Lighting for 90g low tech tank
Hello, guys. This is my first post here.
So, after a tragic accident, I lose all my Geophagus Tapajos in my 90g tank.
I decided to try planted tank this time, something I cannot do in the past because of the eartheaters.
Here are some information of my tank:
Dimension: 48"X18"X24"
Filter: Two Eheim 2217
Light: T5 24W*2
Current resident: 14 lemon tetra, 3 Juli cory, 2 emperor tetra, and 20+ bn pleco ( I was on an oversea trip for a year, and I honestly don't know how many pleco borns and survives in the meantime. Most were eaten by my Geos, but apparently there is still many of them getting large enough. I will rehome most of them in the future)
![Plant Green Vertebrate Botany Organism]()
The tank will be a low tech one. I will not use pressurized CO2, and will stick to the original sand bottom. Will use root tab and liquid fert. I am planning to get some Amazon Swords, Limnophila aquatica and Cyperus helferi for background. Rotala rotundifolia, Alternanthera reineckii and Blyxa japonica will occupy the middle. There will be patches of moss on the driftwoods. Not sure what to do with the front yet, but a large part of the middle will be left empty for the cory. I will also add a school of denison barbs, more cories, and zebra loaches. Possibly Keyhole Cichlid as well, if I can find one in my LFS.
I figure the biggest problem now is the lighting. 48w is probably not enough for anything other than Anubis and java fern in such a deep tank. I am now considering either a T5HO 54W*3 fixture, or a juwel heliolux 1200. From what I heard, LED seems to lack the penetration, but the low electricity consumption is attractive. Besides, I am not sure if that matters in a low tech tank. What are your opinions? I am also fairly new to planted tank, so any other advice or comment on my plan would be appreciated.
So, after a tragic accident, I lose all my Geophagus Tapajos in my 90g tank.
I decided to try planted tank this time, something I cannot do in the past because of the eartheaters.
Here are some information of my tank:
Dimension: 48"X18"X24"
Filter: Two Eheim 2217
Light: T5 24W*2
Current resident: 14 lemon tetra, 3 Juli cory, 2 emperor tetra, and 20+ bn pleco ( I was on an oversea trip for a year, and I honestly don't know how many pleco borns and survives in the meantime. Most were eaten by my Geos, but apparently there is still many of them getting large enough. I will rehome most of them in the future)
The tank will be a low tech one. I will not use pressurized CO2, and will stick to the original sand bottom. Will use root tab and liquid fert. I am planning to get some Amazon Swords, Limnophila aquatica and Cyperus helferi for background. Rotala rotundifolia, Alternanthera reineckii and Blyxa japonica will occupy the middle. There will be patches of moss on the driftwoods. Not sure what to do with the front yet, but a large part of the middle will be left empty for the cory. I will also add a school of denison barbs, more cories, and zebra loaches. Possibly Keyhole Cichlid as well, if I can find one in my LFS.
I figure the biggest problem now is the lighting. 48w is probably not enough for anything other than Anubis and java fern in such a deep tank. I am now considering either a T5HO 54W*3 fixture, or a juwel heliolux 1200. From what I heard, LED seems to lack the penetration, but the low electricity consumption is attractive. Besides, I am not sure if that matters in a low tech tank. What are your opinions? I am also fairly new to planted tank, so any other advice or comment on my plan would be appreciated.
