# Lighting options?



## marty93aus (Aug 1, 2014)

Hey everyone 

Im on the hunt for the best type of lighting for a planted tank. I have read Newt's post about lighting a fair few times and i understand to an extent as to what kind of lighting plants thrive on, but i cannot begin to look where to find the type/brand of light that would be ideal. 

Does anyone recommend or know of any brands? 
Would anyone recommend their lighting setup?

I made the stupid mistake of buying a light before doing my research. Im still happy with the light, but i wanna go better. 

Can anyone help me out?


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## AKnickolai (Nov 30, 2007)

Girish just posted a really well done summary of aquarium lighting in this forum. I recommend you read that. Think about what light level you want, if you don't use CO2 I'd stick with low-med light for sure.

There are LOTS of good lighting options out there. Current USA and Finnex are two LED light makers that have quality plant specific LED fixtures, both are coming out with new models in the next few months that might be worth waiting for. T5HO lighting and any style of florescent light will be dependent on the quality of reflector. AH Supply makes great retrofit kits if you want to replace the guts of an existing light or build your own hood, they also sell some fantastic LED modules.

If you're on a budget, the 8-10" clamp work lights with 18-23W compact fluorescent bulbs in the 5000K spectrum work great. With a little spray paint and TLC you can even make them look nice. That should be enough info to get you started with some google and forum searches. I certainly have not listed all the options here, only the ones that I have personal experience with.


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## marty93aus (Aug 1, 2014)

Too easy, ill get onto it. Thanks for the start nick


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

It would help to know about your tank, CO2 or not, plants you want to keep.
I like to build my own. I still find the good T8s to be viable vs T5 and T5HO in the right set up.
I always liked to mix my lighting so as to get a white light overall.


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## TropTrea (Jan 10, 2014)

The first key information we need before we can recommend anything is the size tank your going to start with. From there we want an idea of what you want your tank to look like when it is completed. and last but not least what you consider as a good working budget for the lighting.


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## marty93aus (Aug 1, 2014)

My tank details:

Tank size: 48"x14"x20"high

I would like to grow these plants in ADA Amazonia substrate, ill use sachem root tabs and probably added nutrients. (still learning)

-Eleocharis acicularis
-Blyxa Japonica
-Hemianthus callitrichoides
-Hydrocotyle verticillata "mini"
-Hygrophila polysperma 'Sunset'
-Ludwigia arcuata
-Ludwigia glandulosa
-Macaya fluviatillis

The tank will be CO2 injected, with a reactor and the rest of the gear. I'm still in the midst of learning.

It will use a Eheim classic 350 (typ 2215) filter.

So far, this is my first planted tank  And I don't have a budget. I wanna learn how to do this.

This is roughly how i want my scape to look.















The HC will carpet right around the bottom of the rocky mound, then it will just be sand past the HC towards the sides of the tank. Or ill add barriers and use dwarf hair grass instead.

I would like to use Glandulosa, Hygrophila polysperma and Blyxa as mid ground plants creeping out of the rocks.
I would then like to use the Macaya and Arcuata as background plants which will sit behind the rocky mound.

And use the Hydrocotyle verticillata "mini" around the bottom of the mound creeping just above the HC.

That what i have so far, what do you guys think?

cheers


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