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Hi, I have been reading along for a while and have come up with a plan for the lighting on my tank. Would like some opinions please if this will work:

this is a 29 gal (30" x 12 " and 16" deep - but this includes about 2-4 inches of substrate. Substrate is fluorite under sand and then pebble gravel on top.

current lighting is a 22" T5HO single bulb fixture with a life-glo bulb (24W, 6700K, full spectrum)
From what I have read, this is just not enough light.....so I bought a SECOND one - exactly the same.
I had to build a frame to place on top of the tank since I have a glass canopy and this leaves bout 3 inches clearance btwn the glass and the light.

plants so far are java fern tied to bogwood, some sort of anubias (the tag just said anubias species), 5 onion plants , a borneo sword ( yeah, I do not know what this is either, but this is what the tag said). As an aside, I think I will have to start getting plants online. Our LFS is truly sad when it comes to plants and actually even sells just regular land plants for you to drown in your aquarium.

fish in here are 5 raspora het, 5 brilliant raspora, 1 otto, 1 Cl loach.
Eventually, the loach will go to a bigger tank and 3 more ottos will move in.

Do you think this will work???
Do you think I will boil my fish to death if I put the second light on?
Do I need a CO2 thingie so that my plants won't starve?
I had hoped for a moderate light aquarium, rather than a BRIGHTLY lit tank (hoping to avoid the algae and CO2 issues), so initially did not plan on a CO2 diffuser, but I am not sure if this will work without one.
Thanks, and VERY excited to get my planted tank off the ground (and under the water!)

 

[Darkblade48]

Having two 24W bulbs over a 29 gallon tank will work, provided you meet the nutritional demands of the plants 48 watts of T5HO lighting is quite a bit of light...

It is unlikely you will boil your fish to death with a 2nd light, however, you will need some kind of CO2 injection (whether it be pressurized or DIY) in order to keep your plants healthy. In addition, with that kind of lighting, you will need to be dosing fertilizers (micro and macronutrients).

 

[lauraleellbp]

I think if you don't put CO2 over the tank you might be just fine with the fixture you started out with (what brand is it? If it's Hagen Glo, IMO that should be enough light...)

If you put another bulb over the tank you'll definitely need CO2.

IME T5HOs are one of the coolest light fixtures around, so I don't see heat being a huge issue, though it's always good to have fixtures raised at least a bit over the tank to allow better air circulation.

 

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yeah, it's Hagen glo. I have already purchased the second light, etc, but may wait until I research more about CO2 and how to get it working in my tank before I put the light on and am overwhelmed with algae. I did not want to wait, and maybe kill the plants that I already have experimenting with light. IF it sounds like I have enough light with the one, I might research a little longer. I am intrigued by the CO2 concept, but am afraid for my fish. I am trying to learn before I make changes, so I can strike the balance of CO2 for the plants, with O2 for the fish. Thanks for the advise. I was looking for a way to use the watts per gallon rule with T5HO, but I guess it is an inaccurate rule to begin with.
thanks again!