# Lights?



## Newman (Jun 12, 2013)

Hi, I've got a standard 20 gallon tank that only has a single 15 watt fluorescent above it. 

I really like the look of planted tanks but I've never had success with one even with low light plants like java fern or java moss or water wisteria. 
I'm planning on getting a new lighting fixture with two bulbs for this tank but I'm not sure if that's okay because I don't know how many watts I should have over this tank and I'm not sure what kind of lighting fixture I should have. If you guys can kindly help me out with this little problem and give me some suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. 

I plan on running the tank without CO2, but if CO2 is an absolute must, I will probably implement some DIY CO2 system, but I really would rather not. 

Totally open to suggestions in changing my set up, though, so criticize my current plan all you want and suggest away, friends.


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## Tugg (Jul 28, 2013)

Light is probably the most varied part of the planted tank equation. There are so many fixtures, and each can take a variety of bulbs. You can go with simplistic (read as cheap and ugly) by using a clamp on alluminum dome light with a spiral compact florecent. There are the various T8 and T5 fixtures. Then if you can spend some MONEY, there are the sexy slim look of LEDs.

Watts and Lumens won't tell you much. PAR (Photosynthetically active radiation) is the measure of usable light for plants. Unfortunately the meters are expensive and the manufactures don't publish useful information on it.

Using a higher color temp for the light will help you achieve more PAR for the buck. You want true daylight bulbs, they run at around 6500 Kelvin. Avoid anything "soft" or advertised as warm light. They run typically around 2700K. Ironically, the lower K are listed as warm, and the cooler are listed as higher values. This is just marketing BS. Lower K lights have more red, higher K have more blue. In any case, just look at the EPA label and make sure it's around 6,500K

With no CO2, you'll probably want to keep to the lower PAR range. I would avoid DIY CO2. It takes a lot of work to keep the levels consistent. It's an invitation for opportunistic algae.


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## Newman (Jun 12, 2013)

Thank you for your reply, Tugg.

Still really confused on what I should get though haha. 
So I know I should be going for a lower PAR range. I've been interested in a double fluorescent fixture for a long time, so I'm thinking a double light fixture, maybe one bulb is a 6500K and another is around 500? But now I'm also unsure of whether I should get T5 or T8?


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## Newman (Jun 12, 2013)

*Lights*

Hi, I've got a standard 20 gallon tank that only has a single 15 watt fluorescent above it.

I really like the look of planted tanks but I've never had success with one even with low light plants like java fern or java moss or water wisteria.
I'm planning on getting a new lighting fixture with two bulbs for this tank but I'm not sure if that's okay because I don't know how many watts I should have over this tank and I'm not sure what kind of lighting fixture I should have. If you guys can kindly help me out with this little problem and give me some suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.

I plan on running the tank without CO2, but if CO2 is an absolute must, I will probably implement some DIY CO2 system, but I really would rather not.

Totally open to suggestions in changing my set up, though, so criticize my current plan all you want and suggest away, friends.


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## Window7 (Feb 23, 2012)

*Re: Lights*

Cfl light bulb with 2 dome light fixtures.
6500k.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

*Re: Lights*

As Window suggests, you could get very good results with two spiral fluorescents in clamp lights or desk lights over the tank. You could also use 1 T5 high output tube, or 2 T5 normal output tubes.

A planted tank is much more than just lighting. Since you are a beginner and have not had success in the past, you should consider substrate, filtration, how to supply nutrients to the plants, and whether or not you want to use CO2 supplementation. This does not need to be complicated, but all the components need to work together.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Newman, I have merged your duplicate threads and put them in the "New" forum.


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## dabrybry (Jun 27, 2010)

I agree with what Michael said. If you're plants are in a totally inorganic substrate with no nutrients to speak of, and sub-par water quality due to poor filtration (not saying yours is, just making an example) new lights may not help much at all. 

In my opinion, the base for having a moderately successful planted aquarium depends mainly on 3 factors

1. Substrate
2. Lighting
3. Filtration

Substrate:
There is a myriad of choices for substrate ranging from $2.00 DIY mineralized setups to $150.00 worth of imported Japanese clay. For someone starting out, I'd really recommend ECO Complete. It's a great texture, relatively cheap, easy to maintain, and is sold by most local fish stores. 

Lighting:
Lighting is another aspect that has tons of different choices. I've seen amazing tanks with a couple compact fluorescents where the total cost was ~30 bucks, and tanks that used multiple metal halides that were equally amazing. For someone starting out I wouldn't recommend anything too powerful though. In general the higher light you have, the more nutrient and c02 your tank is going to require in order to healthily keep up. A single t5 HO 6500k would be optimal for your tank I think. But the CFL's would probably do equally as well.

Filtration:
Water quality plays a pretty large role in plant health. Proper filtration is essential. Besides the actual filter itself, you may want to investigate your water. If you're using tap water that is incredibly basic and full of calcium, your plants will have a difficult time receiving nutrients they need through the water column. Adding RO water can help, but is sort of a pain to have to haul buckets to and from your LFS. Sometimes a water softening pad thrown in the filter is all you need. If you're in an area where your water is naturally soft and slightly acidic, then you're good to go .
Back to filters though...in general, a big canister filter is best. More filter space = more total water volume in your aquarium (which is always better). These can be pricey though. A decent fluval or eheim filter for a 20 gallon would probably be around $120 new. Might be worth looking into a used one if you can find it though. I have gotten some off craigslist for ~$30 before that were still in excellent condition.

Sorry if this was sort of long winded, but I hope it helps! Good luck!


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