Light Fixture HELP!!!

3340 Views 29 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Hilde, Dec 26, 2010

Bree

Discussion Starter · Dec 17, 2010

So i am new to this planted tank thing and so far have put way to much money into it so may as well go all in now!

I have a 20 gallon that i need a new light fixture for, i want to grow dwarf baby tears and right now have moneywort and water wisteria in there. I'm afraid i cannot spend to much money but am willing to go a little over $100 if i must. ^^

I live in very northern Canada and so far have only been able to find one online store that i can order from that store being big als online. So my choices are very limited unless you can send me another site that ships way up here. :help:

Here are three fixtures i found, what do you think of them or is there something better i can find/ do for around or under that price?

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lig...X2-Lighting-Fixtures_9916161_102.html?tc=fish

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lig...t-Fluorescent-Hoods_10441217_102.html?tc=fish

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/123042-light-fixture-help.html#post1230492

Erm if you need any more info please ask, i only just signed up here and am kinda lost! lol

1 - 20 of 30 Posts

Cuchulainn

· #2 · Dec 17, 2010

Welcome to the forum Bree!

You could try here for lights, and copious amounts of plants and fish. Manitoba based.

http://cichlaholic.com/

Bree

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 17, 2010

Thanks for the reply, wow i wish i had that selection of plants up here, but i am afraid to order anything like that because right now it is like -35 and i don't trust the postal people, everything i get is frozen even if it is flown in. lol

I was also wondering if there was a diy method of light fixture or at least a really cheap way, i have a 5 gallon tank for my betta and want to have a dwarf baby tear carpet on the whole bottom with regular baby tears to one side as a bush, and i think i am going to order some black fluorite sand but need some help again for lighting...Can i just go out and buy something from like Canadian tire or home depot? lol

Zareth

· #4 · Dec 17, 2010

Home depot has a few table lamps with 27 watt flourescent bulbs, mine was called "sunlight lamp," I think this should be adequate for HC in a 5 gallon
the bulb in it will look like This

Hoppy

· #5 · Dec 17, 2010

Growing HC requires CO2 much more than high light intensity. I think you should either set up a multiple bottle DIY CO2 system, or a pressurized CO2 system, assuming you have access to a place to refill the CO2 tank. Then, this light, http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lig...e-Linear-Strip-Light_7424001_102.html?tc=fish would give you more than enough light - you might even do better with a layer of fiberglass insect screen between the light and the tank to reduce it.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 17, 2010

Zareth: Thanks! Next time i go there (hopefully today!) I'll check that out, that looks like one strange bulb! lol

Hoppy: Wow thanks, i wasn't sure about that light, i was looking at it but thought for the 20 i might go with one that has its own mount, the tank i have now is has a hood with a light similar to that only with two of those horrible little 6 inch tubular bulbs, so i don't think that light you linked to would fit on my hood, i will look into that mesh you mentioned though, see if i could do something like that to fit around the light. ^^
Oh and i have been working on doing a DIY CO2, I've run a couple experiments with it in my 1.5 empty betta QT tank. Almost got 1 bubble a second and then the yeast went into the hose, so i have to get a larger juice bottle as well as a one way valve and diffuser...

captain_bu

· #7 · Dec 17, 2010

Bree said:
Oh and i have been working on doing a DIY CO2, I've run a couple experiments with it in my 1.5 empty betta QT tank. Almost got 1 bubble a second and then the yeast went into the hose, so i have to get a larger juice bottle as well as a one way valve and diffuser...

Good idea to run your DIY CO2 output into a separator bottle first, basically a second bottle with water in it and airspace at the top. It will serve two purposes. You can use it as a bubble counter and also if any of the mixture bubbles up out of the CO2 generator bottle it will end up in the water in the separator bottle instead of the tank. You don't want to get the yeast mixture in your tank.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 17, 2010

Captain: Thats a good idea, never really thought of that, i am now in the middle of making something like that, i have a Sobe bottle as the bubble counter with the tube going to the middle of the bottle, when the silicon is dry i will fill the water up an inch or two over the tube so i can see the bubbles coming up. I will be putting the other tube in that bottle coming out and going into the 2 Liter soda bottle with the yeast mix. And ya,i think this may work better, thanks for the idea!
I will be heading to walmart to get one of those little air bubble things that might help the bubbles dissolve.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 19, 2010

Ugh i am useless at making DIY stuff, i have had no luck with the CO2 again, i've watched and read everything about how to make one and none have worked!

Anyways, more on that later...

So i think this one is the one i might get, is it enought for a 20 gallon with Dwarf baby tears?

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lig...t-Fluorescent-Hoods_10441217_102.html?tc=fish

fishykid1

· #10 · Dec 19, 2010

your going to need A LOT of co2 with that light. It's a t5ho over a 20G. Which is what my tank has, and I've been fighting algae for almost 5 months. But if you find the right balance then you should be fine. A 2 bulb T5HO fixture is considered high light for a 20G high tank. 1 bulb would probably put you in the medium light area of things.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 20, 2010

Oh okay thanks so much, i am looking into CO2, i'm finding it rather difficult though...
Do you think if i ran the Hagen natural c02 system in there it would be enough?
Plus i add the whole seachem series of ferts, including excel. But excluding trace. ^^
Would that work? Or would it be rather difficult to manage..?

fishykid1

· #12 · Dec 20, 2010

You could probably get away with the hagen natural co2 system with only using 1 bulb of the T5HO.

I've heard instead of buying the little packets, which are really expensive, that people end up just doing their own mix of yeast and sugar. Then they use the other parts of that system.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 20, 2010

Oh ya, i would not get those packs, i would mix up the yeast mixture myself. ^^
Hmm okay, well i will get a few more answers maybe, i have to be 100% sure on this...Its A LOT of money, and the last i can spend on these tanks for at least the next year or so.

So any other suggestions or comments anyone?

fishykid1

· #14 · Dec 20, 2010

Bree said:
Oh ya, i would not get those packs, i would mix up the yeast mixture myself. ^^
Hmm okay, well i will get a few more answers maybe, i have to be 100% sure on this...Its A LOT of money, and the last i can spend on these tanks for at least the next year or so.

So any other suggestions or comments anyone?

That's a bummer. Best of luck. I finally got tired of DIY co2 and just went ahead and bit the bullet for pressurized, and i don't regret it at all.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 20, 2010

Thanks, well i would go pressured, but the original cost is deturing me, like it seems like such a large investment, and you have to test the water all the time and such, i was hoping to stay really simple but all my plants are dying and i am just trying to do what ever to keep them alive and hopefully finally get that nice planted tank i have been dreaming about!!

MarkMc

· #16 · Dec 20, 2010

Bree said:
Thanks, well i would go pressured, but the original cost is deturing me, like it seems like such a large investment, and you have to test the water all the time and such, i was hoping to stay really simple but all my plants are dying and i am just trying to do what ever to keep them alive and hopefully finally get that nice planted tank i have been dreaming about!!

No, you don't have to test the water at all. You just get a "drop checker" on ebay for 10-15 dollars and some 4dkH distilled water. The color of the liquid in the drop checker indicates the CO2 level-the drop checker is in the tank all the time visible to view. It's a big investment yes. The other choice is diy CO2 and Excel but the key to making that work is a lot less light period. No T5 HO fixtures unless you run pressurized. Sorry, that's probably not what you'd like to hear but trust us, if you go ahead with those fixtures we will be having this dialog in the algae forum a month from now.

Hoppy

· #17 · Dec 20, 2010

The way to go really simple, with easy maintenance, little or no CO2, is to use low light. For a 20 gallon tank that means 2 T8 bulbs or one 65 watt PC bulb with a poor reflector. It makes little sense to put T5 lights on that size tank if you want it to be a simple, low maintenance tank.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #18 · Dec 20, 2010

Ah... okay then, wow am i ever confused, i feel so stupid right now. Even after reading and researching for so many months (close to a year now) i am still starring at this tank dumbfounded. lol
Ugh...So for my sake i am going to go through something:

Instead of buying a new light fixture i should leave it with the canopy it has now (2x 25 watt regular florescent 6" tube bulbs), keep dosing the excel i have as well as the other ferts, and invest in a fluorite substrate. Then that take should be done and the plants stop dieing...?

And for the 5 gallon maybe get a T5 light from home depot (Like the one you gave a link to) run the hagen or diy CO2 System and dose excel, as well as get some fluorite black sand for the substrate, then i can grow baby tears in the 5 gallon with success?

If i got something wrong or confused please say, and again i am sorry, for some reason all the info i am giving seems to be going right over my head, like even when i think i have everything figured out...I really don't. lol

See less See more

Hoppy

· #19 · Dec 20, 2010

I hate to further confuse you, but any tank will do better with fluorescent bulbs that are about the same length as the tank, so the whole tank is relatively evenly bright. I don't know what "6 inch tube bulbs" are, but it doesn't seem that they would be the length of a 20 gallon tank, which is at least 24 inches long. Two T8 bulbs, each 24 inches long would work fine.

The 5 gallon tank, probably about 10 inches long could use screw in fluorescent bulbs very well.

Bree

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 20, 2010

Haha wow okay, the bulbs are the typical flouresent bulbs heres a picture to a bad shot i took with my iPod:

And ya, thats why i first wanted to change my fixture, i was so disapointed to see this tanks hood come with these bulbs...I was originally wanting just a replacement that could fit in this hood but that took the long tube lights, but i couldn't find one that fit, so thats why i started looking at the self mounting ones.

I have oranged my plants from the beginning to sit under the bulbs, i'll try and put a shot of it up...

And my 5 gallon has only one of a 15 watt bulb, its the same as the 20 gallons only with a plastic cover and such.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 30 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.