Just did a hack, slash, and replant on my 10 gallon tank. Thought maybe it'd be a good time to post a journal to follow it filling in.
Tank: 10 G rimless
CO2: Inline Atomic, fed by Atomic paintball regulator
Lights: 2 x 20w CFLs in aluminum domes, wired and hung from a DIY conduit setup.
Substrate: Fluval Stratum
Fauna: 2 x Otocinclus macrospilus, 1 x Amano shrimp
Flora: Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala sp. "H'ra", Rotala sp. mini "butterfly", Limnophila mini "vietnam", Pogostemon Helferi, Micranthemum "Monte Carlo", Hydrocotyle tripartita "Japan"
FTS - 25th of June, 2016 - Monte carlo starting to finally transition from tissue culture and grow, all stems cut and replanted(were at the surface). Still working on getting the H'ra to color up.
Thanks!
I got them from the hardware store(home depot) has an "incandescent work light". I removed the clamps, and also had to remove all the wiring to chase them through the conduit.
This is what it looked like when I bought it:
Thanks! I really tried hard to find a way to have inexpensive, readily available and adjustable lighting, but not have it just clamped on to the tank ghetto fabulous. This was what I came up with
The stainless pipes are awesome. They weigh about twice as much as glass, and it really helps a hang-on-tank design stay put. I don't know how many times I cursed my glass hang-on pipes going all sideways any time I touched the filter. I also like that the inflow slots are cut on both sides of the pipe, so I have less problems with longer plants nearby getting stuck to the pipe.
It is going into a Type-T conduit body, and then is snaked down through the conduit. Here's a pic that might better illustrate what I am talking about.
I am absolutely stealing your lighting set up. Right now I have a 20" Finnex 24/7 and 2 13watt CFL clipped on looking "ghetto fabulous" as you so eloquently put it lol. How do you think the par is with 2 20watt CFL?
The lights are 12" from the substrate in back, and 15 in the front, which according to Hoppy's charts puts me in the range to pretty much grow anything my heart desires. That is, assuming I can keep the CO2 high enough and stable, and keep the nutrients a flowing.
Great. I need to go to the Depot to get a pipe cleaner today anyways, so maybe grab some parts. I hated my clip lights and got a 24\7 which was med/low par at best. Thanks for your creativity.
I love the DIY lighting. I've been rocking out with these $12/each LED floods with a lot of success. Can't beat a home build as far as saving some $ and customizing.
I was definitely tempted by the LED fllod lights, but I couldn't really figure a way to mount them in the spot that I have where they'd be inconspicuous. Your setup looks amazing though! Any chance those floods are dimmable?
I will be redoing 2 of my tanks in a month or so and I love the look and the price of that light build I may need to borrow it too! Tank looks great though can't wait to see it fill in. Also I like how the lights sort of match the inflow/outflow pipes really helps the entire setup look 'complete'. Good work!
Great tank spore and I think the scape will grow in nicely. Not related to the tank lighting (though I may do something similar in the future as it looks great) but what manufacturer makes the tank you are using.
I am pretty sure it is an Aqua-Japan tank. The dimensions are: 45x29x30cm
Bump: I've started bumping up my iron dosing, and it seems to have helped the rotundifolia and H'ra color up a bit. In fact, the H'ra had lost enough color that now I have a hard time telling the two apart. Hopefully with a little more work and tweaking I can get those nice H'ra pinks back!
The H'ra and rotundifolia are mixed evenly in this pic.. can you tell the difference?
Sadly, this tank developed a leak at the front right corner through the bottom silicone yesterday, and has been torn down
Apparently getting that bent glass front sealed to the bottom is challenging, as the tank was still pretty much new.
That's rough. I thought that it was a really nice tank & I loved the lights & mount. Looking forward to seeing what you do when/if you get a replacement.
Yeah, I am super bummed out. The LFS where I got it is giving me some grief about it too, even though it's clearly not sealed correctly and there is no signs of damage, etc.
I will get something going again soon.
Ok so I'm confused on the whole spectrum/kelvin thing with lighting. Were those lights made for growing plants or are they just work lights? How did you know they'd work? Like what kind of kelvin range do you need to grow plants and do the bulbs need to be full-spectrum? And what about LEDs vs. fluorescents?
Sorry about the question barrage I was just thinking like, could I just stick a couple desk lamps over my tank? What are the general requirements for a light to grow plants? And do run-of-the-mill LEDs work?
I just bought the light fixtures and ran some 6500K CFLs in them, which are decent for growing plants. I've seen folks grow nice plants with everything from 4000-10000k bulbs, however, 5500k-8000k seems to be the goldilocks zone for plants growing well, and being pleasing to look at. Additionally, just because the bulb is a certain kelvin rating doesn't necessarily mean you are getting the full spectrum plants need either, so buying cheap bulbs which have incomplete spectral output could lead to reduced growth theoretically. These bulbs are Ecosmart 6500k 20w, and seemed to grow plants pretty well for me.
You could use Ikea desk lamps and buy some daylight bulbs rated at like 6000K ish. Although, not quite sure where the hobby stands on the usefulness of Kelvin ratings and what the ideal rating is supposed to be as there has been some back and forth on that. PAR ratings are the best way to measure the intensity given by a light fixture, and that will show which plants a certain fixture can support.
Sorry for the slight thread derailing OP. Sad to here about the tank Looked like it was gonna be something real good, oh well, you can come back even better next time!
This +1. I've seen people grow plants under everything from Ikea/Ottlite desk lamps, clamp lights, shop light fixtures, under cabinet lighting, even one of those "angel eye" LED rings that kids put on their headlights so their cars look like a BMW. PAR is key, as Opare said, but spectrum can play a pretty big part in plant structure, leaf development, and pigmentation. If you are bored and want an interesting subject to read up on, check out photomorphogenesis.
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