# t5ho too much for a betta? aka is one t5ho bulb enough for a 29 gallon?



## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

so i got a betta. he seems to be getting along beautifully with his tank mates but he doesn't come out from hiding very much. hangs around the top of this upright piece of rock that sticks out of the water. i remembered that iv seen this behavior before when the lights were too bright. so my question possibly should be asked in the lighting section because what i want to know is if i twist one of the bulbs to an "off" position or just remove it completely will one single t5ho bulb be enough to keep my plants happy? (actually, im going to post this in the lighting section instead of the fish section) its a 29 gallon planted, a water hyacynth (i think maybe?) a big amazon sword, duckweed, java fern and moss, anubias, a couple of other things. do yall need more information? k thanks.

alternatively i could just buy enough floating plants to cover the top. thoughts?


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I have a pair of bettas (male and female) in my 40 breeder. It has 4x39w T5HO lighting. The light doesn't seem to bother my pair. But, each betta has their own personality. Yours could be hanging out in a slow flow area.

A single T5HO may be enough for your 29g. If you have CO2 or dose Excel and dose ferts, two T5HO's would work.


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## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

hmmm, well maybe its just my betta then. i dont dose with ferts or do CO2, just an FYI to add to the thread. ummm, i don't have a filter running on the tank right now so i don't think it's an issue of finding calm water, although it does stay on the opposite side of the tank that the airline is on, maybe the bubbles create enough flow for it to be avoiding that? seems unlikely but i thought id mention it. my filter broke a while back. fish seem fine and have for a good while (you could call it a semi-Walstad setup maybe?). maybe it's just his personality. i can try taking a bulb out and see what happens. hope i don't lose any plants. iv got such good growth out of my sword and ferns.


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## nikelodeon79 (Jan 23, 2012)

It may take awhile for him to become comfortable in his surroundings. What is the temperature of the tank? Bettas are the most active around 80*F. Anything under 78*F and they tend to be pretty sluggish. 

What are the other tankmates?


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## FieldsOfGreenSeaTurtles (May 3, 2011)

that might be it.  its 75. and back there behind the rock where it's been hanging out a lot is where the heater is, so its probably warmer back there than in the whole tank. good call. thanks. im going to find my lid (its open top right now) and then later ill turn the heater up. iv got a small fountain pump, it can act like a powerhead, that i can spare. i might stick it in there so the heat from the heater gets spread to the whole tank. ill see how that works before i go turning a bulb off.

oh, tank mates are two banjo cats, a school of emperor tetras, black khuli loaches, and three celebes rainbows.


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