# Lighting a 48x18x18



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

I'm currently planning a 48x18x18 - purely hypothetical at the moment as I'm 8000 miles away from home (Falkland Islands).

I really like the look of these - http://www.giesemann.co.uk/infinity.htm

The 1200mm 2 x 150W MH and 2 x 54W HO T5 seems the logical choice but is this too much light? Or would having the T5s run for 10 hour photoperiod and the MH coming on for 6 or so hours in a midday burst be ok?

There will be pressurized CO2, suitably dosed water (EI or PPS) and high plant bio-mass.

The other (much cheaper option) is the Arcadia overtank luminaire 4 x 54W HO T5 but MH would be nice.......

Another quick question - do the ADA Solars come supplied with bulbs?


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## ianiwane (May 6, 2005)

I believe ada solars are supplied with bulbs. Or at least that is how the 2 places sell them in the US. I think that fixture will serve you really nice. I myself just bought a 48x18x18 ada tank (120cm) but am going to go with TEK lighting 6x54 and stagger the lighting.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

edit


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## zig (Jul 3, 2005)

I guess you would want to consider and factor into the final cost, do the giesemann units come supplied with tubes that would be suitable for growing plants, as these are kitted out mainly for marine setups, or maybe they could swop them out for something more suitable, anyway just a thought.


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## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

I have your size tank and run two Giesemann 150's with ADA 8,000K bulbs pendantly about 18" above the tank. 12 hours a day over my tank and I have no problem growing anything. Pressurized gas would be mandatory, IMO, if this is your route. Good luck with your project.


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## chrisl (May 24, 2004)

What a great light! I love the adjustable MH's! Sweet.

Erik, how's the stray light with that light?


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Thanks guys. Giesemann build them to order and supply either FW or SW lamps as required. I believe their FW are all 6500K but Id probably go for ADA 8000K HQIs, cost permitting.


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## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

chrisl said:


> What a great light! I love the adjustable MH's! Sweet.
> 
> Erik, how's the stray light with that light?


Thx. The stray light is quite nice, actually. That's the look I was going for; sort of an airy, skylight look to the dining area. The rays of shimmering light across the ceiling are particularly nice. Here are some recent shots of the tank at about 2 months old.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/Aquariumfullsize.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i...lbums/i315/erikloza/Aquariumdiagonalview2.jpg


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Nice setup erik! Thanks for sharing. Is that 12mm standard float glass?

May I ask, do you sit down to eat near the tank (you mention it's in the dining area? Is there any glare?

I have pressurized CO2 from my old tank, I intend upgrading to an ADA 30mm Pollen Glass with ADA P-6 lily pipe and inlet. Eheim 2028 with in-line heater, ADA AS + mulm/peat substrate.

I am very excited about the whole project and intend to run a journal on here. I just need to convince the wife now!


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## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

gf225 said:


> Nice setup erik! Thanks for sharing. Is that 12mm standard float glass?
> 
> May I ask, do you sit down to eat near the tank (you mention it's in the dining area? Is there any glare?
> 
> ...


I'm not familiar with 12mm float glass, but this a a SeaClear System II acylic tank. It has a built-in wet/dry sump along the back that I run as a mostly wet/wet in order to not waste as much CO2. In addition to the built-in-filter, I also run a small Eheim canister just for activated carbon, to help remove tannins more than enything else. My substrate is a mix of Dupla Ferti-plant, Eco-Complete, and powdered laterite mixed with some sand to bulk it up. The gravel on top is some fine, dark stuff I had from a previous tank mixed with Onyx (was the best color match) to provide enough coverage.

My C02 system is just a 10lb. aluminum tank, surplus medical high/low pressure gauge and needle valve off an oxygen tank, magnetic solenoid and Milwaukee pH controller. I built an in-tank reactor from the Tom Barr plans.

Yes, my dining table would be right next to the tank, so that I can eat dinner, read the paper, etc., while watching the fish. For sure, the MH's are bright, but it is like having a little bit of sunshine in my home and that's nice. IMO, photos don't do a nice planted tank justice; everyone who has seen mine can't believe their eyes. I think that if your wife knew how much beauty and relaxation such a tank would bring to your home, she would be pushing you to get it done. Just for conversation's sake, I have about $1K into my tank between new hardware, lights, and plants (minus the tank, which I already had) and just paid almost twice that much for a new flat-screen TV. Guess which one I spend more time watching? Good luck with project.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Sounds wonderful Erik!

Do you have any issues with scratching the acrylic? I understand it is lighter, stronger and higher claritry than glass but the scratch risk has always put me off. I assume it's more expensive than glass? Even ADA?

Out of interest what fish do you have in there and what's your fert schedule?

My wife is used to having a half-decent planted aquarium to look at, but as you suggest I hope this will be on a different level entirely. The cost will be the biggest hurdle - £595 / $1000+ for the lighting alone if I go for the Infinity.


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## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

gf225 said:


> Sounds wonderful Erik!
> 
> Do you have any issues with scratching the acrylic? I understand it is lighter, stronger and higher claritry than glass but the scratch risk has always put me off. I assume it's more expensive than glass? Even ADA?
> 
> ...


Yes, you have to be careful with acrylic and it does scratch very easily. I use acrylic-safe scrubber pads on the inside and anti-static plastic polish on the outside (untreated acrylic has a strong electrostatic charge and attracts lots of dust, which will readily scratch it). That being said, my tank is over 5 years old and still looks better than many glass aquaria. You just need to take care of it.

One thing comes to mind: I get lots of green plaque algae speckles on the inside walls. On a glass tank, I would just use a razor blade and be done with it. You can't do that to an acrylic tank, so it's lots of elbow grease with the white scrubber pad. I don't really mind, since this tank isn't that large, but my next tank will be at least twice as big and will have to be glass.

I agree with you: Lighting was my biggest expense. Are you really budgeting for $1K, though? I would think that you could do your tank for quite a bit less, even with pendant HQI's. You might be surprised at the deals that can be had if you are resourceful. My two Nova's, for example, I bought from a local guy and paid $500 for both. If I hadn't connected with this guy, I would have built my own: Sourced out pendant reflectors, sockets, ballasts, and done the wiring, myself. It would look just as clean as my Nova's do now. See if you can find some used stuff and do that. Or, just bite the bullet and pay for a new fixture, the piece together the gas system here and there to save some $$ on that end. All the components for my C02 system I bought through Ebay and saved quite a bit that way.

Off-topic, if you're tank is going to be 48" and are interested in Coralife 4X65w fixture, PM me. Mine is collecting dust in the garage right now and I would sell it inexpensively. Regards,

Erik


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## ianiwane (May 6, 2005)

I got my 6x54w T5HO tek light in the mail yesterday. It is very bright to say the least.


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