Freshwater planted tank lighting and filtration   8/6/08
Hi there :)
<Ave,>
I recently set up a new freshwater tank which is 33"x18"(H)x15". I bought a complete set-up with the lighting and filter integrated into the hood intending to just have a community tank with a few plants. However, now I'd like to focus more on the plants and see how well they can do. The system I bought seems to be a little odd so I wanted your advice on what I need to change and what I can get away with leaving in place. I live in the Philippines and equipment is very difficult to find here - I'll most likely have to buy whatever I need next time I'm in the UK or USA and bring it back...
<Plants are generally easier to keep with "non specialist" equipment than, say, corals. All they really care about is a decent substrate (aquatic/pond soil mixed with silica sand and topped with gravel will do) and 2-4 W per gallon lighting around the 5500-6500 K level.>
Lighting - the tank has 3 15,000k tubes that came with the tank. No problem I thought, I'll just buy lower kelvin tubes and replace them, which I did (Arcadia Freshwater tubes, which I found by a miracle). Only to discover to my horror when I got the new tubes home that the light fittings are non-standard sizes! Instead of 2 30" tubes and a 24" tube which I thought the tank had, I now find it has a 2 x 29 1/2" tubes and 1 x 23 1/4"! Have you heard of this before?
<Nope. Just goes to show... read the manual, check the specifications, and _then_ buy replacement fittings. In any case, hoods designed for marine aquaria may well be built for a selection of T5, T8 and Actinic tubes rather than the generic T8 tubes usually used on freshwater tanks.>
It's a few years since I was in the hobby but after asking people here in the Philippines, no-one seems to have heard of new sizes. Very weird... So my choices seem to be either to stick with the 15,000k tubes or replace the entire fittings and tubes. What do you think?
<To be honest, I'd stick with what you have, but use lots of floating plants to shade the aquatic plants (especially things like Cryptocoryne and Anubias that don't like strong, direct light). Floating plants will also help deal with algae until such time as the fast-growing rooted plats (Rotala, Hygrophila, Cabomba, Bacopa, etc.) get established. Once those plants are growing rapidly, they'll prevent algae from becoming a problem via allelopathy.>
I've been getting good growth on Crypts, Amazon Swords and a few others but stem plants become very leggy quickly.
<Invariably occurs where stem plants aren't getting enough light. They become etiolated -- i.e., very tall, so the leaves can get close to the light. In strong lighting this won't happen, especially if you prune these fast-growing plants rigourously. So review the strength of the lighting, bearing in mind these fast-growing stem species typically want 3 W or more per gallon.>
Bacopa seems to only grow slightly but at least it's not losing leaves. How about algae? Do you think it will be encouraged by my tubes at the expense of the plants?
<Algae will be a problem for the first few weeks while the plants acclimatise. Inevitably plants become "shocked" when planted in a new tank because their roots get damaged in transit and when you place them in the substrate. It also takes plants a while to adjust to different levels of lighting. Floating plants will help, even Duckweed! Once the plants are spreading (you'll see shoots and daughter plants) then the plants will largely control the algae for you.>
There's a bit of brown algae kicking off in a few parts of the tank...
<Diatoms are normal in new tanks, and usually go away eventually. Hair/brush algae (red algae) tends to sprout from the edges of leaves, especially plants like Cryptocoryne and Anubias that grow slowly and aren't adapted to direct light. Some fish and invertebrates will help; I'd recommend algae-eating shrimps (e.g., Cherry Shrimps) and Nerite snails. Florida Flagfish and Siamese Algae Eaters are also excellent for algae control.>
Filter - the tank came with a wet-dry trickle filter. I understand that in planted tanks it's better to avoid much surface disturbance so I've modified the water level in the filter so that the spray bar now delivers the water directly under water, but the return to the tank is still via a jet which sucks in quite a bit of air. Do you think this is likely to be a problem?
<Not really. CO2 makes good systems better; it isn't the deciding factor that makes a failing system fail.>
If I add a CO2 system will it be a waste of money or is it still worth investing in?
<By all means buy a CO2 system. Will do no harm. But will it turn around a tank where the plants are "leggy" or don't grow at all... no.>
Many thanks in advance for all your help!
Dylan
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Fish Compatibility, now plant sys.   8/5/08
Thank you for the help...
<You're welcome.>
I have gotten several mixed advice/comments about the amount of gravel in my tank, some say not more than 1/4 inch and you say more for the plants, so I'm going to add some sand in and make it about 3cm and see how the plants get by
<Hmm... mixed advice from anyone who knows what they're talking about? Plants fall into three groups: floating plants, epiphytes, and rooted plants. Well, there's actually a fourth group ion the aquarium trade, plants that die under water. Widely sold to less experienced hobbyists, so do make sure can positively identify any plant you buy. The list of non-aquatics sold to inexperienced hobbyists is long and drives me absolutely bananas. Anyway, floating plants obviously don't care about the substrate. Epiphytes (Java fern, Java moss and Anubias for example) don't care either because you mustn't plant them (they'll rot) and have to be attached to bogwood or porous rocks (another common mistake here). Rooted plants should be able to dig into the substrate, and while you might get lucky, don't bank on it. They like a deep substrate because they need poorly-oxidised water to extract minerals. To cut a long story short, plants use minerals in their reduced state (mostly) and that means the minerals have to be in the relatively anoxic part of the substrate. Since oxygen easily diffuses a few cm into gravel (less into sand) the top 2-3 cm at least contains only oxidised mineral ions the plants can't use. Net result, the plants starve and you see the leaves turning yellow.>
...as for the lighting, I'll leave it on so they'll get the benefit of sunlight and the tank light and hopefully won't encourage more algae than my snails can take care of.
<Do remember that LENGTH of light doesn't compensate for LOW light intensity. Plants MUST have precisely 10-12 hours lighting. Too little, and they won't grow; too much and you get algae and no benefits to the plant. A timer is recommended. Growing live plants is extremely challenging, and the number of aquarists who try and fail is huge. Likely the majority. Gets expensive (and tedious) very quickly if you don't get the lighting/substrate right FROM THE START. I am trying to save you time/money here, so please read around the topic in a good aquarium plant book!
Thanks!
Lyssa
<Cheers, Neale.>

Planted Tank Question   12/17/06
Hi Crew,  I have been drifting in and out of the aquarium hobby for the last 30 years and drifted back in a couple of years ago when I purchased a used 150g tank.  At first, I over-wintered a couple of pond fish in the tank and wrote to the Crew a couple of times regarding filtration.  I finally gave the pond fish to a friend with an in-ground pond and decided to change my tank over  to freshwater tropical fish and plants. ( I wrote to the Crew again while I was researching plants and lighting).  I finally made the necessary decisions and, during the past 6 months, have gotten the tank together.  After researching lighting and plant options and looking at lots and lots of pictures of planted tanks, I decided to go the lower tech route of NO fluorescent lamps, so I have 300 watts with a combination of FloraSun, UltraSun, and Tri-chromatic lamps.
<Should work>
  The lighting period is 10 hours per day broken up by a 2 hour siesta, I read somewhere that a lighting break was helpful in decreasing algae.
<Interesting>
I've decorated the tank with a couple of large pieces of bogwood, a couple of large resin ornaments, and several smaller rocks and ceramic pieces (kind of a what you'd find off the end of the dock aquascaping theme).  For plants, I started with jungle Val, spiral Val, 3 small swords, various crypts, java moss and some java fern.  I just picked up some Anubias today.  The Val has taken off and I think I'd describe the tank as pretty heavily planted right now.  
    For filtration, I'm running an Emperor 400 with PhosPure pads
<Mmm... do you have a phosphate issue? I would not use this or other chemical filtrants... for fear of lack of essential nutrients>
and 2 HOT Magnums.  I was using an old Magnum 350 till it gave up the ghost, so I got out the HOT magnums that I used previously.  I use one just for bio-media and I use a micron filter in the other which I rinse and change out weekly.
<Good routine>
  Each filter is cleaned once a month.  (I pulled out the UGF after I gave away the pond fish and learned that UGFs had fallen out of favor in the hobby).
<In many cases, places, yes>
I have been doing a 30% water change weekly, a habit I got into with the pond fish, and vacuum through the gravel at the front of the tank, can't get to any more of it due to tank decor and plants.  
<Good>
     For fish, I have an adult red-tailed shark, 6 Otocinclus, 9 true SAEs, 7 gold barbs and 12 Kuhli loaches.  I went over my self-imposed limit of 30 fish when I found the 5 banded Kuhli loaches, they are my favorites.  
<Heeee! Reads like a nice mix>
     I'm pretty happy with how things are going in the tank right now.  We weathered an outbreak of green slimy algae that spread over the gravel, the plants must have reached the critical point in outcompeting the algae for nutrients, and I don't add any fertilizer.  I feed once a day, Hikari micropellets and a sinking wafer, and supplement once or twice a week with either frozen brine shrimp or blood worms.   I even have a quarantine tank for the first time.
<Good>
     Here are my questions;  there is a healthy stand of either hair or thread algae on one of the resin ornaments.  Can't scrape it off because the finish of the ornament scrapes off with it.  I usually end up just pulling out what I can by hand each time I change water.  As the SAEs mature, will they do a better job with that algae or do I need to reconcile myself to hand gardening?
<Perhaps a bit of both... I would try not to be too anxious here>
  Is the maintenance routine adequate?  
<Yes>
Should I add, or subtract, any other maintenance procedures?
<Mmm, no...>
And,  how long can a set-up like this continue, or will  it need to be torn down and re-established someday?
<Good question... likely will want/need to break down... take all out... completely, wash the old substrate... place new "soil" under/twixt... perhaps add heating cables as some part of new/upgrade... in a "couple of years"... perhaps a year and a half (am possessed of strong intuition pet-fish wise)>
Hoping, of course, that any outbreaks of disease or parasites are avoided.     
<Oh yes>
     Since I found Wet Web Media, I read the freshwater FAQs daily.  The articles are a wonderful resource and I thank you for being there for those of us who have questions.  Kerry
<And thank you for sharing your experiences... Of great use, inspiration to others. Bob Fenner>

Freshwater planted aquarium lighting  - 11/09/06
Hi Crew,
<Chris>
I am following some advice that I received from your website regarding lighting.  I've searched high and low for compact fluorescent 55 watt, dual  tube, full spectrum bulbs that are 6500K and have a CRI of 90 or  more.  No one has them and when I go into a lighting store they look at me  as though I am crazy.  I feel like I am going crazy though.  I Google  it and also get nothing.  
Can you tell me where I can order them.   Thanks
Sincerely,
Chris
<Mmm... specific ratings may not be available... look for lamps of at least 5,500 Kelvin, higher than a CRI of 90 or more in this length... call, write the etailers posted on WWM, the Net re. Bob Fenner>

FW Plants Doing Poorly  9/8/06
Hi. I'm rather confused regarding the CRI, wattage & colour temperature?
What are the differences between these?
<CRI stands for color rendering index. This means how the colors look compared to sunlight which would have a CRI of 100. Wattage is the power needed to run the bulb. Color Temp refers to the hue or color of a light source.>
For keeping plants, which is the 1 that influences the plant growth?
< Of the three probably color temp.>
I know that in keeping plants, the wattage needed is about 2-3 watts per gallon & the colour temperature is around 5000K.But currently, I uses a bulb which has 20W and the colour temperature is 7000K & my plants still won't thrive. My tank is a 90cm by 45cm by 45cm.So could you please advice?
< Lots of variables that are unknown. This is a quick general run down. Stem plants are fairly fast growers and need bright light and lots of nutrients. Without the nutrients the plants do poorly. Med light plants like swords and crypts don't grow as fast and don't need as many nutrients. Low light plants like Anubias and java fern don't even need a substrate and do just fine tied to a rock or piece of driftwood.-Chuck>

Two questions: Planted tank lighting, filter choice   8/6/06
Good evening!
<Yawnnnn! AM now>
I loooove your site and have been on it for the last 3 hours reading and trying to learn. I have done searches within the FAQ's and forums. I have learned a lot, but unfortunately I am a person who has a very difficult time understanding information.
<?>
I have read and re-read many articles and forums. I also realize the two questions I have are ones that can take paragraphs to answer but hopefully I can cover enough in my question to need only minimal answers.
I currently have a 3 month old 50 acrylic planted tank with 10 cardinal tetras, 4 Glowlight tetras, two Cory cats, 5 japonica shrimp, 3 Featherfin rainbows and two Oto cats. My plants are doing fine and are sprouting out new growth right and left - even little roots from the leaves. I have primarily Java ferns, Swords, Val.s and Sagittaria, but have two bunch plants: Hornwort and Fanwort. I have Eco Complete substrate mixed with gravel. I also have several pieces of driftwood which gives that water a pale amber colour. I do 10 - 20% water changes every other week.
My water is good: 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate, ph 7.4. temp 76. I am using a small pump on the bottom of the tank to circulate water and have an Eheim 2215 as the main filter. There are still small particulates in the water.
<Yes... will be so till the driftwood completely dissolves or is removed>
I do not have a CO2 system in place. The lighting was heavily pushed/recommended to me by my LFS: one Coralife strip with 2 ESU Reptile Desert 7% UVB F18 T5 BP bulbs and a second light strip with 1@10000K, F20 T12 BP bulb.
<Interesting. Should work>
Here are my questions:
Is my lighting sufficient for a planted tank?
<Mmm... yes... though, could be improved>
LFS trying to convince me to buy a VHO light strip with bulbs. I cannot quite remember, but there are four bulbs altogether (two pairs) and the bulbs seem to be attached to each other. Each pair of bulbs has a white bulb and a blue bulb. There are two little fans on the lighting strip.
<Mmm... you don't need the "blue bulbs"...>
I am adding another filter to work alongside the 2215: either an Eheim 2026 or 2028. Which would be better?
<The larger...>
I can't thank you enough for any help you can provide. Your site is fantastic and I really appreciate the fact that you guys maintain not only the site, but still have time to answer questions.
Thank you in advance and I certainly understand if you receive too many questions to respond.
Sincerely,
Beverley
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/lightingags.htm
and the linked files above. Perhaps writing down what you consider pertinent facts one by one... a technique I developed to help me concentrate/focus, and remember. Bob Fenner>

Lighting for a 125 gallon freshwater planted tank... Not ready   7/26/06
   I am currently trying to replace the lighting for my 125 gallon freshwater/planted tank and have been having trouble knowing what is best to get.  The lighting I was considering was the Coralife Lunar Aqualight Deluxe Series-72" (4X96W) with 5- 3/4W Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps,
<Mmm, you don't need these... more for looks here>
but I am unsure if this will work with freshwater as it has 2 96w 10000k daylight bulbs and 2 True Actinic 03 Blue.
<Nor this last. If you go with this fixture, I'd switch out the actinic for more "white" lamps>
I am also not sure if the fish I have make a difference but I have 1 Australian blue lobster, 6 pearl/moonlight/gold
Gouramis, 1 Silver Gar,
<What species is this?>
1 Ornate Bichir, 1 common Pleco, 1 Ghost Black Knifefish, 1 Tinfoil Barb,
<A social animal... should be kept in numbers...>
3 Bala Sharks, 1 Four line catfish and 1 Clown Loach.
<Ditto>
  My tank dimensions are 6'x24"x18 (wxhxd).  If those bulbs are not the best setup, what would be?
<Posted... on WWM...>
I have had trouble finding bulbs that are 72" long that are more suited for plants.  Are they available?
<Yes... but takes a bit of looking. I'd call some of the larger etailers re>
Thx for the reply in advance.
                                                          Chad
<Keep reading... the fishes you list are not compatible behaviorally, environmentally... the lighting not a good choice. Bob Fenner>

Planted Eclipse Tank  5/31/06
Hello all, I have a freshwater planted tank question which I hope you can assist me with. My current tank is 29 gallon standard with an Eclipse 3 filtration. The current light output is approx. 34-36 WPG
<Mmm, not Watts per Gallon... missing a decimal place?>
which is less than I'd like to have. The current flora: Amazon sword & its planted baby plants, ruffled sword plant, a narrow leaf red Rubin sword, Bacopa monnieri, purple Cabomba, bronze wendtii, another young and unidentified crypt, Ludwigia repens, jungle Val, java moss on driftwood and lace java fern on driftwood. The current fauna: 6 blue emperor tetras, 4 harlequin Rasboras, 1 dwarf Gourami, 3 yo-yo loaches (who like to eat baby Amazon sword leaves and any water sprite I put in the tank) and about 10 ghost shrimp.
<Sounds very nice>
The tank is a month or so old, with most of the plants and fish moved from a 20 gallon. I have a Fluorite substrate and add Flourish, Trace, Iron & Excel. The water parameters are 0 ammonia & nitrites, 10-15 nitrates, pH of 8 (central Florida tap water), and a temp of 79-80. All the retrofits I've found for Eclipse systems seem to be geared towards saltwater tanks. If I wanted to upgrade lighting from 34-36 to 55-60 WPG, what do you recommend?
<I would make/do this upgrade. The particulars of light quality, duration are posted on WWM>
Getting rid of the hood is not an option, as it is new and waste not, want not. Since the tank is still relatively new and the lighting is relatively low, I'm also having problems with brown algae. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
<Mmm, I would not "fool" with the pH here... let it drift down, re-bolster with water changes. For lighting, please start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/lightingags.htm
and the linked files above...
Bob Fenner>

Planted Tank Lighting Question - 05/28/2006
Hi, I was wondering what sort of fluorescent lighting I should use for my tank if I want better plant growth. These are the specs:
-32 gallons
-no CO2
-currently planted only with Echinodorus sp. and unknown tall grass like thingies
-2 20 watt (24 inch) fluorescent lighting fixtures (I cannot fit any more, and I realize this is almost certainly too weak for my system)
-currently 2 18000 K lamps (Hagen aqua Glo and power Glo)
-18" deep
-water is 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, nitrates <5 ppm, but that hardly seems relevant.  I could add CO2 injection, but I keep the tank at 80 degrees F and because it is such a small system I think it would cause oxygenation problems.
<Not necessarily.  You might consider CO2, as that's going to become a limiting factor for you in the future, if it isn't already.  Don't walk into it blindly, though, as there are many aspects that affect plant growth, and too much of one thing (lighting, CO2, fertilization) without enough of both of the others will just result in algae problems.>
I have heard plants like lamps in the 5500 - 6500 K range, but I have found many conflicting viewpoints.
<There are as many opinions as there are people....  For your answer to this, I recommend you keep reading, as my opinion will differ from anyone else's, and I'd prefer you to develop your own.  Maybe start with this:  http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Tech/ .>
Please help me clarify this. I also plan to set up a planted 55 gallon soon, with around 4 48" lamps. Suggestions for lighting would be appreciated.
<My personal preference is toward T-5 fluorescent lighting, though all will depend upon what you want to keep and how you want to keep it.>
Thank you.  -Eddy
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Plant Lighting On A Budget  - 05/23/2006
Hey guys and gals, So another odd question:  Im trying to find a cheaper way to get some decent plant lighting into my 55 gallon for medium light plants.  Here is a bulb I found from Sylvania.  I was thinking of having 2 of these bulbs about 1.5 feet above the tank (one on each side of the 55 with the plastic brace being the cutoff point.  I realize that I can't exactly funnel all of the light into the tank and some will go wasted.  I was planning on not having a top for the tank and keeping angels in it.  Any ideas?  suggestions?
  http://www.sylvania.com/ProductCatalogs/
  Part: 14898
  120 watt spot-Gro
Abbrev. With Packaging Info. 120BRGRO 120V 6/CS 1/SKU  
Average Rated Life (hr) 2000  
Base Medium  
Beam Type SP  
Bulb BR40  
Class C (gas)  
Color Rendering Index (CRI) 100  
Color Temperature/CCT (K) 2850  
Diameter (in) 5  
Diameter (mm) 127  
Family Brand Name Spot-GRO  
Filament CC-6  
Lamp Finish Spotgro  
Maximum Overall Length - MOL (in) 6 1/2  
Maximum Overall Length - MOL (mm) 165.1  
Nominal Voltage (V) 120.00  
Nominal Wattage (W) 120.00
< The color temperature is too low. Plants prefer a color temp. of around 5500K. You can always try it and if it doesn't work, go buy a light fixture and put a couple of bulbs in the preferred color range.-Chuck>

Plants In A Deep Discus Tank   4/26/06
I bought a 47 G column tank.  What sort  of lighting will I need  to grow plants. I want plants there for the health of the tank, if they have to  be a low
light variety due to the depth of the tank so be it.
The tank is 31 inches tall,  20 inches wide, and 18 inches  deep.  I bought this particular tank with Discus in mind. Can you help me? Thank you very much.
Karen
< This tank is very deep and may be difficult to get light to penetrate all the way down to the gravel. At a minimum use two florescent tubes(6500K). Go with low light plants like java fern, Anubias, and Cryptocorynes. Stay away from additives such as black water extract that will darken the water and prevent light from reaching the plants. Low light plants are not very active but will help keep the take clean. Next would be to try compact florescent lights.-Chuck>

Re: Discus Planted Tank- Chuck! Using Metal Halide Lights In FW   4/26/06
I suppose a MH Pendant would be overkill?  It would work,  mechanically, because the tank is set up in my kitchen, and there happens to be  a big pot rack
directly overhead where I could suspend the fixture.    Price isn't necessarily an object, since I still have blank checks.  :  ) Karen
< With metal halide you would definitely have enough light. With this much light it becomes a more difficult tank to manage because of the potential to turn the tank very green with algae overnight. With intense lighting the plants are very active and will use up nutrients quickly. Fertilization will need to be balanced so to feed the plants and not the algae. I would recommend the book "Aquarium Plants" By Christel Kasselmann. Setting up you tank for live plants will be more involved than for the discus, but the combination of lush plants and beautiful discus is hard to beat.-Chuck>

Lighting in multiple tanks.... FW vs. SW - 04/14/2006
I had a question concerning temporary lighting options for a small 29g Reef Tank.  I'll give you a run down of the situation.  My girlfriend wants to keep a planted discus tank (Which means that I'll be keeping a planted discus tank).  I know we needed to upgrade the lighting for the large amount of plants we are going to want. So anyways, I purchased a Power Compact set up, consisting of 4 x 65 watt bulbs. My thinking was, alternating the light fixture from the 55 gallon discus tank to my 29 gallon reef tank that I'm working
on. <Using the same bulbs?  Not a good idea.  The bulbs used for planted tanks would cause unwanted algae blooms in your SW tank, and changing them out 2x daily would not be ideal.> Current occupants include a mandarin, sand sifting star, serpent star, 2 species of Zoanthus sp., Branching Frogspawn, Branching Hammer, Discosoma sp. (12
hours on one set up, 12 on the next) This is strictly temporary until I can purchase the appropriate lighting to accommodate a small variety of LPS and
Mushrooms/Polyps.  (all will be added to a 55 gallon Reef set up with metal halides,  and converting the 29 into a quarantine tank)  So I guess my question would
be, does 4 pc lights rated at 65 watts per equal 260 watts <Indeed it does> or would this still be considered only 65 watts of lighting with multiple bulbs? Thank you to everyone
at wetwebmedia.com for all the help.  <Cheerio, Jodie>

27 gallon Hexagon tank, Lighting Retrofit  12/04/05
Hi again, after searching your web forums with no answers I decided to email you again.
<Welcome stranger!>
I have a 27 gallon Hexagon tank. I have talked with many different pet stores, getting different answers from each. I cannot grow plants in my tank. It has been established for about 8 months, I currently have platies. I have a 15 inch Aqua Glo bulb in it but I don't feel its getting enough light.
<Likely>
I have contacted the manufacturer and there isn't any other top for it. What can I do to promote plant growth in my deep tank? thanks
<Look into "retrofit" kits available from online retailers, such as ahsupply.com and hellolights.com. Or, if you know what you're doing, purchase the "bits" yourself from a lighting outlet and build an additional fixture. Best regards, John> 

400 HPS Lighting for Freshwater System  12/1/05
Hi, great site. I can buy a 400w hps unit for really cheap and was thinking about using it to grow aquarium plants is this a good idea?? I was thinking along the lines of maybe two, 3fts tanks back-to-back with the light suspended from above, but I need more information before I set out. Any help would be great on bulb type, distance from the tank etc etc.  I'm new to the plant side of things in aquariums and have only used very low lighting before and with little luck. Thanks
<You could give it a try... , you may find the bulb has an inappropriate spectral output (yellow or pinkish tint). If so, plants may like it, but likely so will algae, and it may have a poor aesthetic. I would give it a shot, and if it is too yellow, you could switch out the bulb for an HPS/metal halide "conversion bulb", compatible with an HPS ballast. The Iwasaki 6,500K is one such bulb. Ushio 10,000K is another. I would place the bulb at least 9" above the tanks so you don't heat up the glass where the tanks join too much. Do investigate CO2 injection - your plants will need it with this light. Best regards, John> 

Freshwater: Planted Tank Lighting - "I", Not "i" - 10/24/05
Hi, I have a 30 gallon hexagonal tank with about 10 platies. 
<That's quite a bit. May have to thin them out as they grow.> 
I would like to add live plants to the tank, But I am getting mixed answers about the lighting I need. From everything I have read I should have about 1 to 3 watts of light per gallon of water. 
<Well the watts per gallon rule is rather obsolete, lighting should be based on the targeted photosynthetic livestock and the dimensions of the tank.> 
But my setup is only a 15" bulb. Should I try to replace the light with an Aquaglo or similar or do I need to redo the lights to increase wattage???
<Depends on what you want to grow, for low level plants (like java fern) you may have enough already if you want more light loving varieties you may have to upgrade your lighting system or add another strip to go with your current one.>
Thanks for your help
<You are welcome, Adam J.>

Hagen lighting for 108 gallon 7/12/05
Hi I recently purchased a 108 gallon tank. I'm planning on community tank with lots of plants. I have TWO 72 inch fluorescent fixtures which take 2 bulbs each. I purchased 4- 36inch  power Glo for the lighting. I do not like the spectrum of these lights as the tank has a washed out appearance to me.
<Me neither... and their energy output is not great for your plants either>
I will have to go with Hagen lights and am wondering what combination to go with that will benefit my plants and also look pleasing to the eye? I was thinking flora Glo with sun Glo combo?
<This will be better>
Should I keep 2 of the power Glo and try sun Glo or flora with them?
<Worth trying>
Should I go with 4 flora Glo or 4 sun Glo by themselves?
<I would try two of the Flora Glo with your existing lamps, if you don't like their appearance, function, try two of the Sun Glo lamps...>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! As I say getting rid of this washed out appearance with the power Glos is the main objective. Thank you for your time......................Craig
<Do read (on WWM, elsewhere) re other lighting technology...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/lightingags.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/lgtfixtags.htm
You would be better off saving up, mail-ordering power compacts. Bob Fenner>

Lighting for plants
Hi I have a 29 gallon (30wide x 19 high) which has been set up for 7 years at least. My fish do great. Mostly tetras, a few Platies. glass cats, Pleco and catfish. Most have been in there for years. I use an Aquaclear 200 outside filter with extension intake down to 2" from the gravel and a air bubble strip about 5" long. I have  carbon & ammonia pouches and filter pad in the filter and change them each about every 6 weeks (one at a time) Now there is a single light Perfecto fluorescent strip and hood left on bout 10 hrs a day. I would like to have live plants and have had them for about 3-4 months but my swords are  starting to get a bit skeleton see- thru, although produce new leaves regularly. My moneywort are getting a bit spacey between leaves. I don't have a small fortune to spend on those fancy light systems but was wondering if a Perfecto double bright would work for me.
<Would be much (about twice...) better>
If so what tubes should I use. If this wont improve my plantings then what is the next step up?  Also do I really need to do the co2 thing or will the bottled aqua plant food do?
<Please read here re lighting, CO2, growing plants: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/AquariumGardenSubWebIndex.html>
<The fish should be fine re carbon dioxide provision... though it would be a good idea to turn off the air bubbler during the day... Please read WWM re. Bob Fenner>
thanks Linda

Lighting Question on My Planted Tank
I am looking for suggestions on tank plants. I have a 30H Freshwater tank. I have African Cichlids in it. The substrate is blue aquarium sand. I have the Current Satellite 24" 1X65 power compact fixture. The bulb is: "Satellite Singles come with SmartPaq Lamps (10,000K/460nm Actinics)." This thing is two strips one a 10k and an actinic. I chose the actinic because I wanted to bring out the colors in the fish. I am now looking for suggestions on plant life that will do well in the 10k/actinic environment.
< Stay away from stem plants and try Cryptocoryne, Amazon swords, and different types of Val and sag too.>
I also have a 150 that I am going to setup with 3 ft fixtures. I have the option of (1-96w 10K white/1-96w blue or 2-96watt 6500K whites only for planted tanks). I am wondering what combo I should do. I have a lot of blue fish and don't like the yellow effect in my tank. What do you suggest here??
< I would go with the 2-96 watt 6500K. The other set up will not provide enough of the right kind of light for your plants to survive or thrive. Here is a little tip I learned years ago. Go down to the LFS and check out the lighting on the saltwater fish. They usually pay more money for these fish and so give them the better lighting. These lights work great on African cichlid tanks.-Chuck> 

Freshwater Planted tank lighting
Dear WWM crew,
<Raja>
Thank you for all you help so far with my reef tank. I'm in the process of starting a second tank -a fresh water planted tank with CO2 injection. I just acquired a "100 gallon" acrylic tank -60"X18"X20"... really more like 93 gallons. I'm planning 4" of fluorite, with 15" of water on top of it. Would 322 watts of PC lighting within 6" of the water surface be adequate?
I'm planning to use 50% 6700K and 50% 10,000K lamps. Is that a sound strategy? All the reading I've done indicated that actinics aren't needed here...
<You are well on your way here... good sized/shaped tank, carbon dioxide infusion, good substrate... and yes, adequate lighting for most all types of plants. Bob Fenner> 

What lights should I buy?
Hi,  I've done a lot of reading on lighting over the past couple of weeks and am feeling more confused than ever. A guy in technical support at Dr. Foster and Smith sent me your website a couple of days ago.  Your site is great! Your really seem to know what you are talking about and I would really appreciate your advice.
I bought a used aquarium several months ago that is 125 gallons.  It measures 72" by 18" and is 23" tall.  I bought a Rena xp3 filter.  The aquarium came with a Magnum 220 which I am using with the micron cartridge.  My substrate is half pea gravel and half Fluorite ( 4 bags ).  My well water has a PH of 7.8, KH is 5 and GH is 6.  Last week I added a huge piece of driftwood from www.aquariumdriftwood.com , and my PH has dropped to 7.4.  I'm hoping that it stays low as I would like to have angelfish and other non aggressive community fish in a nicely planted tank.  My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are all zero.  My water is crystal clear and the 40 or so fish that I have are doing well.
A couple of months ago I bought a bunch of low and medium light plants.  The Java ferns,  moss and Anubias barteri look fine.  The other plants are alive, but just not green and healthy looking.  I'm assuming that my lighting is the problem.  The tank had been a salt water tank.  It has two 36" triple light units.  It currently has two Coralife 50/50 bulbs and four Aqua Ray Fresh and Salt Water bulbs.  The tank had been used for about 6 months when I bought it.  I know I need to change the bulbs and maybe add some additional lighting.  I just am so confused about what to do.
The support tech recommended replacing my 6 current bulbs with Zoo Med Fluorescent bulbs which are all T-8s.  Sounds like I should do some combination of Tropic Sun (5500k full spectrum at $6.99 a bulb ) and Ultra Sun ( 6500K full spectrum, CRI of 98 at $13.29 ) or maybe Flora Sun ( don't know values, just says high intensity with peak emissions in the blue and red regions to maximize the photobiological processes in plants at $11.99 ).  After reading some of your articles, I now realize that I also have to be concerned with how the different types of lights make my fish and plants look visually. ( Now I'm even more confused! )
They also suggested buying the Coralife Aqualight  Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights.  The single strips with the legs attached would fit behind my present lights and I would still be able to open the aquarium.  I could buy two of the 36" singles at $99 each.  Each unit holds a 96 watt bulb.  While my present triple lighting system gives me 180 watts ( 1.44wpg ), with the new compact light units  I would be up to 2.9 wpg.  I figure I can spend about $250, so buying these compact lights, along with 6 new bulbs for my present system puts me right where I want to be.  This all sounded perfect until I started reading more.
It's looking like at 2.9 wpg, I would need a CO2 system, and I don't think I want to go there.  So then I started thinking about getting a couple of the 24" compact strip lights.  Two of them would bring my wpg to 2.48.  Would I be okay without a CO2 system at that level? Would it be bad to have 8" without a light at each end and 8" between them?  Or would plants not grow under those spaces?  They do actually make a 30" system that holds the same bulb ( 65 watt ) as the 24" system.  That might spread the light a little more evenly.  However in the back of my mind I wonder if some day I might want to try the CO2 thing.  If I buy two of the 24" lights, then later on I would have the option to add a third and bring my wpg up to 3.0.
Some of the on line stuff I have read says that the wpg rules don't apply to large tanks, and that with a tank my size, I would be fine with my present 1.44 wpg.  Other stuff says that with a deep tank, I need to go higher than normal.  Having read some of the articles on your site, I wonder if I can safely add these compact strip lights directly behind my current triple lights.  Will there be too much heat?  These single strips don't have fans.
I'm at the point where I really need to make a decision and order something.  Any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much
Ann from Vermont
< All of this depends on what you ultimately want to achieve. I would start out at the low tech end to start with and move up as money permitted. First of all I don't like pea gravel because I find it too coarse. It allows food and fish waste to get caught in the pores between the gravel away from the filters and the fish. I prefer a medium  grained sand that is well founded and non-angular so it doesn't compact. Ideally I like to use a substrate entirely of fluorite but I know it is expensive.  I use fluorite in 3 inch clay flower pots and then plant the flower pots. As far as plants go I like using Cryptocoryne and Amazon swords because they really don't need really bright light. Crinum bulbs are very easy to grow plants too and give you that grass look in the tank. These plants will do well with florescent bulbs in the 5500K range. Fish that are red or yellow will show very well too. If you  want stem plants or red water plants then you need to use CO2 to get them going. Red plants will turn green if they don't get enough light. Smaller foreground plants will probably need compact florescent lighting to reach the bottom of a deep tank. Check out the Aquatic Gardeners Association for lots of interesting articles on planted aquariums and aquascaping.-Chuck>          

Lighting for Planted Tank
Hello again.  I'm kind of confused regarding lighting for a planted aquarium.  I have a 48" fluorescent bulb on my 6' long 130 gallon tank.  I would like to have about 2 watts/gallon of lighting, but my 48" bulb is only 40 watts, which means that I would need over six bulbs for an adequate amount of lighting.  Unfortunately, there's not even enough room on the top of my tank for these bulbs.  But, I found that my 30" bulb on my 55 gallon tank is 25 watts.  I also have a 20 gallon tank w/ two incandescent bulbs, which are both 25 watts as well.  So, technically, there's 50 watts going to my 20 gallon and only 25 watts in my 55 gallon, and yet the 55 gallon looks much brighter.  Basically, what I'm wondering is, instead of using seven 48" fluorescent bulbs for my 130 gallon to get a bit over 2 watts/gallon, can I use eleven 25 watt incandescent bulbs to get the same effect?  I can easily fit all of the incandescent along the back half of the top of my tank instead of using the fluorescents which won't even fit.  Also, if all of the Hagen 48" fluorescent lights are 40 watts, isn't there still a difference
between an Aqua-Glo and a Power-Glo?  Couldn't you get away with using less bulbs of the bright Power-Glo than if you had the dim Aqua-Glo?  I'm just trying to find the best way to light up my 130 gallon and don't know where to start.  What's the best kind of Hagen bulbs to use (Aqua-Glo, Sun-Glo, Life-Glo, Flora-Glo, etc.) and how many bulbs do I need?  Thanks for all of your help again.
P.S. I don't want to have to go w/ Metal Halides.
< I will tell you the quick and easy way for a successful planted aquarium. First use Fluorite by Seachem as a substrate. Put the plants in pots with this medium or use it entirely as the gravel. Very expensive to do an entire 130 gallon tank so I would put it in small flower pots and plant the plants in this instead of plain gravel. Go with two 36 inch triple hoods by all glass. They have a reflective mirror linings inside the hood and are very efficient. By using one at each side of the tank (36+36=72inches=6 feet), instead of one 48 inch fixture, you will have no dark areas at the ends of the tank where the plants will not grow. Use florescent light bulbs with a color range between 5000K and 6000K. I use Zoomed Tropic Sun or Flora Sun bulbs. Use plants that require low to medium light. Stay away from stem plants and go with plants that generate stems from a specific nodule. I like Cryptocoryne and sword plants. For a grassy like plant take a look at the Crinum onion plant. Some plants like Java fern and Anubias are slow growing low light plants that are not planted in the gravel but rather they are tied to rocks and driftwood. If you really want get into high maintenance planted aquariums with CO2 injection then you will need to do some homework and spend some money.-Chuck>
Dayton Gegolick

Planted Tank Lighting
I actually went and purchased another Fluval. I am going to put a Fluval and the two AquaClears on the Cichlid tank. Then a Fluval and an Emperor 400 on a 75g community planted tank.
I am just in the process of setting up the cichlid tank this week so I will be e-mailing you about fish probably next week.
I do have a question about lighting for the 75g. The guy at the LFS said that a 110W double compact fluorescent will be sufficient to grow plants. I am not looking to grow anything with extremely high light demands but will this be enough for a majority of low to medium light lovers ?
>>>This should be fine for the less demanding plant species, according to some checking that I did. I'm not much of a planted tank guy. In fact, read this thread that I started on RDO regarding planted tank. http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=55698 That's kind of a last frontier for me. :) I plan on setting one up soon.
Jim<<<

Freshwater Planted Tank
Good morning crew,
Hope you had a restful evening.
I have been keeping Fresh and Brackish tanks for the past 3 years or so with pretty good success (a lot of which I owe to you fine folks!)
Am having an ongoing problem with my 55 GAL though.  I have been struggling with trying to get plants to grow.  Have tried everything from fertilizer tabs and liquid (the algae LOVED this stuff!) to "sort-of" upgrading my lights to 80 W N.O. fluorescent (DIY Hood), to CO2 injection, to pulling out all plants and potting them in soil/sand/gravel.  And still the plants I try will hang on for a few months then get brittle and eventually beard algae will set in and I will pull them out...Anyhow, you get the picture. I am thinking I still simply don't have enough light.  It is 55 GAL (48X13X20), Canister Filter (cleaned bi-weekly), Pea Gravel Bottom (vacuumed weekly with 20% water change), 80 W N.O. Fluorescent Vita-light (?).  Ammonia - 0, Nitrite- 0, Nitrate - ~10.  Inmates:  3 Clown Loaches (5"), 2 Black Kuhli Loaches (3"), 1 Black Ghost Knife (10"), 1 Fire Eel (6").  Yes, plan on moving Fire eel to a bigger tank within the next year or so.  Pretty sure I am underfeeding the tank.  Cut back from 2X a day to 1X a day, then cut that in half again to keep up with the algae.  (Fish are still sleek/full bodied and healthy though)
Now, on to the question:  I am going to be buying equipment for a new 150 Gal Marine tank and ran across some Freshwater lighting that I might could "sneak" in the order and want your opinion on which you would suggest for
keeping Swords, Red Rubin (Echinodorus rubin), and Ludwigia (Ludwigia repens).
I am deciding between a Dual Power Compact hood with 130 W 6700K  or  a Dual VHO Fluorescent hood with 220 W 6500K.
Any thoughts on this?
Thank you for your time and patience.  I LOVE this site and spend hours on here a day.  (Drives the people at the LFS nuts when I go in there now...HAHAHA!)  So many Latin Names, so little time!
Take care and have a good day/weekend.
Tom
< Either light system would work and give you plenty of light which may be the problem in your case. With the lights on the plants are working hard metabolizing the nutrients in the water. I think you are running out of nutrients in this system. Plants need three major nutrients that are listed on every fertilizer as such 10-10-10. This means that the fertilizer is 10 % Nitrogen, 10% phosphorus and 10% potassium. The nitrogen is usually no problem and comes from the fish. Usually the phosphorus is readily available in the sand and water. Some water systems are lacking potassium and can be replenished with an aquatic plant fertilizer. Try planting one plant in a pot with Fluorite and another in the sand and see what happens. The Fluorite by Seachem adds the needed iron and I think you will be more successful.-Chuck>

Light bulb search
Good Afternoon, 
I am in search of a replacement aquarium light bulb for my 30 gallon freshwater fish tank. I am having trouble locating a 30" fluorescent bulb. I've been to many pet stores, and they only carry 24" and 36." I have had this PENN-PLAX Aquari-Lux PL-25 aquarium light for at least five to six years and would love to find another one. I live in Orange, CA 92867 and need to know if you can locate a nearby supplier or retail store that may carry this, or any other brand of 30" aquarium light bulb. 
<I would check with the various e-tailers listed in a recent issue of FAMA or the Links pages here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/links.htm asking what they have in the size mentioned. Bob Fenner>
I appreciate any help or suggestions. 
Thank you, 
--- ERIC CLATTER BUCK

How low is low-light w/ plants?
Hi guys,
Just like to say thanks for the help in the past!!
I'm trying to add some live plants to my 75 gallon South American cichlid tank. My biggest fish is a 6" gold Severum. I have already added one java fern which I anchored to some driftwood, and one Amazon sword (both added 3 days ago).
I just have a few questions:
- I only have a single 40W strip - that's just about .5W/gallon. Am I doomed?
< Maybe. Florescent lights lose some intensity after a few months. I would recommend a new bulb  around 5500 degrees K. This will give you a chance to grow some plants.>
I've read that Anubias, java fern/moss, Val.s and swords can handle low light, but am I pushing it?
< No. It is true that some plants can get by on very low light, just don't expect them to be vigorous growers.>
- I bought some liquid fertilizer, but have since read conflicting info on its use in low light set-ups. Should I continue to use it? It suggests a weekly dose.
< No unless you want your main plant to be algae. You have a handful of slow growing plants. These fertilizers are for fully planted aquariums that are actively growing all the time.>
- My sword plant is wilting a little. Is this because of my low light, or just part of acclimatizing?
< Could be part of the acclimation. Sometimes plants shed their old leaves when they are stressed. Start looking for new shoots soon.>
- If my tank CAN support plants, should they, like fish, be added gradually? I'd like to get an Anubias and a couple Vallisneria.
< I would recommend that you put your rooted plants into pots filled with fluorite from SeaChem and then bury them in the sand or gravel. As your cichlids grow they will start to move some of the sand. The flowerpots will protect the plant's roots while containing the plant substrate. As the plants get bigger they could be transplanted into a bigger pot. Plant what you want now. Don't wait. I usually get new plants and just throw them in and let them float around for awhile. They are close to the light and then start to developed new roots. I then trim them and put them in pots.>
Anyway, sorry to bother you with these basics, but I'm a total newbie to plants and find it hard to interpret all the info for beginners out there. I've been told that cichlids and plants don't mix, but mine are leaving the plants alone (could be a different story when my Severums are full grown).
< In the wild your Severums never really encounter aquatic plants. The water contains no nutrients from them . When the Amazon floods then they are in and amongst the flooded forest and terrestrial trees for a few months. Make sure your fish are well fed or else your fish may be trying some of the "salad" you have been trying so hard to grow.-Chuck>
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Corey Cormier,
Toronto, Canada.

Freshwater Plant Lighting
HI,
<Evenin' Lina.>
I thought since you haven't answered to my first e-mail, I'll take advantage and ask you some more questions.
<I had a feeling you wanted to ask more, so I was waiting to reply. Just kiddin', sorry if there was a delay.>
I have bought a 4 feet fluorescent light fixture, that I want to put above my fish tank to grow plants. It holds 2 lights of 32 watts, so I will totally get 94 watts for 55 gal tank (together with the ones I had from the tank). I read, that I have to get a full spectrum light (does it have to be any specific type, I got a natural light).
<Your other email mentioned aquarium and plant bulbs from Home Depot I think. They usually have another type of light that is better for plants, it will say "sunlight" of full spectrum, I think around 6500-7000k. I used two of these over my saltwater refugium with pretty good results. The full spectrum bulbs have the correct spectrum of light to grow your plants. Fish stores will have a better variety of bulbs, but they are a little more pricey.>
I have African cichlids in my tank and it seemed that they looked kind of strange in this light (maybe light is too yellow, comparing to what I had before) or maybe it is too strong but the colors of the fish faded. I don't exactly like it, do I have any other solution for that?
<Yes, the color spectrum of the bulb will definitely change the appearance of your tank, lower spectrum lights, around 6500k will look yellowish. A mix of different spectrums can make the tank more pleasing to the eye, I added an actinic bulb to my plant tank, looks real nice.>
Besides I was wondering whether this kind of light is not too strong or harmful for my fish, will it give out a lot of heat, how many hours should I keep it on so I don't get algae growth?
<Your fish will be just fine, if you have a planted tank I like around 10hrs of light per day, but this is dependent upon a lot of factors, especially plant type and nutrients.>
Can 94 watts be considered as high light for 55 gal tank (I think it is maybe about 21" depth) Right now I have Cryptocoryne, Amazon sword, Anubias and some sort of purple plant, which ones are going to grow well in this kind of light? Thank you for your web site and I will wait for answer.
<I would consider this lighting setup medium lighting, the crypts, swords, and the Anubias should do well, I am not sure about the purple plant. The watts per gallon rule is not always a good one, your lighting setup really should be based on the plants you want to grow. The spectrum of the light that you are providing is equally important, you could provide the perfect wattage of the wrong spectrum and your plants would not benefit in the slightest, they can't use it. You are also going to want to try to find a balance between lighting, nutrient (fertilizer), and temperature. The temp is pretty much fixed due to the fish you are keeping. If you have not had a plant tank before, you chose excellent plants, they are not as demanding as some of the plants out there. A lot of the high light plants also require (or really benefit from) high nutrient availability, Co2 injection, and all that jazz. You are on the right track, find some full spectrum bulbs, pick up a bottle of plant fertilizer (or root tabs), add another light to make the tank eye pleasing, and have fun. Heck, your fish may destroy your plants anyway. The links below are to some excellent plant tank web sites. Best Regards, Gage
http://www.thekrib.com/  -  http://aquabotanic.com/ 
You did not mention what type of Africans you have, but how's this for a planted African tank?  http://malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquarium/malawi1.html 
There are also specs about this persons tank at the bottom of the page.>
Lina 

Somewhere Under the Rainbow (of light spectrum and Kelvin ratings)
What's the thing to look for when it comes to lighting on an aquarium with plants in it to cover the spectrum of light they need? A local store told me to look at bulbs that go either 4800K, 5300K or 10000K. Now I study chemistry and I'd like to figure out what those numbers mean too, so I can figure out which would be the best spectrum for my aquarium.
<These numbers, xxxxK, refer to the "Kelvin" rating of the bulbs.  There is a wonderful article on Kelvin rating and color spectrum here:  http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Tech/light-spectrum.html - it is the second link, I believe.  Lots of good information there.>
My variety of plants so far are some Anacharis, java fern and moss, banana plants, Wisteria and a couple of Swordplants. Any idea of what's the ideal bulb for this kinda setup?
<Well, although what spectrum you're using is of importance, it is also important to know 'how much' of that light you're dumping onto your plants; some plants are too demanding to accept, say, only a single 40w normal output fluorescent bulb on a 55g tank, no matter the spectrum.  Other plants will suffer under too *much* lighting, as well.  It really helps to know what the needs of your plants are, and try to fulfill those needs.  In your case, all of your plants except the banana plants will tolerate low to moderate lighting of normal output fluorescents, though the swords would do better with more. The banana plants, though, require very, very intense lighting to thrive, and might not do well otherwise.  You might try to get around this by elevating them, getting them closer to the light source.  It might benefit you to get a good plant book with descriptions of different plant species' needs; one such book is "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by Peter Hiscock (no joke, that's really his name).  This is a great, easy-to-understand book, and I do recommend it.  Happy planting!  -Sabrina>

- High Pressure Sodium Lighting for Planted Tanks -
How well might a HPS lighting system work on a planted freshwater aquarium. <I think pretty well... perhaps better than might be useful.>
It seems to me it would have a lot in common with a MH but with an even better spectrum for plants? <Both lamp types and their associate spectra will grow plant at a silly pace.>  It's a lot cheaper that's for sure.   I have never seen one lit up though, would the tank look bad? <Well, HPS lighting has a yellow/pink tint to it which may or may not please your eye.> Would the plants do bad? <I think they would do well, but you'd also have to take into account the increase in temperature from the lamps and also the growth of competitive nuisance algae that would respond to the increase in light.>  I would like to upgrade my power compacts on my plant tank to a source point light that will give me the ripple effect as well as penetrate the thick canopy of leaves.   MH is just to expensive for plants IMHO though... Is this a realistic option? <It's not unrealistic but I'm very surprised that MH lighting is more expensive - the ballasts, fixtures, bulbs all cost about the same - MH lighting for marine aquaria is artificially expensive in my opinion - the raw parts should not be that expensive.>
Mark
<Cheers, J -- >

Lighting a Plant Tank
I'm about to set up a 40g acrylic tank as a planted aquarium.  I have successfully kept a 120g planted aquarium in the past.  My problem is that I can't decide on the lighting system .  Two of my favorite plants are the Glossostigma and the Anubias Nana.  I realize they have different lighting requirements, but would I be able to keep them both?  
<Absolutely!>
If so, which lighting should I go with, the compact fluorescent or HQI?  
<In my opinion, as long as your tank isn't terribly tall (a standard 40g or breeder 40g is just fine), you should do quite well with compact fluorescents.  HQI metal halides would be overkill on a shallow tank; though the glosso would appreciate it, I don't think it's necessary.
I'm in southern Louisiana and it gets pretty hot here, is the HQI going to put out too much heat?  Thanks for your help,  Jennifer
<Metal halide lamps certainly do put out a lot of heat, so if you choose them, you'll definitely have to have a well ventilated canopy with fans installed.  As long as the temperature in your house is kept livable, the temp on your tank shouldn't go too high.  You can always put egg crate on the tank instead of a lid and aim a fan to blow at the surface of the water, which will help immeasurably in maintaining temperature.>
Also, would the Anubias work with HQI if they were in a shaded area?
<Absolutely.  As long as it's shaded, it should do beautifully.  -Sabrina>

Lighting a planted tank
Dear Bob,
<Ken>
Thanks for your comments. I bought the VHO canopy today with the Ice Cap ballast- 192 watts. I decided to cancel the 65 gal tank with the 24" depth as I found an Oceanic tank that was 58 gal which had the same width and length as above but was only 21" high.
<And even less water depth with the substrate>
I also picked up an RO unit since my water here in NJ is pretty crummy. I have one more question for you if you don't mind. When using RO water for a plant/fish tank what is the correct way for adjusting the water? Do I use something like RO right or something?
<We have what is affectionately called "liquid rock" here in San Diego, and use an R.O. device... which I add some regular tap to... along with minerals from feeding, some CO2 injection... this is fine IMO>
What about for the Ph and KH/GH? I am assuming that RO is the way to go especially with the phosphates etc that are in my tap water.
<There are some species of aquatic plants with narrower or high/low ranges per these criteria... but by and large the ones available do fine in near neutral pH, moderate hardness water... they can/do adapt. I like to store water if making large (more than ten percent) water changes... otherwise, just "dump in"... works just fine. Have you perused "the Krib"? Very worthwhile site for aquarium plant enthusiasts. Bob Fenner>
I appreciate you comments. Thanks again.
Regards,
Ken

Plant tank lighting...
Hey, your website has great information, I'm so happy I stumbled across it tonight!  My wife and I are planning on setting up a freshwater tank with live plants in the near future and could use a bit of advice. <Great, hope I can help> Here goes:
The tank we're eyeing is a 40 gallon tall Sea Clear acrylic tank
(30"wx24"hx12"d).  Because of space limitations (long story) we're relegated to using an Eclipse System 3 filter (compatible with the tank). <Could be worse, the eclipse systems are not all that bad> My LFS said that the lighting provided is inadequate for proper growth of the plants and suggested a retrofit kit. <You would be limited in your plant choices with only a couple of NO lamps> I'm assuming he was referring to the SmartLite retrofit kit which boots the wattage to 65 watts with 8800K ultra-daylight/ultra-actinic components. <Yep, it fits great but swap the Smart-lite out for a 6500k>  It seems like I'd need more wattage to get this up to even "moderate/medium" lighting standards. <That's right, this tank is pretty deep> Is that correct or will the actinic make up for the difference in intensity (or am I totally misunderstanding the whole concept -- be honest). <The actinic is more for color. Blue light penetrates much further than the other colors but plants are more interested in the other end of the spectrum, hence my 65k recommendation>
Are we better off with a 30 gallon instead (same dimensions, except only 18" tall)? <I'd say so since the lighting options are really limited> As for adding fish, we're planning on some neon tetras, Cory cats and 2 discus. <Read up on discus, they require specialized water parameters> Also, what are your thoughts on CO2?  From what I've read here, it doesn't sound like a necessity.  My LFS made it sound like the holy grail, that all my work would be for nothing and my plants would die without their $600 self regulating system. <Haha, sounds a little biased. If your tank is packed with plants, you'll likely want a co2 setup. There are other ways to do it (involving yeast) that do not require expensive equipment.> Argh. Does my setup sound adequate? <Sounds good to me>  We're still in the shopping phase and are looking for some unbiased advice.  I really appreciate your advice. <Good luck with the tank! -Kevin> Thanks,
in advance!
Jeff

Full as opposed to Blue (spectrum lighting)
in your article (light: quality, quantity & duration)
you mentioned" Be all that as it may, I suggest one to
two watts of full-spectrum fluorescents, roughly
equivalent to 50 to 100 lumens per gallon for most
systems (sight unseen)." is the same rule follow if I
use 3 x 20 watts blue spectrum in my 50 gallon planted
aquarium? since im focusing on growing my plants.
thanks in advance and God Bless!!!
<Mmm, no, the very general "rule of thumb" is for full-spectrum lamps, not just the shorter (blue) wavelengths. Bob Fenner>

Lighting Controllers
Hello all,
I have a live plant tank and am looking for a way to automatically turn on and off the lights. I have a Custom Sealife 4 bulb 96 watt retrofit kit. The thing sure is bright now I want to control it. I have tried using regular timers you get from the hardware store, but out of three I bought, 2 have stopped working all together.
<Really, that is surprising.>
I need something reliable.
<Unfortunately, that is all I use. I will give you a few tips that I use. I always buy ones with three prong plugs and make sure they are UL listed. I have used the $7 cheap ones with the little red and green tabs and also the $25 digital programmable ones and have never had a problem.>
Thank you for the help, Philip
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Lights for aquarium
Hello,
<Hi there>
I would like to know if two 55w 6500k, and two 55w actinic light bulbs would
be good or if it would be too much light for a 55 gallon freshwater tank?
I
would like to start growing plants in it, will the actinic lights help the
plants grow at all or would it just be for looks?? Thank you for your help.
<Mmm, two actinics is too much... for looks for me, and definitely for functions sake. You'd be better off with all lamps being full spectrum... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PlantedTksSubWebIndex/lightingags.htm and out Planted Aquarium Subweb in general. Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Craig

Lighting and Low Light Aquarium Plants
Hello, this is the first time I've ever sent e-mail like this.
<Welcome>
About three months ago I converted my 15 gallon fish-only tank with standard incandescent lighting to one including live plants. I say "converted", when in actuality, all I did was ask the store which plants had low light requirements, bought those, threw away my plastic plants, and took a wait and see attitude about all the expensive sounding stuff I've read so much about since I made the change.
<An adventure>
Just so you know, my tank has 6 full-sized white clouds, an adult pair of swords and three younger juveniles, and one small algae eater, along with an assortment of small snails. I realize this is probably too many fish...but what the heck, that's what I've got and I don't want to do away with any of them.
<Okay>
My reason for writing is my own retrospective unease about how smooth the change has been so far, in light of the reading I have done since then. All of the plants seem to be thriving, and the Java fern have propagated about 5 young plants which I recently separated and replanted. 
<Nice>
Everything I read seems to indicate that what is happening in my tank (ie success) is IMPOSSIBLE, and maybe even illegal (ie SPEND MONEY, DAMMIT).
<Whoa!>
Am I wrong to save my money and enjoy? Are there any other plants you could recommend that will enjoy the kind of situation I just described?
<Many. Please read through the Plant Livestock sections on our site here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqGardHP.htm and the links where you take them>
Thanks for your attention.
Doug B
<Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>

Water clarity, lighting, UV questions (FW)
Robert,
I found your name off-line and I wanted to ask you a question in regards to my lighting in my aquarium. I have a 150 gallon tank (standard size) with an assortment of African Cichlids. I'm trying to get some more clarity in my water and I don't know what I should do? 
<Mmm, a few approaches, likelihoods here...>
I have two large filters running, so I know that that's not the problem. 
<Might still be... do you measure parameters of water quality... like accumulation of nitrogenous compounds like nitrates? How about using chemical filtrants? Like periodic use of activated carbon in your filter flow path... this can really help water color, clarity and fish health wise... What about your maintenance procedures. Most African Cichlid systems do best with periodic substantial water changes, gravel vacuuming... What sorts of foods, feeding practices do you employ?...>
I have one row of two lights that came with the tank, they aren't performing as well as I would like them to. My local fish supplier said that I should add a row of white lights and a row of blue lights (which would give me my 2:1 ratio of white to blue).
<Hmm, "blue lights" like actinics? With Africans?>
This would cost me around $250 with the housings if I went that route. Do you recommend any other alternatives?
<I would look into either compact fluorescents here or VHO types... much more info. on our site (www.WetWebMedia.com) re these issues and the science behind them. Please read from here and beyond: http://wetwebmedia.com/lightfxtagb.htm
Including the sections on Marine Lighting (same technology)>
What are the advantages of having a U.V. stabilizer, and what size would be appropriate?
<A UV sterilizer? Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marphysf.htm>
Thank you for your time.
Jon Lugenbill
<Thank you for your involvement, sharing. Bob Fenner>

Thank you!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been looking, internet surfing, searching and asking for information that I can understand on the workings of lighting for the aquarium. Yours is the first that really broke it down and presented it in a clear, usable reading. You're saving me a lot of money and have given me a functional understanding of the role that light plays in a planted aquarium. Thanks again.
Ken Baldwin.
<Ah! The pleasure. Please, spread the word as to the WetWebMedia sites availability, use. Bob Fenner>
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