# Lighting help



## Borohands8593 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hey guys looking for some help here with lighting. Right now it just has the stock light 14W bulb in stock fixture. Tank info is...

-24inch 26gal bowfront setup
-Penguin 350 filter for high water flow.
-Substrate is approx 20lbs Eco-Complete black and 20lbs lbs black sand mixture.
I dose with Seachem Flourish once every week or two. Heavily stocked with fish but no supplemental CO2. Flousih tabs for sword and cypt.
-Bushynose pleco and Zebra Nerite snails for algae cleanup crew.
-PH is around 8.0-8.2, ammonia and nitrite zero, nitrates 20-40.

Plants are as follows
-Microsorum pteropus-
-Microsorum pteropus windelov
-Bolbitis heudelotii
-anubias nana petite
-anubias barteri
-anubias coffeefoila
-Crinum natans
-Cryptocoryne wendtii
-Echinodirus "ozelot"

I want to upgrade lighting but am afraid of an algae outbreak in the tank or algae attacks on the ferns and anubias. Ive looked into a couple options.
- deep blue solarmax 24" standard t5 double strip for 28watt total and 2 moonlight LEDs
- Odyssea 24" double t5 HO double fixture for 48 total watts
- Odyssea 24" 96W T5 HO quad fixture with moonlight LEDs
- Odyssea 20" 72W standard t5 quad fixture with moodlight LEDs

Im kind of leaning torward the last one
http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=52302
Do you think this is too much light for anubias and ferns without adding CO2? what about the brand Odyssea I haven't seen them around in stores?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Borohands8593,

You 26 gallon Bowfront is about 21" deep. Assuming 2" for substrate, your light is about 19" above the substrate. I would recommend a 1X55 or 1X65 watt Power Compact fixture for a medium light tank. A 1X24 watt single bulb T5HO fixture will get you almost to the high light catagory in which case CO2 may become necessary. I recommend 6500K - 6,700K bulbs for optimum plant growth. Here is a good thread that will help you with this.


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## Borohands8593 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hmm, after researching the power compact they seem to be out of my price range. Im looking to spend under $100 on a light and preferrable around $50.

I am pretty new to the whole lighting and planted tank world. Ive kept fish only tanks for years with plastic plants so the whole difference between T8 T5 T5HO and PC I do not yet understand the pros and cons. All I know is I want a jungle of a tank without adding CO2. Also it seems that T5 and T5 HO are the ones within my price range.

How is a double PC 65watt low lightingbut a single T5 HO 24watt high lighting?

Would this light suit my needs?

http://www.petcarerx.com/pcrx/ProductPages/Product.aspx?pid=20284&k=Db Solarmax HE2 Dbl T5 Strip

What do you think? I could get the same lamp but T5 HO instead for 103 instead of 60


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Borohands8593,

That fixture is a T5, not a T5HO. The 2X14 watt bulbs should give you medium light. The bulbs are not what you need for a freshwater planted tank, they are for saltwater. You might be able to use the 10,000k but you will want to replace the actinic with a 6700K. That combination should give you good growth with the 10000K bringing out the red and giving you nice crisp whites.


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