# Lighting for 55 gallon



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Whats a good light for a 55 gallon El Natrual tank? I would like to have at least moderate lighting.


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

These are the plants right know in my 40 gallon:
Java fern
Ruffle plant 
Micro sword
African onion plant
Water wisteria 
And Moss balls

Hope this helps a little.


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

By good light I mean what kind of intensity/spectrum would be best? Is one brand better than the other? I have a defective Corallife ballast right know.


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Would a t8 or a t5 work better for the plants I have?


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Anybody?


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

:bump:.......... Anybody!?!


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Don't be impatient. This is not a thousand posts a day forum.Second, tour question is not verg specific. Best light, lots of opinions. T5 is better than t8 (more economic) and anything between 3K and 14K can grow plants, it all depends on what you like. Lots of info on the web!


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Yo-han said:


> Don't be impatient. This is not a thousand posts a day forum.Second, tour question is not verg specific. Best light, lots of opinions. T5 is better than t8 (more economic) and anything between 3K and 14K can grow plants, it all depends on what you like. Lots of info on the web!


Sorry about being impatient, lol [smilie=b: Ya I know I'm not being very specific, but I'm kind of confusing myself. Ummm.... Ok would moderate lighting work in an El Natrual tank? Also what the difference between low, medium, and high light? Answering my last question might help me to decide to use co2 or not.


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## snichols (Jun 18, 2013)

From all that I have read a natural tank is lower light and maybe diy CO2, I have seen low light described fro 10-30 par. Depending on whether you want to replace bulbs every year or less you would go fluorescent and decide from there. LED lasts probably 5 years r more, but the up from cost is high. Check out the fimmex furgeray and the current satellite plus, and buildmyled for those. It s what I am looking at for my tank. They are easier to control, too.


edited for typo


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## yanjunlove (Jun 24, 2013)

Anybody!?!??


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## kwroberto (Jun 25, 2013)

I use 2 finnex 7000K LED light strips on my planted tank and I absolutely love them, I have one blixa and he is growing wildly!!


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