# 1w/gallon - is it the end of the world?



## chix1000 (May 11, 2007)

I have a 800(31.5")w x 350(~14")d x 450(18")h fluval duo deep tank, and it has the standard twin 24" tubes in it. Going with rough figures that is 36w / 125l = 36w / 33 = 1.1w/g. This is obviously stupidly low by most standards. But there doesn't seem to be any reasonably priced way to get anywhere near the 4w/g figures that people say are preferable on here?

So - what can you do - are there any specific bulbs to look out for? I cannot find any bulbs here in the UK that quote figure in K's - ie 6325k, the arcadia "tropical sunlight" one i bought the other day doesn't have any figures on it at all! And the Hagen ones seem to show two graphs, one with "lux" written on it!

Should you try to fit some extra bulbs in there - i've seen you can get 'I' bars, but they seem pretty expensive! I am all up for making something (when my exams are over) but i wouldn't know what electrical bits to buy, and most worryingly whether it'd be safe near a big bowl of water! 
One thing is for sure though, i cannot afford the overtank lighting units pre fitted with T5 bulbs - they are well expensive!

Also, should you use reflectors? I bought an arcadia plastic replector for one of my bulbs but was unsure if it makes any real difference, and at £10 i thought i'd check with the people who know!

I don't really want a tank i'd have to trim every day so i'm not sure if i'd want too much light, but just enough so my plants actually grow instead of just sit there would be nice!!!

Thanks a lot for your help, apologies for asking stupid basic questions and sounding light a tight arse!


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## kakkoii (Jan 18, 2008)

Hey it wasn't a stupid question. You can grow plants with 1 watt per gallon, here is one I found: 
http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2007.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=1&id=95

It has a full plants/spec. list.

Hope it helps.

As for building a fixture look in the diy section...

-kakkoii:mrgreen:


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## Aquamies- (Mar 15, 2008)

It's possible, but you have to use a lots of CO2 and doses. I've tried but I didn't use as much CO2 as I should use, so algae runned over. I'll soon try again...


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## chix1000 (May 11, 2007)

Right - i have one of those nutrafin CO2 producing cannisters with the ladder in there at the mo, might consider adding another - they're only £15 - i can handle £15, it's the 100's for the new lighting canopies which put me off somewhat!!!

What do you mean by doses?

I'm also seeing you can convert your t8 tubes to the t5 strip tubes - could this be worth it? It'll be the same wpg i guess, but would be more intense light?

Thanks a lot

Andy

PS: if i had a clue how to do it i'd post pictures so you can see!


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## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

Hmmm. I'm not sure if the following folks ship to the UK or what the shipping charges might be like, but this ballast
http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?PID=26&FID=15&level=1
is $20 and will drive four 24" (22.5") T5HO bulbs at 24 watts each. Your tank appears to be a bit over 30 gallons, so that would be a little over 3 watts/gallon.

The sockets are available here: 
http://www.1000bulbs.com/T5Miniature-Bi-Pin/
for about $3 each. So eight sockets would be about $24.

Bulbs are a bit more of a problem. These are $15 each:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/204929/product.web
The same seller also has 6700K at the same price.

I've found less expensive ones with a large bit of google searching, but I don't have my bookmarks handy here.

Anyway, that gives you the stuff for a four bulb DIY fixture for about $100 plus shipping. And with those websites to help you, you may be able to search for similarly spec'ed materials closer to home. I don't know if that's within your price range...

The part I've left out is the reflector and that can be a pain to find, but you can also make your own with a bit of effort.


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## chix1000 (May 11, 2007)

Awesome! Thanks so much for your response! I think i've found all the equivalent bits here in the uk (they don't ship to here:

Ballast and lampholders (in one unit):
http://www.stuff-u-like.co.uk/erol....t&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

Bulbs:
http://www.stuff-u-like.co.uk/erol....t&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB

The purple ones say 6400k - is that accaptable??!

Thanks a lot

Andy


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## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

chix1000 said:


> Awesome! Thanks so much for your response! I think i've found all the equivalent bits here in the uk (they don't ship to here:
> 
> Ballast and lampholders (in one unit):
> http://www.stuff-u-like.co.uk/erol....t&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB
> ...


I think that will work, if you're thinking of getting four of the strip ballasts in the upper left corner and using them with the linear reflector in the lower right corner. The linear reflector does not come with ballasts, and I'm not sure just what that linear ballast comes with. I think I might spend a bit more time browsing around just to see if there are more choices about.

6400K should be fine for plant growth. There are some fine points to what kind of overall spectrum of light the bulbs emit. I hope someone else will come along and comment on that.


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## ngb2322 (Apr 9, 2008)

Check out http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...iy-70w-hqi-metal-halide.html?referrerid=20987

Its a cheap metal halide that can easily be incorporated into your tank. I'm haven't tried it yet (working a 13hr/day nightshift for another 3 weeks), but in my experience, DIY lighting is the way to go. Also, try looking at www.ahsupply.com for cheap 96W kits for obo $60 each.


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## ruki (Jul 4, 2006)

Aquamies- said:


> It's possible, but you have to use a lots of CO2 and doses. I've tried but I didn't use as much CO2 as I should use, so algae runned over. I'll soon try again...


This is contrary to what I've read and experienced.

(1) The more light you have, the more CO2 is needed to keep algae at bay. With a low light tank, CO2 won't make that much of a difference.

(2) Algae problems tend to go away with low light tanks. I have a single T5 Normal Output tube over a 15 tall and the Anubias does great and have zero algae on the leaves. Very difficult to do that in a medium light and especially higher light tank.

As for a low-light tank, it's a great concept actually. It's all about getting plants that adapt to low light. The plants grow slowly so you don't have to keep trimming them. There are less algae problems and your electricity bill is much lower. When I get really busy, my low tanks don't crash and are still very presentable unlike high maintenance, high light fancy tanks. You can even go on vacation and come back to a nice looking tank.

Of course, you won't be able to grow the fussier hight light plants with red leaves in such a tank, but that's part of the trade-off.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*You don't need 4 watts per gallon!* That is overkill. Almost any plant can be grown very well with half of that, and if the bulbs are T5 bulbs, with individual reflectors for each bulb, you can cut that down to 1.5 watts per gallon.

Adding CO2 helps plants grow, even with low light intensity, but it is the light intensity that determines the maximum rate at which plants grow. With low light intensity you can't force the plants to grow faster just by adding more fertilizer and CO2. As Ruki said, the good side to that is that algae also grow at a rate determined by the light intensity, so lower light intensity equals lower algae growth rates, making tank maintenance a lot easier.


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## lee1 (Mar 22, 2008)

it's about how much light gets into the tank. Reflectors and obstructions like glass canopies play a big role. yeah you can do it easy.


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## chix1000 (May 11, 2007)

I actually have a small 20w halogen desk lamp i shine in the tank now from the side - i don't knoiw whether it's good or not but you can see CO2 bubbling off the leaves! I just shine it at specific plants, when they've grown enough i move it! I'm sure it is NOT what you guys would suggest but it _seems_ to be working! It's not very scientific as a lot of the light probably goes straight through the tank!

My PC died so the money i had assigned to building a lighting canopy went on a computer.... at least with a computer i can see pictures of everybody elses tanks looking awesome!

Wonder how many of you are despairing at the desk lamp after all the good advice you gave!


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## neilfishguy (Mar 10, 2008)

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