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Lighting

7K views 14 replies 3 participants last post by  MoneyMitch 
#1 ·
So i went out today and bought the hoods for my soon to be 55 planted, i got a Aqueon Deluxe Full Hood and it came with a bulb already. my question is will this be a ok light for the plants or will i need more? (the tank gets very little if any sunlight)
 
#2 ·
It depends upon the type of light, intensity and tank dimensions. Do you know
1. the wattage,
2. type ("full spectrum'...),
3. one tube or two? And
4. what are the tank dimensions (length, width and depth/height)?

With this info I can answer your question.

Byron.
 
#4 ·
The tubes are the same as those that came with my new fixture (had to replace an old one of 15 years that gave out), and in my opinion they are garbage; they gave a purplish light that was very weak. I tossed the tubes out and replaced them with good ones for plants.

I'm assuming the two tubes are short, maybe 18 inches long each? Tubes come in standard wattages for the specific length, such as 40w for a 48-inch tube. For that size of tank, you would be better with a fixture that holds one or two 48-inch tubes rather than two shorter tubes. With a good quality tube, a single tube would allow you to grow nice plants that are low to moderate light requirements; two tubes would provide twice the light, but unless you go down the high-tech road with CO2 I don't think two tubes are necessary. As this is a new purchase, you should be able to return it for a fixture with a 48-inch tube. Believe me, it will be much superior. Tne T5 HO (High Output) tubes give considerably more intense light that regular tubes, and over a 55g I believe you would have superior light with one tube. The T5 tubes only fit fixtures made for them, so you can't buy tubes to fit your present fixture unfortunately, as that would work with the more intense light. One 48-inch is the best way to go.

Once you do, a tube like Hagen's Life-Glo 2 full spectrum is in my view ideal. I use these tubes over my single-tube tanks, and over my double-tube tanks one of the two is always this one. They provide a light intensity and colour equivalent to mid-day sun, and fish and plants have a very natural appearance. The kelvin rating is 6700K, so a tube by another manufacturer that is similar in kelvin would be fine. Zoo Med make one called Ultra Sun, and Lightning Rod make one similar; both of these are a bit less expensive than the Hagen series, but I don't know if they make them in T5. Mid-day sun is approximately 6500K in colour. Plants require light in the blue colour most, and then red, in order to photosynthesis. Green light is relected by plants but it balances the blue and red and makes the tank look natural in colours.

When I mentioned low to moderate light plants, I am thing of rooted plants like the Amazon sword (Echinodorus) and Cryptocoryne species, Anubias, Java Fern, floating plants, and some stem plants. Stem plants generally require more light (and that often means adding CO2) because they are very fast growers. The benefit of low to moderate light plants is less pruning and fussing, since the plants grow a bit slower and the setup basically stays as you start out. You can have a llok at the photos of my 70g and 90g aquaria to see what is possible with low-moderate light, no CO2, and regular liquid fertilizer. I have two 40w regular (not T5) tubes over these tanks. A single T5 tube would give comparable light for you over a 55g.

Byron.
 
#5 · (Edited)
wow thanks for all the info very informative, only thing is i need to have the tank completely enclosed as i have a cat in the house that loves to jump on things and im sure the tank is gunna be one of his play spots if left uncovered. the way the tank is set it has two sections over it divided by a brace type thing that goes from front to back. but if i read your post correctly i need tubes that give off a blue/red for low to mid light level plants, i dont really have any plans on what type of plants i want other than i KNOW i want the little grass type plants and the little i thnk dwarf something to cover most of the front substrate, they are vey short maybe a inch or so not too sure.


Glossostigma elatinoides and Dwarf hairgrass <- my main plants that i intend to grow
 
#6 ·
wow thanks for all the info very informative, only thing is i need to have the tank completely enclosed as i have a cat in the house that loves to jump on things and im sure the tank is gunna be one of his play spots if left uncovered. the way the tank is set it has two sections over it divided by a brace type thing that goes from front to back. but if i read your post correctly i need tubes that give off a blue/red for low to mid light level plants, i dont really have any plans on what type of plants i want other than i KNOW i want the little grass type plants and the little i thnk dwarf something to cover most of the front substrate, they are vey short maybe a inch or so not too sure.


Glossostigma elatinoides and Dwarf hairgrass <- my main plants that i intend to grow
All plants require blue (most) and red (second) light, regardless. They can't photosynthesize (i.e., convert sugar to energy and grow) without it. The green light added just makes it look "natural' to us. Full spectrum does all this in one tube.

You will have trouble growing those plants with your present light which I believe is inadequate. You can buy hoods that completely fit the tank (it is a standard size what you have) that will hold one or two regular fluorescent tubes, and there may be hoods that will take one T5 tube. Check out online, DrsFosterSmith is a good site for information on lighting fixtures and tubes, what's available, and they provide the specs for all of it. Then you can order online or, in your case, through your aquarium store if they don't have it in stock, and get a credit for returning your present hod. Here's a link to their lighting section, and on the left you can go to the specific sections for fixtures, tubes, etc. Aquarium Lighting and Aquarium Lights for Reef and Marine Aquarium Lighting ? Drs. Foster & Smith

The other option is what I have, glass covers over the tank that close to comletely cover the surface, and the light fixture sits across the tank. I doubt your kitty would be able to open the glass! Although I can appreciate it is more comforting to have a full hood if the cat jumps up on it.

Most lights cannot be directly over the water but must have a glass cover under them. The exception is lighting that hangs above the tank when the tank is open to allow plants to grow out of the water or land plants to grow into the water 9as in a plaudarium). But that's not what we're talking about here.

Byron.
 
#7 · (Edited)
ok well i took a look at the double strip fixtures and they are a little more than i can afford right now, i did however find a bulb that is carried at my local pet shop

* Ideal for all freshwater aquariums * 18000°K color enhancing bulbs * Brings out blue, red, and orange pigments 18000°K bulbs enhance blue, red, and orange pigments to bring out the full beauty of your aquarium inhabitants. Promotes healthy plant growth. Ideal for freshwater and planted aquariums.
Please note: Our current stock of 48" bulbs is available in T-8 only. Sorry for any ionconvenience.
Watts Length Diameter 15 18" T-8 20 24" T-8 30 36" T-8 40 48" T-8
this seems to be a light that will work just fine as it has the correct spectrum that you told me about, tell em what you think of these as i can afford these but not getting the double bulb fixtures. i want to be able just to get some decent bulbs that are better than the stock ones that i have.

Thanks

T8 would be the bulb i would get as the actually fixture only fits 18 inch tubes


* Ideal for freshwater planted aquariums * 2800°K bulbs for optimum plant growth * Emits a warm photosynthetic spectrum to intensify plant color and stimulate plant photosynthesis 2800°K bulbs for optimum plant growth. Emits light that stimulates plant photosynthesis and intensifies plant color. Ideal for freshwater planted aquariums.
Watts Length Diameter 15 18" T-8 20 24" T-8 30 36" T-8 40 48" T-10

Please note: The manufacturer is transitioning from T-10 to T-8 bulbs for item #21168. Customers may receive a T-10 or a T-8 bulb. Sorry for any inconvenience.


this would also be even a better bulb perhaps? or if you could just find a great 18' floro bulb on there for me then post it here. im sorry i ask soo much just trying to learn and get the most cost efficent item that will benifit my aqua
 
#8 ·
ok well i took a look at the double strip fixtures and they are a little more than i can afford right now, i did however find a bulb that is carried at my local pet shop

* Ideal for all freshwater aquariums * 18000°K color enhancing bulbs * Brings out blue, red, and orange pigments 18000°K bulbs enhance blue, red, and orange pigments to bring out the full beauty of your aquarium inhabitants. Promotes healthy plant growth. Ideal for freshwater and planted aquariums.
Please note: Our current stock of 48" bulbs is available in T-8 only. Sorry for any ionconvenience.
Watts Length Diameter 15 18" T-8 20 24" T-8 30 36" T-8 40 48" T-8
this seems to be a light that will work just fine as it has the correct spectrum that you told me about, tell em what you think of these as i can afford these but not getting the double bulb fixtures. i want to be able just to get some decent bulbs that are better than the stock ones that i have.

Thanks

T8 would be the bulb i would get as the actually fixture only fits 18 inch tubes


* Ideal for freshwater planted aquariums * 2800°K bulbs for optimum plant growth * Emits a warm photosynthetic spectrum to intensify plant color and stimulate plant photosynthesis 2800°K bulbs for optimum plant growth. Emits light that stimulates plant photosynthesis and intensifies plant color. Ideal for freshwater planted aquariums.
Watts Length Diameter 15 18" T-8 20 24" T-8 30 36" T-8 40 48" T-10

Please note: The manufacturer is transitioning from T-10 to T-8 bulbs for item #21168. Customers may receive a T-10 or a T-8 bulb. Sorry for any inconvenience.


this would also be even a better bulb perhaps? or if you could just find a great 18' floro bulb on there for me then post it here. im sorry i ask soo much just trying to learn and get the most cost efficent item that will benifit my aqua
Mitch, there is no inconvenience. Most of us on this forum are on here because we want to offer assistance when we can to help others be successful and avoid our mistakes. And we learn in return. I'm confident I speak for many others when i say we are pleasd to offer suggestions where we can.

Both of the suggested tubes would probably work, but I would caution that they are quite high in the red. The colour of a tube is expressed in Kelvin, and 6500K is the colour of the sun at mid-day. A lower K number means warmer colour (more red, less blue) and a higher K number means cooler (more blue, less red). Full spectrum at 6700K is in my view the best single colour tube; it has the blue and red for plants--you can see the blue is very slightly higher in K, but balances nicely with the green for a natural colour of fish and plants. There is the Hagen Life-Glo 2 tube that matches this, and the Zoo Med Ultra Sun. Phillips make a tube called Daylight Deluxe (6500K) which I found very similar, and this can be purchased at Home Depot for about 1/8 the cost of the Hagen. I have all of these and can see only minimal difference, although I prefer the Life-Glo (not sure why...but on its own it is a wonderful light).

The problem I find with lower K numbers and with any tube termed "colour enhancing" or "aqua-something" is that the aquarium looks purplish. The red and blue colours of fish are brought out--cardinal tetras look stunning--but everything else takes on a warm purplish tint that i find very distracting. But that's personal preference. Except that the lower K numbers do mean less blue and remember blue is the colour plants most need. Here's the spectrum chart for the Life-Glo 2. And the photos of my 70g and 90g aquaria under "My Aquariums" will show what this looks like; I have a Life-Glo 2 on each tank (one tube) and on the 90g the second tube is a 11,000K Lightning Rod Ultra Daylight (more blue) and the Phillips is the second tube on the 70g.

Byron.
 

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#9 ·
thanks alot byron, so nice to be part of a community like this :D i definately see the "look" your talking about even the tanks at the pet store have that purplish tint to them put your pics are like night and day compared to regular run of the mill bulb. you mentioned something about home depot which is another "aquarium" store lol. anyways you said that they also sell some simular tubes at probobly 1/2 the cost lol. now do those lights also have the spectrums listed on them or it is kind of here and there with there lights.
 
#11 ·
Unrulyevil has already mentioned that the colour temperature (Kelvin rating) is indicative of the "colour" disseminated by the tube. But it is sort of hit and miss.

For about 10 years, I lit my aquaria with tubes from Home Depot. Each tank had two tubes over it, and I had one "full spectrum" and one "Enhanced Daylight" I think it was called, manufactured by Sylvannia. I had lush plant growth, it looked natural, I was quite happy. The last time I went in for replacement tubes [you need to replace any fluorescent tube every 12 months--I can go into the "why" if you ask] I found they no longer carry Sylvannia, only Phillips (at least here in Canada) so I bought a couple to experiment. The "full spectrum" I did not like [and I have gone to Hagen's Life-Glo 2 for that component, it is much better to me], but the Daylight Deluxe is not bad. It is rated at 6500K although it is very slightly more blue--hardly noticeable on its own, but combined with other types it is visible. And here it sells for $5-$6 CDN for two tubes; the Life-Glo here is $39 each.

Anyway, when I couldn't find what I wanted at HD, I started experimenting again [if you have one or more local fish stores where you deal and they know you, they will often let you buy tubes and return them for others after a couple days, very useful] and came down to the Life-Glo 2 as the absolute best single tube light, in my humble opinion. I went to this tube last October, and after 10 months my plants are still thriving under this light, and I still like the natural look of it, so I believe it is good. The only reason I mix another tube with it on the 2-tube tanks is that I can select a higher-blue tube to get better penetration to the plants on the substrate--and remember from before, blue light is the most essential, and it penetrates water best; and I have less than 1 watt per gallon, so have to make the most of it. But the Life-Glo 2 is so strong mid-range that it balances the blue very well and prevents that ghostly look. The Lightning Rod Ultimate Daylight tube currently over my 115 (over the 90g in the photos) is 11,000K which is certainly blue, but strangely doesn't look it, at least not when mixed with the Life-Glo. I'm having trouble getting this tube now, only one lfs carries them, and he told me Saturday he was concerned they might be phasing it out. More experimentation on the way, I guess.

Fish stores often use those "purplish" tubes because they bring out the reds and blues, and as I think I mentioned, fish like neons and cardinals really stand out in the bare tanks under such light--so people buy them!

Byron.
 
#10 ·
bulbs at home depot will not necessary have the graph of light that they give out because it's a home depot and they dont care if you use it for plants or for bathroom illumination. I would recommend that you go and get bulbs that Byron suggested.

But.. in case if you are in home depot .. just like Byron said look at the color index of the bulbs .. the higher the K rating the bluer light will be, but.. it is recommended that you use bulbs with 5500K - to - 6700K. if .. you want to keep plants.
 
#12 ·
ok so i need to look at the Kelven rating rather than a chart if i read that correctly. i checked my local pet store and they DO carry the l;ifeglow 2 in the size i need. byron you said something about having to change tubes every 12 months. doies this have to do with a coating or something going out? i mean say i buy a hood/fixture with the light included (which i did) that light could be more than 12 months old, im very curious to why every 12 months.
 
#13 ·
Light intensity diminishes quite rapidly as a fluorescent tube burns, so it is not the age of the tube but having it on. It will still "light" for the stated hours (some say 20,000 hours) but the intensity is not there with the result that the plants don't receive enough light, and as we mentioned previously, the light has to be a minimum intensity and duration, and weaker light on for longer doesn't work. And light has to be stronger to penetrate water than air, so the depth of the aquarium reduces its intensity further.

Every aquatic plant authority I have read recommends replacement of a tube after 12 months. The only exception was Kevin Osborne in a series of articles in FAMA in the 1990's, who said three years was OK. One of the hobbyist owners of a fish store in my area used a light meter and he told me that after three months there was a very noticeable reduction in intensity, and it then continued gradually from that point. Karen Randall of the Aquatic Gardeners Association, who used to write monthly articles in TFH, once wrote that tubes should probably be replaced every six months, but as that was very expensive a more practical solution would be to replace them every 12 months but stagger replacement on a tank with two tubes; replace one every six months, so each tube is still lasting 12 months but not replacing them simultaneously means there is less reduction in light during the last couple of months because one of the tubes will be newer; the intensity is more consistent over the year.

Interesting that when I was researching why this occurs, I came across gardening sites that made the same recommendation for tubes over house and garden plants--replace every year because the intensity fails. So it's probably truth, not just some fishy myth.

On your first point, both are imortant. The Kelvin rating tells you where the colour intensity is strongest, but between types of tubes this can be spread out in different ways. The spectrum chart shows where that strength is aimed through the length and thickness of the colours on the graph. The K rating is indicative of where that light should be strongest, but the appearance can be different depending upon how the other colours are matching it. Hope this makes some sense.

The Life-Glo 2 is going to be slightly more expensive, but after many years of different tubes and several years with these, I think they are a good choice. The Aqua-Glo they make is again purplish; I've never tried the Flora-Gro. The Power-Glo I had years ago, it is brighter but not as pleasing in the aquarium, seemed to be better over an amphibian tank.

Byron.
 
#14 ·
thanks for all your information, i think im going to take a look around HD lowes and my lps and its prob gunna come down to the life glow 2 tubes, i appriciate you going into detail about the replacement of the tubes, i never would have guessed that. all i gotta do is get light changin schedule down and everything should be good with the lights. got some other questions but it doesnt really relate to lighting so i will open up a new post about it as to keep mods happy? lol
 
#15 ·
Just for those who are curious about lighiting im going to sum up what i learned and what light i am going for. keep in mind i have two single bulb fixtures over a 22in deep tank.

Color Spectrum Chart Simulates natural daylight with peaks in the red, green, and blue region of the light spectrum to produce light that is appealing to the human eye.
These are the specs for the life glow 2 bulb which i am going for. they have a great Blue and Red spectrum and the kelven rating is a little high but needed to get down to the bottom of the tank where i plan to have species of dwarf type plants. the tank will recive very little sunlight if any if seeing how its in a basement, if anyone else would like to comment on my choice and reasons for my choice please chime in :D
 
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