# so how should i light my 4ft?



## raggamuffin (Nov 11, 2005)

hi guys, 
just wondering your opinions on how I should light a new tank. I want it to be pretty cruisey and low tech initially but I'd like to and probably will turn it into a hi tech high ligh, co2 at a later date. its L48xH18xW13 and the options are as follows: 

1. a standard twin t8 (2x36 watts). with this option I could potentially add a second fixture as I get more advanced. also good flexability with tubes 
2. a compact fluorescent fixture that can take 4x55watt cfs but with only 2 tubes initially then all 4 later. the problem here is that the only tubes available to me are catalina either 10,000k or 50/50 tubes with 10,000 & 6500k. I'm a little fuzzy about how this will effect plant growth/look of aqarium.

so what should I do?


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

If my calcs are right, your tank is about 50g.

If in option 1 you mean that you can add 2x 36w to the existing 2x 36w (and not just adding one tube), then this may be your best option.

At 72w you're at 1.44wpg which is a good wattage for a low tech setup and doubling that at a later date will give you almost 2.9wpg with which you can pretty much grow almost anything.

The 4x 55w option would mean starting out with 110w over your tank which is over 2wpg and entering territory where you really need to add CO2... so already starting into the hi tech area. And at 220w (4.4wpg) you're definitely in the higher ranges of lighting for that tank and you'll have a balancing act on your hands in order to keep up with CO2 and fert requirements... especially if you're just starting out with a hi tech planted tank.


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## raggamuffin (Nov 11, 2005)

sorry i shoulda been more clear: atm i dont have any lights at all over the tank. so you think 110 watts is too much for no co2, then? and what are your thoughts on lights that are 50/50 10000&6500K will they look ok? and will they grow plants ok?

cheers.


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## fishstein (Dec 12, 2005)

*best lighting for 4 ft aquarium*

Hi Raggamuffin,

Your timing is excellent. I just changed the lighting on my 4 ft 75 gallon to the best lighting combo I've ever used, thanks to research articles and posts I found on APC. If you were closer I'd gladly ship you some of my extra bulbs, but it's a long way to Australia from New York. Please see my post - I just pasted the URL and text below. Hope this helps. I am getting dramatic growth and health from this bulb combination at such a modest light level (2 WPG). And the visible color balance is beautiful, plant and fish colors look natural and rich. Reds and blues really pop. Electrical usage and heat output are minimal, because these are high efficiency T8 bulbs. See the article I cited below at aquabotanic.com

--------------------------------

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...7-t8-philips-aquarelle-adv850-best-plant.html

I just returned from the UK with Philips Aquarelle TL89 10000K T8 4 ft bulbs - these are the highest efficiency photosynthetic bulbs you can get for aquatic plant growth - and impossible to find in 4 ft T8 in the U.S. The Philips ADV850 5000K T8 4 ft bulbs also rate nearly as high. You can read about them here:

http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm

I tested the combination of these bulbs and the there was an immediate improvement in leaf and root growth, robustness, oxygen production (pearling) and color, especially of red leaves, over the full spectrum Verilux 6280K 94.5 CRI bulbs I'd been using before. I can't believe how much of a difference these bulbs have made. There was an immediate improvement with the ADV850, but results were even better when I combined the ADV850s with the Aquarelles.

I have some extra bulbs left over for both the Philips Aquarelle TL89 and Philips ADV850. Please PM me if you're interested. They are available for pickup in NY (Manhattan). I'm also willing to ship as long as you get insurance (the cost for insurance would only be a few dollars).

The Philips Aquarelle TLD89 has a photosynthetic red/blue ratio that is the perfect complement of the Philips ADV850 (Advantage 850) 5000K bulb.

Red/Blue Ratio:
Aquarelle 0.37
Philips ADV850 0.63

The Philips ADV850 and the Aquarelle perfectly balance each other not just from a visible color perspective (ADV850s white with yellows and greens and Aquarelle's with pinkish glow similar to the Triton bulb I used years ago) but also from a photosynthetic balance of the most beneficial red and blue light.

Best Regards,

Fishstein


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## raggamuffin (Nov 11, 2005)

i went with the 4 x55watt cf fixture and am only running two tubes. you were right i did need co2 as algae was starting to get a bit out of control. i stuffed around with diy until just recently when i bought a pressurised system. things are starting to get back under control now, and i was thinking of firing up the second bank of lights as well. if i had an electrician install a second power cord (one for the second bank of lights, and so allowing them to be on a seperate timer) into the fixture, i guess that would give me more control?


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