Plans for a 6ft tank?

Murf · 06-29-2012, 03:38 PM

Hi everyone, I'm soon to be the proud owner of a 6ft tank (when I find one at the right price). I have already sourced my lighting through a shop on ebay for a pretty good price but I would like to know from more knowledgeable heads on here if I am going down the right road.
I have priced a ballast and waterproof end caps all wired up for 4 x 54w t5's ..... would this be sufficent for getting good growth for the hardest plants to grow? I know there is sooo much more involved but from a lighting only aspect is it enough .... I have calculated around 3.3 wpg so im hoping that is plenty?

Ridewithme38 · 06-29-2012, 03:41 PM

54x4 = 216 gallons
216gallons/ 3.3wpg = 65.45 Gallons

66 gallon 6' tank?

One of the main defining factors of PAR(newer more accurate replacement for wpg) is the depth of the tank...how deep is your tank?

jcgd · 06-29-2012, 03:45 PM

Two bulbs runnin the length of the tank should be enough light for everything with co2 injection assuming the ballasts are running the bulbs at high output. One fleabay brand, Oddysea, is known to under power the bulbs. Just a heads up. It would be ideal to spread the lights even over the front to back depth of the tank for even light coverage.

The watts are the power consumption, not light output. They don't really mean anything. Consider that everything in your house that uses electricity has a wattage. Your coffee maker, hair dryer, car, fridge and everything else use a certain number of watts and put out extremely variable amounts of light (or none).

Murf · 06-29-2012, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridewithme38

54x4 = 216 gallons
216gallons/ 3.3wpg = 65.45 Gallons

66 gallon 6' tank?

One of the main defining factors of PAR(newer more accurate replacement for wpg) is the depth of the tank...how deep is your tank?

Im hoping it will be 2 ft high

steveg89 · 06-29-2012, 05:26 PM

So.... you're thinking of a tank 72'' x 24'' x 9''? Seems kinda... slim.

Murf · 06-29-2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveg89

So.... you're thinking of a tank 72'' x 24'' x 9''? Seems kinda... slim.

No the tank will be 6' x 2' x 2' .... where did you get the 9 from?

jcgd · 06-29-2012, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murf

No the tank will be 6' x 2' x 2' .... where did you get the 9 from?

They are giving you a hard time. 4x54 watts is 216/ 3.3 wpg = 65.5 gallons. If its a six foot tank and only 66 gallons its pretty darn thin.

steveg89 · 06-29-2012, 08:41 PM

I was just running the numbers for you.your tank would be more like 180 gallons with those dimensions. Regardless, wpg isn't how you should judge your light. That's outdated.I'm more into leds so I'll let someone else tell you if it's enough Light

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06-29-2012, 03:38 PM	#1
Murf Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Northern Ireland Posts: 5	Plans for a 6ft tank? Hi everyone, I'm soon to be the proud owner of a 6ft tank (when I find one at the right price). I have already sourced my lighting through a shop on ebay for a pretty good price but I would like to know from more knowledgeable heads on here if I am going down the right road. I have priced a ballast and waterproof end caps all wired up for 4 x 54w t5's ..... would this be sufficent for getting good growth for the hardest plants to grow? I know there is sooo much more involved but from a lighting only aspect is it enough .... I have calculated around 3.3 wpg so im hoping that is plenty?

06-29-2012, 03:45 PM	#3
jcgd Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (6/100%) Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,983	Two bulbs runnin the length of the tank should be enough light for everything with co2 injection assuming the ballasts are running the bulbs at high output. One fleabay brand, Oddysea, is known to under power the bulbs. Just a heads up. It would be ideal to spread the lights even over the front to back depth of the tank for even light coverage. The watts are the power consumption, not light output. They don't really mean anything. Consider that everything in your house that uses electricity has a wattage. Your coffee maker, hair dryer, car, fridge and everything else use a certain number of watts and put out extremely variable amounts of light (or none). __________________ Follow your Impulse, click here.

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06-29-2012, 03:41 PM	#2
Ridewithme38 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Farmingdale, NY Posts: 31	54x4 = 216 gallons 216gallons/ 3.3wpg = 65.45 Gallons 66 gallon 6' tank? One of the main defining factors of PAR(newer more accurate replacement for wpg) is the depth of the tank...how deep is your tank?

06-29-2012, 05:26 PM	#5
steveg89 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NY Posts: 39	So.... you're thinking of a tank 72'' x 24'' x 9''? Seems kinda... slim.

06-29-2012, 08:41 PM	#8
steveg89 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NY Posts: 39	I was just running the numbers for you.your tank would be more like 180 gallons with those dimensions. Regardless, wpg isn't how you should judge your light. That's outdated.I'm more into leds so I'll let someone else tell you if it's enough Light Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2