# lighting a 40-breeder tank, and thoughts on open top tanks



## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

Figured I would kill 2 discus with one stone  

First question... I went over and read the few sticky notes about lighting rules. I always thought you had to adhere to the 3x per gallon rule to grow stem plants, although I guess that isn't always the case these days with using CF, HO, or MH Lighting.

My first question is... I'm thinking of purchasing one of those current satellite 36" 96 watt fixtures, and possibly one of the Coralife dual T5 fixtures which would give me near 130 watts of light total.

I'm thinking of cycling up with the low T5 light, and turning on the 96 watt fixture for a few hours a day for the first 6 weeks or so.. eventually running both at the same time for the 10 hrs per day once the tank is fully established.

I do have pressurized C02, and plan on investing in good ferts this time - but I want to do this right rather than waste more money  

and I do plan on growing some nice foreground plants this time.. some glosso, some lilaeopsis brasillensis, still working out my plan on the aquascape.

Does this seem like a reasonable lighting idea or is this overkill? 

Second question, and probably the more important one..

I would like to try and leave this tank open top altho I'm terrified of a light crashing into the open water below.

Are both the current and coralife fixtures okay over "open water" or should I plan on getting some glass to cover part of the top?

Has anyone ever used the plastic "egg crate" light fixture cover (like you would see on an industrial ceiling light fixture) to disperse the light better? I worry because of trying to light a 36" x 18" footprint that I'll end up with some really dark corners. I love the look of an open top tank, but I worry that covering it is going to cause glare that will reduce the light

Thanks.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

> My first question is... I'm thinking of purchasing one of those current satellite 36" 96 watt fixtures, and possibly one of the Coralife dual T5 fixtures which would give me near 130 watts of light total.
> 
> I'm thinking of cycling up with the low T5 light, and turning on the 96 watt fixture for a few hours a day for the first 6 weeks or so.. eventually running both at the same time for the 10 hrs per day once the tank is fully established.
> 
> ...


Sounds good to me - may even be overkill as breeder tanks aren't very deep. Provide depth for more/better answers.



> Second question, and probably the more important one..
> 
> I would like to try and leave this tank open top altho I'm terrified of a light crashing into the open water below.
> 
> Are both the current and coralife fixtures okay over "open water" or should I plan on getting some glass to cover part of the top?


As the owner of a 96W PC bulb that had a tube crack right through the middle, I'd be inclined to keep some glass between your light & tank. 96W PCs get very hot (that's why the fixtures have legs - so they won't break your glass top). I'd pass on the eggcrate. It would probably melt.

AH Supply makes some of the best reflectors & kits out there (though theirs was the PC bulb that broke on me, so I'd get that elsewhere). They also make some canopies.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

I use the Current Satellite with legs and no top. Its very nice, does not take up lots of space and lets plants grow out of the water if you wish. This was my first open top and I really like how the top interface adds to the viewing and tinkering pleasure. I do not use a glass cover with mine, the legs are sturdy and the fixture itself has an acrylic splashguard, though I removed mine as the fan is noisy and it prevents heat buildup when not using the fan.

With a 96 watt PC you should not really have issue with light at the ends as the bulbs are about 32" long. No worries there. You would probably be fine with 1 96 bulb as the tank is shallow but your biggest issue is having enough light coverage from front to back. I would not bother with the T5NO. The dual fixtures of any brand are generally not the bast as the bulbs are always very close together and you lose a lot of light without adding much in the way of front to back coverage. Teh Tek T5HO are very nice and will give you very good coverage end to end and front to back. They are pricey though but a trick is to buy the hydroponics version. It has 4 bulbs and 2 ballasts but cost much less because it has only one power cord. Adding a second power cord is very easy (for almost anyone) and someone here at APC posted a DIY about this complete with step by step photos. These lights are about the best out there, IMO and by the time you buy 2 fixtures you might as well buy the hydroponics Tek setup.

If you are any good at DIY, let me know. You can build a T5 setup pretty cheap.


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## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

Thanks Dennis.

I will price out the Tek fixture too.. I guess I'll google to find the hydroponic fixture. I'm adequate at DIY electronics.. but horrible at carpentry (which is why I'm looking for a fixture I don't have to build a canopy for.

The last "canopy" I had was a DIY wooden box I built a 55 ga. tank (I had 2 x 55 with ballast & bulbs from AHS). It was pretty kludgey, and my cat slept on it most of the time, when she jumped on the tank she would break the glass tops I had over each side.

thus my wanting to avoid using a glass top this time. 

If the Tek fixture has legs, it might be worthwhile to tinker with adding an extra power cord.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

I have a 2x96w JBJ kit over my 40g and love it. Granted only 1 bulb is working (I snapped the other one putting it in - bulbs suck), the plants are doing better under that then with 110w of T8 lighting.

Ends of the tank get plenty of light. Now from front to back, that's a bit iffy. One bulb doesn't give me very good coverage so right now I have all my stems in the back, where the light is, with the lower light mosses and stuff up front.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Ditto on what Burks said. Get a 2x96w fixture and you'll be good to go.

I have a glass-top for mine also.


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## Genin (Jan 28, 2007)

I used a 70w MH DIY pendant on my 40g breeder that I am setting up, and despite what everyone will tell you, the pendant does provide light for the whole tank (ie, front to back and side to side). I made a canopy out of 1x3s and thin ply (only cost me around $12 in wood from Home Depot). Just food for thought.


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## fishtastico (Feb 28, 2007)

I think I will look into one of the Current Satellite 1 x 96 watt fixtures, get a piece of glass to cover part of the top (to protect against splashing up and/or feline interference) and plan my aquascape carefully to put the plants that need the most light under where I place the light. If I end up having to get a T5 light to supplement the lighting I can always pick one up for not too much more cash.

I learned a valuable lesson the last plant tank I had - that bad DIY skills end up costing you as much money as if you had spent money on a ready-made fixture.


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