# is a 45 tall (36x12x24) too deep to do a Walstad tank?



## Teresa0208 (Jun 2, 2012)

My 45 tall is currently a fish-only tank. I would like to eventually have a large Walstad-style tank. Is the 45 tall too deep to light successfully? If it's doable, what would i need to get? The current hood is a t-5 24" single by AGA, which I am certain can't be made to do enough.

Thanks!


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Teresa0208,

I have the same tank, a 45 gallon tall. I don't do a Walstad style tank but when I started I ran it with plain natural gravel, DIY CO2, a 1X96 watt AH Supply power compact, and dosed with Seachem Flourish Comprehensive. This was the result.


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## Teresa0208 (Jun 2, 2012)

Roy - your tank is beautiful. A thick bright jungle, just like I want. 

I don't know anything about cO2. The equipment part, not the chemical part.

What is a "1X96 watt AH Supply power compact"?

Does it take much time to maintain a tank like that? 

I guess I wanted to do the Walstad because of the potential lack of work later, but if the CO2 and dosing isn't a ton of work or money, maybe I should look into it. I'm not the best at doing my fish tank chores (although I just got a Python and that was the easiest water change in over 6 years!). I am impatient and lazy - I want it all now without having to do anything LOL! And my little 3 gallon NPT isn't as simple as I had hoped - but that's in another thread!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

You can certainly do a Walstad tank in a 45 tall. As with any tall tank, the problem is getting enough light to the bottom, or designing the layout so that it doesn't matter.

You are probably going to need 1 or 2 T5 high output tubes over this tank. Roy's power compact is a u-shaped fluorescent tube. I am not sure of the exact comparison between T5 HO and power compact tubes.

If I were to describe the difference between Walstad tanks and high-tech tanks like Roy's, I would say that the Walstad tanks develop more slowly, require less daily attention and much less trimming. I would also say that Walstad tanks tolerate some neglect much better than high tech tanks. The higher light,fertilzation, and CO2 supplementation mean that high tech tanks are running at high speed and things can go wrong more quickly. Honestly, I think Walstad tanks are easier for beginners to manage.

No criticism of Roy's beautiful design is intended!


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Hi Teresa0208,

A.H. (Aquarium Hobbyist) Supply is a great source for DIY lighting kits.  Here is a link to their site and the kit I used. A lot of times you can retrofit your existing fixture to accept a kit. Their excellent MIRO 4 reflectors allow me to get excellent PAR values at the substrate level with a 24" deep tank. A Power Compact lamp is a T5HO lamp bent into a "U" shape. A lower wattage option for that same tank is a 2X36 watt kit; good coverage for the full length of the tank, same good reflector, less wattage. I always call and talk with Kim the owner and let him know the tank size and what I want to grow and steers me to the kit for my application. I have put together 5 kits to date and will do three more when I set up my 75 gallon acrylic.

Because of the number of plants some might think it was a high maintenance tank but there were only about four stem plant species so I didn't have much to trim. There were a lot of crytocorynes, anubias, bolbitis, and blyxa so it took about 1 hour a week to do a 20% water change, clean the glass, and trim up the stem plants.

Here is my 30 gallon (36" long) with the 2X36 watt kit.


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## Teresa0208 (Jun 2, 2012)

"the problem is getting enough light to the bottom, or designing the layout so that it doesn't matter."

How do I figure out what "enough" is? Or how to design so it doesn't matter. I've read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, but I need to get down to the nitty-gritty now.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Unfortunately, the info on lighting in _Ecology of the Planted Aquarium _is not very good and is out of date.

"How much is enough?" light is a matter of asking questions, reading, and making an educated guess. Unless you have access to a PAR meter, which measures the light used by plants directly. Based on the advice you've gotten so far, try 2 T5 HO tubes.

The design tips are:

1. Don't use floating plants (except at first), or plants that tend to grow to the surface then spread out. These plants will shade shorter plants.

2. Don't try to grow demanding high-light plants on the bottom of the tank.

3. Arrange any hardscape (driftwood, stones, etc.) so that it does not cast large shadows on the substrate.


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## jeremy1 (May 6, 2007)

Not too deep at all. I run a double T5HO strip light from fishneedit.com and am grow low to medium light plants just fine with CO2 enrichment and modified EI dosing. Here is a short video of the tank at 4 wks after planting.


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