# Tanks sold with various lighting options?



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I have seen quite a few tanks bought with the "standard" lighting: "Of course that's enough light for plants, look, it even has *two* tubes!"  

Then the new hobbyist puts a bunch of plants in there and watches as they turn to mush and algae takes over the tank. Next step is that the tank is emptied and put in the garage until it can be gotten rid of...

I'm still very puzzled why tanks are not sold with various lighting options, depending on what the customer wants to do with them. Would it really be a money loosing proposition for tank manufacturers to offer let's say three lighting options: African, Planted and Marine/reef?

I'm not suggesting that the Planted option be 6wpg: that would cause as many problems for a beginner than 0.5wpg. But how about 2wpg?

It would be a move in the right direction towards growing healthy plants... and therefore less algae problems! ;-)


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I have to agree with you Laith. I would seem easy enough to do but I think the first step is educating those who work in the LFS's about the needs of plants. Planted tanks are another universe to LFS employees. I still love the look I get when I tell them I have to add PO4 to my tanks 3-4x a week...usually a look of disbelief! 

We also tend to purchase things on impulse based on the recommendations of our LFS employees. We expect them to be the experts. We take the time to to compare prices but we do not ask the LFS staff about their experience. 

I do not think the planted community has a big enough voice in the hobby as compared to the "reefers" and the "cichlid" folks. There just aren't as many of us (yet) to create a "market" for planted tanks. Until there is, manufacturers won't offer these types of lighting to a basic tank. 

A look in your typical mail order Aquaria catalogs still has the majority of Compact fixtures with 50/50 or Actinic lamp combos. Things are slowly changing but I think it will be awhile. Until then, it is up to us (the planted aquaria hobbyist) to educate our LFS's and request plant friendly products from the manufacturers. 

The other problem is we Americans are cheap! If we can save $20 by buying NO flourescent lights instead of Compact flourescents we probably will! Never mind the fact that the replacement cost of the regular lamps will make up for the increased fixture cost in a year or so or that the compacts will put more light into the tank. We always want to spend the least amount of money possible when doing something. Some of us learn the hard way by buying cheap products (test kits, filters, lights, etc) only to have to replace them down the road with more expensive and more reliable products.

Again, we the planted tank aquarists, must educate the LFS's and demand the products we want from the manufacturers. Until then, you will find stores selling 2 bulb fixtures at 1 wpg or selling them Actinic or 50/50 fixtures to put over their planted tanks! As long as the stores sell them, the manufacturers will continue making them!


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

It's not only Americans.

Europe has a reputation for having a longer history of aquatic plant keeping. And there is a difference in the typical LFS. In the States in most LFS I've been in the plant selection and plant specific equipment is very meager/non-existent while in Europe they generally have much more plants (doesn't mean that the LFS employee is any more knowledgeable than his/her US counterpart!).

However, all the standard European tanks in any LFS are sold with viewing lighting only. I have not seen one that offered a decent lighting option.

You would think the LFS would push the manufacturers to have appropriate lighting; it's more expensive and gives them a bigger margin!


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Laith said:


> You would think the LFS would push the manufacturers to have appropriate lighting; it's more expensive and gives them a bigger margin!


So true! But if the demand isn't there, neither are the profits! It is up to us, the Planted Aquaria fanatics, to create a demand for these products. It wasn't very long ago that HO, VHO and NO flourescents were the only options for planted tanks! Look how far we have come since then


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