# 5.5 gallon lighting



## oceanzmicasa (Aug 11, 2009)

Hey all!

Thank you so much for all the information in this forum. I've been growing a Walstad tank for the past 3 months and everything is going great. My only concern is the lighting. Here's my tank specs:


5.5 gallon (faces a southwest window)
Plants:
java moss
vallisneria corkscrew
ludwigia repens
rotala rotundifolia
moneywort
egeria densa
duckweed

I have been having problems finding a light source for my tank. I'm thinking of getting this one: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?category=_20_Inch_Power_Compact_Light_Fixtures&vendor=Tom%60s_Aquatics&idProduct=OE1223&IdCategory=FILTFIPCTW&child=OE1223&tab=4&size=13%20watt

Any suggestions would be much appreciated


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

Your light choice looks good to me.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

The light you're considering looks reasonable, but you could also you a clamp light with screw-in CFL bulb. Here's my 10.5 inch clamp light with 13 watt bulb for my 5 gal. You can buy these clamp lights at Big Box hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) for about $10-12.


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## Forgotten Path (Apr 3, 2009)

Yeah, I have a 10 watt CFL in my 5 gallon Hex tank, with no natural sunlight... My plants grow like crazy (that is until they run out of space!)
Using a clamp lamp and a CFL should be plenty of light. I think the only concern would be any feelings towards appearance. Of course, you could very inexpensively build your own hood to accept a CFL bulb.


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## oceanzmicasa (Aug 11, 2009)

thank you armed, Forgotten and Ms. Walstad for the input. My tank is still without any light source except that of natural sunlight.

It seems that the lower light levels at this time is resulting in lots of hair algae with a decrease growth of the moneyworts and egeria densa.

sorry for the late reply!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Sunlight may not be enough for your plants. I found that my plants didn't take up much CO2 (meaning they almost completely stopped photosynthesizing) when I turned the lights off. This despite the fact that all these tanks were near windows.

Also, many aquarium plants need a daylength of at least 12 hr to do well. It is winter now; your plants may be getting a much shorter daylength than what they need.

I would do as much hand removal of matt algae as possible.


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