# 48" Orbit 24hr system On 55G



## AMP (Nov 11, 2006)

Good Day All,

After reading for almost 8 hrs on here on various lighting and techniques, I decided to go with an Orbit 24hr system, Kind of weird that they call it that, but who am I to wonder LOL.... 

The Unit came with 4 65W Compacts, Two Daylight 6700k + 10000k and Two Antinic bulbs. Seeing I have a 55 FW layout i replaced them with 2 65w 6700k Lights.

I am a little confused as to which of the original is the 6700 and the 10000k bulb , both look identical to me  

The timing issue seems to be debatable, I threw on a Dual Timer the two Daylight bulb come on at 9 to 9 with the 2 6700's coming on at 12-4 , giving 4 hrs of full spectrum Lighting, I must say the Lunar lights at evening are a nice added touch  

So if memory and my math are descent LOL, I have 2.36w/g for the first 4 then 4.72w/g for 4 then back to 2.36 for the remaining time, I have not begun to invest in a CO2 system yet, Though I know I will need to, that Lighting system was enough to break the bank as is:faint: 

Economically speaking, what will be my best approach to help keep algae to a minimum Until I can afford to procure a descent set up ? I was thinking Daily Water changes for now, and poor mans dosing of Flourish at half doses for the time being ???? 

Thanks for Taking the time to read my ramblings.

Tony


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## AMP (Nov 11, 2006)

Seems I do ask silly questions on bulb types LOL, I found the difference in the bulbs 6700-10K combo, Gosh do I feel like a Moron


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## AndyT. (Jun 28, 2006)

> Economically speaking, what will be my best approach to help keep algae to a minimum Until I can afford to procure a descent set up ? I was thinking Daily Water changes for now, and poor mans dosing of Flourish at half doses for the time being ????


Why not just run the aquarium as a low light (the 2.36wpg), non CO2 system till you are ready for the next big purchase? Okay, wait , I can answer that... there is no way I would ever be that patient and if you are remotely like me, you are chomping at the bit to have a gorgeous plant tank.

My experience is that you cannot have one component of a high light aquarium successfully without also having the other components as well. If you have the light without the CO2, you'll have the algae. If you have a lightly planted aquarium with CO2 and light, you'll have the algae. If you don't fertilize but have light and CO2 you'll... well, you can guess.

My suggestions:

Do three or four of the DIY CO2 setups to give enough CO2.
Plant heavily with fast growing stem plants. As you acquire the equipment for a more sophisticated system you can replace these with the plants you truly want. Or hey, nothing wrong with stem plants; you can keep 'em if you like.
Save money by purchasing your fertilizers from Greg Watson. 
Invest in a large number of algae eaters.

You got a very nice lighting system there. I'd say that part of your setup is complete. The DIY CO2 can carry you for quite a while very cheaply. Greg's fertilizers are all you need there. So hopefully you can move forward towards a beautiful aquarium!

And you're not a moron. This guy is a moron. [smilie=b:


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

Hi Tony,

Welcome,

I too spend hours reading when looking into different equipment choices as well as plants, techniques, layouts, etc, etc... This is a great place to learn!

I also purchased a Current Orbit dual fixture (20" w/ 80w) for my 35g hex tank. I've had it now two months and I really like it. I see you figured out about the combo bulb.

Now, unfortunately, I want to caution you because with this much light on a 55g tank I think you may very quickly run into algae problems without all the other 'key players' in place.

When going with high lighting I think three other things (besides your lights) are most important:
1. Planting tons of plants from the get-go. Especially fast growing stem plants. Just pack the tank then after its up and running you can start swapping out for slower growers and more desirable +/or espensive varieties later.
2. A steady fertilizing routine for both Macro and Trace ferts. You don't want the plants growth stalling or stunting.
3. ABSOLUTELY, with almost 5wpg on a 55 tank you really have to get some CO2 supplemented into the tank! You have ALOT of light, it's like walking a tight rope, you can't half commit to doing it!

Personally I'd whip out the old credit card then pay it off in a month or two if needed! You have to think, after the cost of everything else (tank, stand, filtration, heater, lights, substrate, plants, fish?) you don't want your investment failing because your holding back on the last 10 or 20% of your total set up costs.

The other options would be to greatly reduce the lighting for now running closer to 2wpg for just 8 hrs total per day. Then you might be able to manage a D.I.Y. yeast produced CO2 and succesfully keep the algae disasters at bay.

OR - myself I've been very happy with how my 46g bowfront runs with 2.08 wpg and daily doses of 4ml of liquid Excel to supply the CO2. If you think you'd like to use Excel don't wait, start it as soon as you plant the tank. Excel can get costly for bigger tanks but I purchase the larger 2 liter jugs online. Drs Foster & Smith has it on sale right now:
Flourish Excel

If you use the Excel for now with a 55g tank, dosing 5ml per day a smaller 250ml bottle will last less than 2 months. That's not taking into account the larger doses reccommended after 40% or more water changes.

Just for comparison, I'm using 196 total watts on a 75g tank with injected CO2 .

Don't worry, there's alot to consider when starting a new tank but once you get all the parts in place it's a beautiful thing!

Also...remember...it's a hobby don't forget to have fun! artyman:


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

:tea: AndyT.---

LOL!.....GMTA!:clap2: 
(Great minds think alike!)


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

AMP said:


> ...The Unit came with 4 65W Compacts, Two Daylight 6700k + 10000k and Two Antinic bulbs. Seeing I have a 55 FW layout i replaced them with 2 65w 6700k Lights.
> 
> I am a little confused as to which of the original is the 6700 and the 10000k bulb , both look identical to me ....


Tony, I have two of the Orbit fixtures. Each bulb is somewhat of a "U" shape. The dual light bulbs have one side that is 6700K and the other side is 10,000K. The bulb that looks a little blue to the eye is the 10,000K part.

Here's some pictures from Current's site. They should help. Look at the pictures near the bottom of each link. 
Orbit: CURRENT WHAT'S NEXT
Bulbs: CURRENT WHAT'S NEXT (In the picture, the dark yellow color represents the 6700K part and the lighter yellow part represents the 10,000K part.)


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## AMP (Nov 11, 2006)

Thanx for the heads up Guys, I Just put it into full swinng today, The dual 65K's are running 9 hrs, the 65/10's I have set to come on at noon til 4.

I have been dosing daily with flourish, one capful daily, guess tomorrow I will go and get a few more swords, any comment on the el cheapo set ups that Petsmart has to get me by? I already maxed my card on the lighting and pumps Fluorite etcetera


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## Cassie (May 27, 2006)

is the flourish you are dosing plain flourish (micros) or is it flourish excel (carbon source)? As for the other componants, co2 and ferts, you pretty much have to decide between cost and time. Most of the more expensive things will save you work in the long run, like a pressurized co2 tank that you swap out once or twice a year vs diy co2, which, if you have three rotating bottles, ends up being a lot of work each week, or excel, which is a once a day capful. For ferts, you can spend more on bottled stuff and have the ease of dropping in a capful each day, or even get an auto-doser and not have the daily task, or you can get dry ferts that you have to measure out if you dose dry (not much more work than bottled) or you can premix it in water or what I do is once every two weeks I measure out two weeks worth of ferts for my two tanks and put them in the daily medicine containers and just dump that day's dose in and refill when needed. So basically you can decide which is better for you, putting in more work/time, or putting in more money. Some people like the diy stuff...personally, I'm not too big on it!


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## AMP (Nov 11, 2006)

Cassie said:


> is the flourish you are dosing plain flourish (micros) or is it flourish excel (carbon source)?


For Now I am utilizing Excel one capful daily, I should of went the CO2 route first, then the lighting, I will be going for the complete High pressure system in the coming weeks, and have taken the advice of your fellow hobbyists and cut back the lighting to 8 hrs a day.

Today I have to do my weekly maintenance on the tank, and will get some more quick growers to help minimize Algae growth .


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