# Lighting Help Needed for 20 and 29 Gallon Aquariums



## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

*I have two aquariums that I need lighting help with. One is a standard 20 gallon (24x12x16) and the other is a standard 29 gallon (30x12x18). Right now the 20 gallon has two 15 watt fluorescent lamps (5500K), the 29 gallon has one 20 watt bulb (6700K). Both tanks have DIY CO2 and use the Fluorish line of fertilizers.

The plants I'm keeping are Amazon Swords, Moneywort, Banana plants, and Dwarf Baby Tears. I'm having trouble growing a carpet of the Dwarf Baby Tears and I think it's most likely that my lighting is inadequate.

Neither of my hoods has a reflector, just the white plastic thing. Would adding a reflector be sufficient or do I need to upgrade to PC fluorescent? If so, how much lighting for the two tanks?*


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I used to have a 29 with baby tears which I would trim into a 'sod'. I had a 55W AHS retrofit plus a 20W standard strip light - along with pressurized CO2. I don't know that you could do what you want with less.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

If you can get 55 watts over each tank you will be able to grow most plants. Power compacts will work well


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I know some people get irritated at the constant recommendations of AH Supply light kits, but they really are a good, not too expensive way to get high light intensity. Their reflectors really do work well.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

*I've committed to my choices. I'm buying two enclosures from AHS, the 55w kit for the 20 gallon and this 96w kit for the 29 gallon*


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

The 96 watt are 36" arent they?


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

Those particular quad lights are only 18".

Actually, just buying these two fixtures and glass canopies would be even better. Plus I wouldn't have to put anything together.

These would also be cheaper, but 4WPG is probably too much.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

ericpop27 said:


> *I have two aquariums that I need lighting help with. One is a standard 20 gallon (24x12x16) and the other is a standard 29 gallon (30x12x18). Right now the 20 gallon has two 15 watt fluorescent lamps (5500K), the 29 gallon has one 20 watt bulb (6700K). Both tanks have DIY CO2 and use the Flourish line of fertilizers.
> 
> The plants I'm keeping are Amazon Swords, Moneywort, Banana plants, and Dwarf Baby Tears. I'm having trouble growing a carpet of the Dwarf Baby Tears and I think it's most likely that my lighting is inadequate.
> 
> Neither of my hoods has a reflector, just the white plastic thing. Would adding a reflector be sufficient or do I need to upgrade to PC fluorescent? If so, how much lighting for the two tanks?*


I wish that you you would use the normal front and the normal front color.

This is hard for me to read and I just skip over it.

I'm sorry!

I'm getting a bit old.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

Aw, I'm sorry. I've noticed I'm the only person who personalizes their font...

After searching through Drs Foster & Smith, Petsmart, Petco, AHSupply, and AquariumGuys - it looks like the cheapest route would be to buy a glass canopy and a completed strip light rather than attempt to convert my existing hoods.


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

you get much better light with the AH supply. MUCH better. you may have issues with your carpet with a single coralife 65 watt fixture. I have a 29 and ran a 65x2 and was good to go. Youd be better off with a t5HO 24x2 fixture for the 29. Or you would be gold with the AH bright light kit. Some of hte cheaper commercial fixtures do not have good reflectors. This is deceiving for a newbie. The reflectors mean everything.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

What if I bought an already completed light hood and just added a reflector from AH supply?

I really don't know anything about T5HO.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

ericpop27 said:


> What if I bought an already completed light hood and just added a reflector from AH supply?
> 
> I really don't know anything about T5HO.


You can check the dimensions of the AHS reflector on their website, then compare that to how much room you would have to install it. I suspect there wouldn't be enough room in most light fixtures you could buy.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

I picked out this one for my 29...it has a polished aluminum reflector. I want to put a 9325K lamp in it. The dimensions for the fixture say: 25" x 5.5" x 2.75" high, the miro 4 reflector from AH is 22"L x 4"W x 2"H. For the 20 I picked out this one the dimensions are 24" long x 5" wide x 2.5" high, the miro 4 reflector from AH is 22"L x 4"W x 2"H

Here's the prices I've come up with:
20 Gallon: $133.97 (glass canopy, enclosure, Brightkit) 1x55
20 Gallon: $71.98 (DFS glass canopy, AquariumGuys CF strip light) 1x65

29 Gallon: $170.97 (glass canopy, enclosure, Brightkit) 1x55
29 Gallon: $103.17 DFS (AG glass canopy, Aquariums Guys CF strip light and new bulb) 1x65


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

if you were going to go that route, you were better off with this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-LIGHT-...ryZ46314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Its only $54 + shipping. Sure some people dont like jebo but its cheap and its 65x2 and the reflector is about the same as the one you picked out. And at least you would have 2x the light. You can use the 2nd light as a burst if it was too much. Better to have too much light on hand(but able to reduce with dual switches) then not enough. Plus theres other cheap 65x2s on ebay that are under $100. You may end up with not enough light with a single 65watt over a 29 with a bad reflector depending on what you want to grow. Some people will try to tell you youll be fine but I already been down this road. You will need pressurized co2 with either one the 65x1 or 65x2 btw.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

I still haven't decided which route I'm going. But I came across this item.

That would put my 20 gallon tank at 2.4 WPG and seems more reasonable to maintain. I really don't know anything about HO and the availability, durability, and quality of the lamps. I'm also going to check out the Metal Hallide fixtures.

Can anyone give me some pros and cons of the different options?


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

The metal hallide is way too expensive, but does a T-5 HO or VHO fit in a regular fluorescent hood?


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## miles (Apr 26, 2006)

i've retrofitted an ahs 36w (or 55) kit into an all-glass fixture. i just copied the examples they show. you need to drill a couple of holes in the fixture and reflector.

their reflectors make all the difference. i think the coralife fixture has a parabolic reflector. it's adequate, but ahs' are superior.


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

t5ho light is more then light when figuring wpg. people say 30-40% as much when compared to PC lighting. That would be plenty of light for your 20, and a great choice. You do not need MH for a 20 gallon tank. Will be more problems then anything, take my word for it. Id go T5 defintely. Id run two of those on a 29 and use 2 bulbs as a burst. Although many people use 24x2 t5ho over a 29 and can grow anything with it. Im just a hi light freak with 150watts of MH over my 29.



ericpop27 said:


> I still haven't decided which route I'm going. But I came across this item.
> 
> That would put my 20 gallon tank at 2.4 WPG and seems more reasonable to maintain. I really don't know anything about HO and the availability, durability, and quality of the lamps. I'm also going to check out the Metal Hallide fixtures.
> 
> Can anyone give me some pros and cons of the different options?


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

btw you can get a 150x1 metal halide fixture with mounting legs and a hanger kit for $133 from www.fishneedit.com. You can order it with an 8000k bulb. I have it. its awesome and tom barr uses it as well.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

Would this T5HO be suitable? For some reason it says "fish only".


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

That would be fine. Just make sure you get it with 2 10000k or 6700k bulbs. The actinitic is useless to us for plants (pretty much). You can eventually swap out to some gieseman midday or GE Starcoats or a mix. Make sure you check ebay, that fixture doesnt use individual reflectors so they are basically all the same (the current, the coralife, jebo etc.)


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

I've finally decided that my dad and I are going to build two hoods and get the AH Supply kits.

1x55 for the 20 gallon and 2x36 for the 29 gallon.

My dad has an experimental idea of building a hood out of Plexiglass and we're going to make a proto-type on Friday, hopefully I can borrow my friends camera and I'll upload some photos.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Plexiglas will get soft enough to warp if the lights get too hot in that hood. If you use it you really need a ventilating fan to keep the temperature down.


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

Id hate to nit pick but Id go with the 55x2 bright lite kit for the 29 in lieu of the 36x2. Your lawn will grow much denser, lower, and neater with the extra light and its def not too much for a 29, as many people (myself included) use it. thats just me tho. Great choice on the AH supplies tho. You do know that they sell premade enclosures on the AH supply website that are pretty cheap and seem nice.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

Yeah I had been debating about just making the enclosure myself.

I'm debating whether or not I'll have TOO much light because I won't have pressurized CO2, that's why I figured 2x36 instead of 2x55.

I really wanted to do 2x36 on the 20 gal and 2x55 on the 29. I have until the end of the month to really make a final decision. Everytime I settle I keep changing my mind! haha


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You might want to consider buying the 55 watt kit, but buying 36 watt bulbs for it. That gets you the longer reflectors, so you can change to 55 watt bulbs anytime you want to, if you want to. The ballast is the same for both kits. I have used both 36 and 55 watt bulbs and combinations of them in my kits.


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

This is great advice above here. That way you can run the 36s and when u get some press co2, you can goto the 55s. Honestly you need to get pressurized co2 if you want to run some decent light. Even at moderate levels, it gives you much better growth, and keeps algae at bay. I would have only upgraded one set of lights and gotten co2 instead of lights for both tanks. It was the single best upgrade I have made.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

I really don't know much about pressurized CO2. What equipment do I need? Where do I get it?


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

The more I read about pressurized CO2...the more nervous I get. Last year, I had a gas grill give off an explosion...so I'm afraid of stuff like that. This doesn't help any.


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

I hope I dont come off condescending here but a gas grill is full of...uhh...GAS! your co2 tank is full of co2. It will NOT explode. Its safe. Obviously, its a pressurized cylinder so you have to be careful not to throw it against the wall or smash the valve off with a large hammer or anything of that nature. Its kind of like being afraid of owning a gas grill and never having a barbecue because of freak instances like you had happen. Almost everything you do or own has some type of minimal risk to it. Unless your a grossly reckless, negligent schlep, your good to go.



ericpop27 said:


> The more I read about pressurized CO2...the more nervous I get. Last year, I had a gas grill give off an explosion...so I'm afraid of stuff like that. This doesn't help any.


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## Indignation (Mar 9, 2008)

CO2 is a non-flammable gas, in fact it is just the opposite of combustible, it is used as an extinguishing agent. Many people here get their cylinders filled at fire extinguisher stores.  
It is also non-toxic until the concentration gets pretty high - usually more that what a 5 pound cylinder can do in a normal sized room. 
As thefishmanlives pointed out, basic safety is a good idea when dealing with anything under that much pressure. 
As for the results, it will be night and day with what you can grow now versus what you can grow with co2. 
If you can afford it, you'll not regret it.


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## ericpop27 (May 13, 2008)

I've been doing research and I've almost got the CO2 thing figured out. Seems pretty cheap actually, unless you buy it filled. I just don't know how long they last on different tank sizes.


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## Indignation (Mar 9, 2008)

I have a three-way splitter on my regulator, one running a 24 gallon and one on a 5.5 gallon. Both are using the co2 mist method, which uses a little more gas than a reactor, and both are @ 30 ppm (by drop checker). I filled my 5 pound tank when i got it 7 months ago, and i still have 1/2 tank left. So, the gas lasts a pretty long time. Remember, we are injecting minute amounts. And refills are usually cheap, locally I pay 7 dollars for the 5 pound. YMMV.

My suggestion, after a 1/2 year of headaches trying to dial in a Milwaukee regulator, is to invest in something nice with your initial setup. Good quality needle valves are very important... advice I didn't heed when I got my setup, and that I'm now regretting. 
Orlando @ Green Leaf Aquariums has some great quality regulators for a good price. He can also sell you a drop checker, which will eliminate the guess-work of figuring out your in-tank co2 levels.
Check it out, or give Orlando a call. He's very friendly and knowledgeable. Good luck!


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## thefishmanlives (Feb 15, 2008)

i bought my 5lb cylinder locally, and went with a jbj combo regulator. Its ok, has been working for me for a few years now, I got a real good deal on it. Had I not got a good deal on it I would have went with something else but its plenty adequate for my needs. Cost of Co2 to fill is minimal. Costs me like 10 bucks to fill, and mine lasts 6-7 months. Go for it, as previously stated, plant growth is night and day over non co2. Much lusher.


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