# 37 gallon lighting question



## phoenixburnin (Oct 15, 2006)

Hi all,

I just bought a 37 gallon (30" x 12" x 22") bare aquarium and am looking to find lighting for it. I am looking to grow medium to low light plants without the use of pressurized CO2. I was browsing through Drs Foster & Smith and saw a 65 watt compact fluorescent fixture that would give me ~1.75 wpg which seemed too low. They also had 2 x 65 CF fixtures which would be ~3.51 wpg in my tank. Would I be able to run these lights in my aquarium without CO2 and without running into problems? Are there any other fixtures that would work for my aquarium? 

I thought this forum would be the best place to ask before purchasing anything I might regret...

Thanks in advance.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

The 2x65 would certainly require you to go the CO2 route. I would opt for the single 65 set up. My main concern would be how well it distributes the light inside the tank front to back.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

If the 2 x 65 watts has a power cord for each light you can have one light come on in the morning and the other in the afternoon with or without and overlap of the time the lights are on. I bought a used Satellite fixture with 2 x 65w (ebay deal, it was too good to pass up ) and use it for my 29 gallon tank with a mid-day siesta rather than an overlap of the time the lights are on. I get good coverage throughout the tank so all plants grow well and I don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of light. 

With your larger tank, having a period of time with both lights on might give it the boost it needs, but not be so much that you have to get CO2. As long as you have a power cord for each light there is no reason you'd have to use them at the same time, but you'd have the option of increasing your light if you decide you want to try more difficult plants.

You can always decrease the amount of light by adding floaters, either surface floaters or plants like lilies that send up floating leaves. 

Wait a minute, I just read your figures again and that sounds like the measurements for my 33 gallon tall tank. Are your measurements correct? I plugged your measurements into a conversion formula and come up with 34 gallons (probably holds 33 gallons). That changes my thinking a little. I had a lot of trouble growing much of anything with a 65 watt fixture on my 33g tall tank. I now have 2 x 65 watts on all the time on my 33 gallon tank (both on in the morning, noon siesta, both on in the evening - the siesta is so I can see my tank when I'm at home). I have a good complement of floating plants and only dose glutaraldehyde (Excel substitute). No algae problems, and have to keep the floaters in check so my E tenellus & Blyxa aubertii don't die off.


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## phoenixburnin (Oct 15, 2006)

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm pretty sure it's a 37 gallon, according to the product's website: Aqueon. My fish store was having a good sale ($1/gal) and I wanted to upgrade from a 12 gallon non-planted tank and a 6 gallon low-light planted tank.

I didn't realize the 2x65 came with 2 separate power cords. I guess I can put it on two different timers if it gets to be too much. I plan on dosing with ferts but do not want to go the CO2 route at the moment. I think I need to read up and save up before doing so. I am stretching my budget as it is with the lighting, filtration, etc. Hopefully, I'll be able set up the new aquarium soon and recoup some losses by selling my other tanks.

Are there any other 30" lighting options for a tank my size or should I go ahead and buy the 2x65 fixture? Thanks again


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I'm not sure if all 2x65 watt light fixtures have 2 power cords but my Satellite and Orbit fixtures both do.

Tri-city Tropicals has new & refurbished lights for good prices. I bought a refurbished single 65 watt 24" fixture for a 20 tall tank and it was just like new and is still working great over a year later. They don't seem to be listing their in stock refurbished items, but it might be worth it to check as you can trade out the actinic bulb that comes with the fixture for a planted tank friendly bulb for $5 instead of having to buy another bulb immediately. Check out: http://www.tricitytropicals.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=665

There is something off on the measurements Aqueon gives because 30x12x22 is 7920 cubic inches which converts to 34.286 gallons [US, liquid] according to http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm which has never proven wrong yet. Pull out a measuring tape to see what you've got as it appears someone entered a wrong number in the chart on Aqueon's page. If the footprint is correct at 30x12 and it's even deeper than 22, definitely get the 2x65 light.

A completely different lighting option is T-5 or TEK lighting. Some people swear by it but I haven't tried it yet. I've got too much invested in compact fluorescents right now.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

I have a 37g that I don't have going yet. It's advertised to be 30 x 12 x 22.

It's outside dimensions are 30¼ x 12½ x 22¾.

I bought a 30" 2x65w Orbit fixture for it because of it's 22" depth. I replaced the dual actinic bulb with a 65w Coralife Colormax/6700K bulb. The Orbits have a reflector that's very good. I'm planning on using pressurized CO2. I already have the regulator and an AM 1000 CO2 reactor for it.


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## bsmith (Dec 13, 2006)

Whats up C!

I am planning on getting a 37 to replace my 29. I am going to use a 2x65w coralife and am pretty sure that it will be fine.


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## tjc (Jan 17, 2006)

That tank is pretty tall. From my experience with my 65 gallon aquarium that is 24 inches tall, most stem plants did well but didn't develop good color till that were over a foot tall. I was using a Coralife 96 wt bulb. Ground cover didn't grow as well as I would have liked. I'm adding another 96 wt bulb.

All along I used a DIY CO2 system with two, one litre soda bottles contected together along with using Excel. It's a very cheap way to go for CO2 and not that difficult to do, but I admit it was very time consuming. They say you can't maintain good CO2 levels in such a big aquarium, but it was much better than not using anything as far as I was concerned. I definately got some amazing pearling going.

If you do go with DIY CO2, you will need a good CO2 reactor that could cost about $50.00. I highly recommond a power CO2 reactor.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

phoenixburnin said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I just bought a 37 gallon (30" x 12" x 22") bare aquarium and am looking to find lighting for it. I am looking to grow medium to low light plants without the use of pressurized CO2. I was browsing through Drs Foster & Smith and saw a 65 watt compact fluorescent fixture that would give me ~1.75 wpg which seemed too low. They also had 2 x 65 CF fixtures which would be ~3.51 wpg in my tank. Would I be able to run these lights in my aquarium without CO2 and without running into problems? Are there any other fixtures that would work for my aquarium?
> 
> ...


If your goal is to stay low light, I would shoot for the first fixture and dose with Excel if you need to. You will probably have to limit your plant selection a little, but I think with 3.5 watts you will not have any choice but go with CO2 if you don't want an algae farm! LOL


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

bsmith782 said:


> Whats up C!
> 
> I am planning on getting a 37 to replace my 29. I am going to use a 2x65w coralife and am pretty sure that it will be fine.


Hi B

How have you been?


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## phoenixburnin (Oct 15, 2006)

Thanks for all your responses. I'm still pricing items and haven't bought anything yet, but I've been leaning towards getting the 2x65w Satellite or Orbit fixture. I figure I could use one of the lights for the time being and that way, I don't have to buy another light fixture if I eventually decide to run CO2 in the tank. I'm learning a lot already browsing the forums 

I'm excited to get started soon!


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

Tri-City Tropica Fish sells refurbish Satellite and Orbit fixtures plus they will swap out a saltwater bulb for a freshwater bulb for $5. You can get a refurbished 30" Orbit for $119.
http://tricitytropicals.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=19

The Orbit has a better reflector than the Satellite or the Aqualight. Your 37g aquarium is 4" taller than a 29g. The better reflector will help to get the light to penetrate to the bottom.

If you decide to go with a new Orbit, Champion Lighting & Supply has a good price ($170) on the Orbit that's cheaper that Big Al's and the Dr's. The Current 65w square pin dual 6700K, daylight 6700K/10,000K and 10,000K bulbs are a little cheaper too.
http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=18654&cat=579&page=1


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