# 20 gallon long lighting??



## tigerbee (Dec 16, 2010)

My 20 gallon long tank currently has a single Zoo Med T-8 Flora Sun Max Plant Growth Fluorescent Bulb which is 17 watts. I am planning to upgrade to two t-5s, a 6700k and a 10000k. This is what I plan to buy. http://www.amazon.com/T5-Freshwater-Color-6700K-Inch/dp/B001F9AJDS/ref=pd_sbs_k_13 What kind of wattage does that bring me to?

My tank is very sparsely planted with some crypts and they have done alright in there. I haven't had great luck with much else.

This time I want to do things right--plant heavily, use better lighting and I am changing my substrate from big gravel to seachem black sand.

Will the light unit I picked out be sufficient? I did see some that looked better but I am on a budget.


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

I have 2 x 20 long tanks, one has a 4x24w t5 tek light and the other has a Current USA 2x24w t5 SLR(single light reflector) nova extreme fixture. I get good results with both simply because they have individual reflectors so they disperse the light more efficiently. I'm my experience, coralife fixtures normally only have one large reflector which is not nearly as efficient so I would not recommend the one you picked. This fixture helps me grow low to medium light plants and even if you're on a budget, you should do it right the first time.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.c...pcatid=16770&cmpid=03csesz&ref=3474&subref=AA


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## joshvito (Apr 6, 2009)

or here
http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Nova-Extreme-T5-High-Output-X2-Lighting-Fixtures_9916161_82.html?tc=fish


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## tigerbee (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions, I really like the look of the Nova fixture.

This may be a silly question, but a 30" fixture would take 24" bulbs, correct? My Petco has coralife t-5 6700K and "colormax" bulbs on sale for $4 each right now! I am trying to decide how many I should get. Do the colormax do anything for plants or am I better off with the 6700K only?


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## joshvito (Apr 6, 2009)

bulb color is mainly a personal preference for your viewing pleasure. It has very little to do with growth.
I think "colormax" is 6700.

A popular combination of bulbs is a 10K and a 6700 because it looks good.


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