do i need metal halide lighting

hixy · 12-07-2003, 03:53 PM

hello everyone,
going to have a go at setting up my first planted aquarium.
my tank is 6 feet long 15x15,ive got the chance on a cheap metal halide light is this going over the top on the lighting,or would flouresence lighting be good enough,i will also be using c02 and hopefully keep some discus in it. thanks a lot great forum
hixy

Rex Grigg · 12-07-2003, 05:19 PM

Hmm.. how cheap is cheap? You would be surprised at how cheap MH lighting is when you go to a lighting supplier and not an aquarium shop. And how many lights is it? For a 6' tank you would need three lights as the general rule is that one MH light is good for a 2'x2' area. Also what wattage is the bulb and what is the color temp? In general most planted tank people will go with NO or CF fluorescent lights as the selection is better, there is not as much heat problem and it's cheaper.

I just ran the math on your tank and it looks to be about a 70 gallon tank. You are not going to need a whole lot of light on this tank and MH lights IMHO would be overkill. You might want to head over to www.ahsupply.com and take a look at either a 2x96 watt kit. That would get you to just about 2.75 watts per gallon which is not a bad figure. If you want more light than that to grow more challenging plants then you could get 2X96 watt kits and a couple of 55 watt kits.

hixy · 12-07-2003, 06:09 PM

hello rex,
thanks for your reply i live in england so ordering anything from usa is a problem. i can get some lights called overtank luminaires by arcadia would these be any good for me. www.arcadia-uk.com/ as my
aquarium has no hood i want to keep it nice and tidy,not have cables everywhere thanks
hixy

Rex Grigg · 12-07-2003, 09:27 PM

Those would work fine. I would guess you are going to get two smaller units and place them on the edges and center brace? It's a shame the the T5 units are only available with marine bulbs.

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12-07-2003, 03:53 PM	#1
hixy Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: birmingham england Posts: 133	hello everyone, going to have a go at setting up my first planted aquarium. my tank is 6 feet long 15x15,ive got the chance on a cheap metal halide light is this going over the top on the lighting,or would flouresence lighting be good enough,i will also be using c02 and hopefully keep some discus in it. thanks a lot great forum hixy

12-07-2003, 05:19 PM	#2
Rex Grigg Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (65/100%) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland Orygun Posts: 9,600	Hmm.. how cheap is cheap? You would be surprised at how cheap MH lighting is when you go to a lighting supplier and not an aquarium shop. And how many lights is it? For a 6' tank you would need three lights as the general rule is that one MH light is good for a 2'x2' area. Also what wattage is the bulb and what is the color temp? In general most planted tank people will go with NO or CF fluorescent lights as the selection is better, there is not as much heat problem and it's cheaper. I just ran the math on your tank and it looks to be about a 70 gallon tank. You are not going to need a whole lot of light on this tank and MH lights IMHO would be overkill. You might want to head over to www.ahsupply.com and take a look at either a 2x96 watt kit. That would get you to just about 2.75 watts per gallon which is not a bad figure. If you want more light than that to grow more challenging plants then you could get 2X96 watt kits and a couple of 55 watt kits.

12-07-2003, 06:09 PM	#3
hixy Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: birmingham england Posts: 133	hello rex, thanks for your reply i live in england so ordering anything from usa is a problem. i can get some lights called overtank luminaires by arcadia would these be any good for me. www.arcadia-uk.com/ as my aquarium has no hood i want to keep it nice and tidy,not have cables everywhere thanks hixy

12-07-2003, 09:27 PM	#4
Rex Grigg Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (65/100%) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland Orygun Posts: 9,600	Those would work fine. I would guess you are going to get two smaller units and place them on the edges and center brace? It's a shame the the T5 units are only available with marine bulbs.