# Lighting for a 37g Tall



## akdmks (Jun 12, 2010)

hey guys,

I'm fairly new to the planted aquarium and have recently set up a 37 gallon tank. The dimensions are 30L x 12D x 22H. I was looking into purchasing a newer light than the one that came with the setup. Right now I have a 20W flourescent with the hood and all (the normal light fixture) and would like to get my plants to grow and not just live. I was reading some of the stickies on this forum for lighting and still am a bit overwhelmed with all the information. The lighting I wanted to purchase is a Nova Extreme HO Light Fixture - 10,000K - 2 x 24W - 30 in. - T5. The question I have is will this be good enough to grow my plants? I'm totally lost here, please help me![smilie=c:


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## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

What's your goal though? Going high-tech?

If we're going to base the distance between substrate and bulbs (22"), the Nova Extreme you mentioned will give you medium (one bulb on) to high lighting (2 bulbs on) over your 37gal tall tank... So you might need to go high-tech and get CO2 system setup and a good fertilization routine to balance everything out... 

Just wanted to share, I also have a 37gal tall I'm setting up and I bought 4x24 T5HO Aquatic Life fixture but I have CO2 system so we'll see how it goes on my end 

And oh, welcome to APC!


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## akdmks (Jun 12, 2010)

What is my goal is a great question lol. I guess now it is going high tech. What CO2 system would you recommend, I work all week so I don't have too much time for a DIYer. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And going high tech, I'm assuming, means that fertilizers are a MUST, right? I'm such a newbie at this so any comments or feedback are extremely appreciated. Thanks you so much for the quick reply and information! Thank you for the welcome also!


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## akdmks (Jun 12, 2010)

Also another question, if I wanted to stay low-light what would be sufficient? Just the bulb I have in there now or would I have to add another 20W fluorescent to see even a little growth without CO2 or ferts?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi akdmks,

I see this is your first post, welcome to APC! This is a great site with excellent information and friendly people to help you if you need it. I am glad you joined us!

Oh boy, a "tall tank" question! I can tell you have been doing some reading because you are asking the right questions. My opinion is that lighting is one of the key components to success with a planted aquarium.

I have a 45 gallon "tall" (24") and when researching lighting I learned that the reflector in the fixture was every bit as important as the wattage. Not only is the shape of the reflector important, to avoid re-strike, but the reflective properties of the reflector material as well. Reflector shape and material are even more important in taller tanks because we need to direct as much light down to the substrate level as possible. The shape of the reflector will determine if it has a wide or narrow dispersion of light. A wide dispersion will result in a lot of the light generated hitting the tank sides near the surface augmenting algae growth. A more narrow dispersion will direct more of the light down into the deep tank. Getting good light down to the substrate level helps to keep plants from loosing their lower leaves and if we want to grow foreground plants we need to get our light down to the bottom.

I am not familiar with the fixture that you asked about, but with a 30" aquarium 2 X 24 watts sounds like a fixture using power compact bulbs. I am not real handy with tools, but I built my own fixtures using the AH Supply kits. I called Kim (guy) and gave him my tank information and some idea of the plants I wanted to grow and he suggested a 1X96 watt for my 36" long 45 gallon.

I'm sure some APC members have ideas of their own to share; possibly they can offer some other 30" alternatives they like. Don't forget that you want bulbs for plants in your fixture, not actinic bulbs which are for saltwater. Hope this helps!

Here is a picture of that 45 Gallon Tall:


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## khanzer22 (Nov 30, 2009)

aquariumplants.com and (and there are others) sells nice CO2 system setups... You'll get all you need from CO2 tank, regulator and diffusers/reactors... If you want to save $$$, You can look on sites like ebay for cheaper items/alternatives... And yes, fertilizer is needed if you're going high tech 

If you're staying low-tech, my 37gal was low tech before (planted discus tank) so I used regular 2x20W light fixure on it... I only dose seachem comprehensive once/twice a week and seachem excel (as per lasbel instruction) and it worked just fine and my low light plants were all thriving and growing nice...

Here's an OLD pic I found to share:


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## akdmks (Jun 12, 2010)

First off I just want to thank you guys for such enthusiatic answers to my questions. I was worried I wouldn't get any help with this tank and I was going to have to go it alone -- eek! But you guys came to the rescue lol. Given all of this new information on DIY ballasts and CO2 kits I think I'm going to try out the low-light planted aquarium for my first experience. I figure I can always jump right into T5 lighting and CO2 kits whenever I want, so why not start simple. I'm going to go the store tomorrow and get some excel and some of the comprehensive stuff khanzer spoke of. Hopefully my plants will begin to show some signs of growth in the forthcoming weeks with those two supplement additions. I want to thank Seattle_Aquarist for all of that wonderful information you shared with me on the tall tanks and the reflectors being just as important as the lighting. When I do decide to jump into the high-tech arena I will absolutely be purchasing one of those AH kits you suggested, they seem to be the right way to go even if I'm not a huge DIYer. Thanks again for all the help and I wish you guys luck with your tanks as well!

PS - Both tanks look marvelous! Keep up the good work!:lol:


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## akdmks (Jun 12, 2010)

BTW - Roy I think it is? I LOVE THE BLACK ANGELS IN YOUR TANK. I myself just purchased one marbled/scalare mix and am trying to pair him up so I can have loads of wonderful little angel babies! lol Ill upload some pics later on or tomorrow because I am out of state for the day and my tank is back in NY.


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