it was too bright. Turns out the 3 bulb fixture worked out fine. But the two tube model probably would have been fine. At first I had an algae outbreak. Now that the plants have matured, I only have to clean the algae once to twice a month. For anyone having plants, the amount of light, nutrients and CO2 really come down to the plants you're going to have. I have to trim the jungle vals and wisteria to allow the rest of the plants to get some light. But if the tank doesn't have too many leaves at the top to use the light, I'd probably go with less light.
 
#23 ·
What are you guys using for fertilizer? also do you have a substrate down before you put gravel in, if so what do you guys recommend? Also i see root tablets. do i need these also? Sorta new to plants, Only had one planted tank and it was low mlight plants. I dont want to skimp out on anything this time.

Tim
 
#25 ·
Tim, for the substrate regular aquarium gravel at the smallest grain size is recommended by every plant authority I have so far read, and I have used this for 12 years with good plant growth. The small grain size allows the plants to root, encourages the necessary bacteria activity in the substrate, and is easy to maintain. Too coarse a grain and the plants sometimes have difficulty rooting (some plants like swords and crypts have very extensive root systems) and it traps too much larger detrius; too fine (like sand) and it can compact unless you are vigilant in preventing compaction. A natural and dark colour is best because it is more "natural' and the colours of the plants (and fish) look better. There are many fish that colour up better over a dark substrate.

I do not use enriched substrates, by which I mean a layer of dirt, laterite, planting medium, etc., under the gravel. Some do, and there is no problem doing so. But it is not necessary, and it does take a bit more work and care to prevent mixing the material with the gravel, stirring up dirt, etc., plus there is the aspect of additional nutrients leeching into the water column if not used by the plants. The latter effect is comparable to overdosing liquid fertilizer: if you have more nutrients in the water than what the plants need, algae will take control. That's why I do not favour planting mediums in the substrate; once it's there, you can't remove it except by tearing down the tank. In 1996 I did try laterite, but could detect no improvement in the plants compared to the other two tanks without laterite (same type of plants, same light, etc). No point in wasting money.

I do use root fertilizer, specifically Hagen/NutraFin's Plant-Gro sticks. There is also the Seachem Flourish tablets. I prefer the former because they last a year (compared to 3 months for Flourish), and are less expensive. And I have had incredible results with this particular stick. These, whichever, are only needed next to the larger swords and crypts. Both these genera of plants have extensive root systems as I mentioned above and they are heavy feeders. Non-substrate rooted plants like stem plants, Anubias, Java Fern will not benefit from root fertilizer because the roots are not in the substrate (Anubias, JF) or the root systems occur all along the stems (stem plants) and liquid fertilizer in the water is sufficient. All plants obviously pull the nutrients out of the water, mainly through roots but also through leaves; heavy feeders getting those nutrients close to where they grab them helps them utilize them.

Which brings me to liquid fertilizer. I use Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium and have for a year now. Previously I used Kent Freshwater Supplement with to me comparable results. The main thing is using a complete ("comprehensive") fertilizer. Plants require a number of different macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients, and in a specific balance to each other. Flourish Comprehensive has this balance (you can see the list on their website). Any product that does the same would be as good I'm sure. The thing to avoid is getting different nutrients (like iron, magnesium, potassium, copper...) and dosing ad hoc. This is not only very expensive, it is risky. There is the real danger than either something will be missing, or something will be in excess of what the plants need or can store, and that brings other trouble. I have myself once overdosed on magnesium and the plants developed holes in the leaves; I read on the Aquatic Plant forumn of potassium excess causing plants to stop taking up iron. It is safer to use a comprehensive fertilizer. Once a week may be sufficient, or twice, depending upon the plants, how many, light and CO2 levels.

A last point on CO2 (carbon dioxide); I don't add CO2 or liquid carbon, I leave the CO2 to the fish to provide, and I balance the fertilizer and light accordingly. In a relatively heavily planted aquarium you can have more fish than in the same one without plants. The thing is all in the balance. My approach is certainly more low-tech than high-tech; the advantages are less cost to set up and maintain, and because I am relying heavily on the biological actions of the inhabitants (fish, plants and bacteria) with little influence from me, it is more stable and less likely to develop problems. That's not to say other methods don't work, they do; but it comes down to what you want in terms of plants, fish, and layout of money to get it. My aquaria have been running like you see in the photos for 12 years with only weekly liquid fertilizer and yearly replacement of root sticks. And I can't begin to measure the beneficial effect this has on the fish.

Byron.
 
#26 ·
Great post as usual Byron!!! I'll just add a couple of thoughts.

I too use Seachems Flourish comprehensive once a week. It's easy to add and works great. The individual fertilizers are great if you know exactly what a given plant's requirements are and you test the water frequently to see if the water is deficient in that area. But to me that makes the hobby more of a science project. I’ve never used them myself but can appreciate their use.

I use gravel with Seachem Flourish root tabs and an UGF. The plants do great in gravel and the gravel is easy to clean. But I think the water circulating through the gravel because of my UGF causes the root tabs to dissolve too quickly. I have to add root tabs practically every 2 months. For that reason, I'm hoping to remove the UGF and switch the gravel to Seachem's Flourite. Flourite is supposed to be similar to my gravel as far as size and appearance yet it holds on to nutrients for the plants. This should eliminate my need for root tabs. Some people use 100% Flourite while others use a 50/50 mix with gravel. I haven't switched over yet because I really don't want to tear the tank down since everything looks so good.

Bob.
 
#27 ·
Forgot to mention I also use Flourish Excel as a CO2 alternative. I'm not sure if it's needed or not but I'm afraid to stop using it. If I stop and the plants start to die I'm worried they won't recover. But I did notice when I started using it it killed all the BB algae I had from the <1 watt light fixture I replaced.
 
#28 ·
Do t5HO bulbs run hotter? I've read that they do, and they need fans to run efficiently.

It sounds like it isn't a necessity from what I read here, but maybe i am under the wrong impression. I am getting a 48" fixture soon for my 55 and am trying to decide what bulb to use.

From what i have gathered the RO t5 is hands down better than the t8. If that is true i am just trying to weigh the ups and downs of the t5 RO versus HO.
 
#29 ·
Yes the HO bulbs run hotter. I tried the Nova Extreme T-5 HO with two bulbs and it was hot. I returned it because it was too bright and the fan seemed faulty to me. It was really load. Sounded like a model airplane engine running all the time.

If you're going t-5 RO, I'd get the twin tube version at a minimum for a planted tank. Use the "daylight" or "full spectrum" bulbs.
 
#31 ·
Well, I personally would never go to all this fuss. Particularly as it is not necessary; there are good lighting options without having fan cooling units (which i've never even seen in stores). I have always preferred simplicity, it is cheaper and there is less chance of mishap; as long as it does the job.

The T5 HO twin-tube fixture I tried for a week was no hotter than the regular, but it was far too bright, which is why I took it back for a regular twin-tube fixture.

On your 55g I would go with either a one-tube T5 HO fixture or a twin-tube regular fixture. In either case, full spectrum tubes like the Life-Glo 2 work fine.

Byron.
 
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