[louiscamp]

I'm trying to figure out what would be my best choice for plant lighting on my old 72" 125 gallon tank. It's so old it don't even have a cross brace. The glass is 1/2" thick and the rim is 1 1/4" wide. With go cross brace I'd have to figure out how to add two LED 36" lights, not many 72" units out there.


I currently use clear twinwall Polycarbonate (green house plastic) for the top, would I need to remove this for the lighting?


Currently, no plants, just sand bed and water.



Thanks for any help.

 

[mboley]

You definately dont need or want the top. Also, you dont neccesarily need two 3 ft fixtures;
You could mount a 4 foot fixture and just plant lower light plants on the ends. If its me Im going with a T5ho Hydroponic fixture.

 

[louiscamp]

So something like this?

https://growace.com/agrobrite-t5-216w-4-4-tube-fixture-with-lamps.html?gclid=CjwKCAiArbv_BRA8EiwAYGs23FptaQK5Ut3W1UNgFjGTLRyvDgJBfdoagvm_pxHETGk2jlTtcZkHnBoCj20QAvD_BwE

 

[mboley]

Yes but I would find one with two plugs so you can have two bulbs ea on separate timers. Also you need more plant specific bulbs, the bulbs they come with are usually junk. Check out this thread:

Share Your Bulb Combo Thread https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1293429

 

[jeffkrol]

72x18x20

Polycarb cover will cut down on evaporation but assume about a 20% par loss.

What are your goals?

 

[louiscamp]

72x18x20

Polycarb cover will cut down on evaporation but assume about a 20% par loss.

What are your goals?

Looking to have a well filled in planted tank, yeah the cover stopped the water loss, and the fish from jumping out.
I can go without the cover.


Lou

 

[jeffkrol]

Looking to have a well filled in planted tank,
Lou

well, what do you want it to look like?



3d look,more 2d
lights on the top
lights hung
dimming
no dimming
color adj on the fly or buy new tubes..
Even coverage front back.
Fish no fish
co2 no co2
tank braces, how many, where



Each choice changes your options somewhat.


4 AI Prime Freshwaters at about $200 each and suspended is a start.
Heck 2 150W Metal halides w/ 6500k spectrum bulbs work..
Notice each is completely different in form and function but work just the same

 

[louiscamp]

Oh, gottcha.

Lights hung, as tank has no braces (old tank, think glass)

Fish, some.

Will add co2.

 

[jeffkrol]

Oh, gottcha.

Lights hung, as tank has no braces (old tank, think glass)

Fish, some.

Will add co2.

Well then personal choice would be puck style leds
or

3 24" t5's 2 tubes for fail light but prob a bit short at depth. 4 tube each would be better BEST would prob be 3 but not real likely.


Two of these;
https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-freshwater-plant-lights/34-sbox-pro-32-timer-fresh-water-plant.html


What are you comfortable spending?

Cheapest and would need 2 but can tank mount them:
https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-65...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=


fspec w/ green and red diodes is somewhat preferred depending on your tone preference.
This is a bit warmer than the fspec

added part.
https://www.amazon.com/BeamsWork-Ti...ork+72&qid=1609634894&sr=8-23&tag=googhydr-20

total $300 plus change..

 

[louiscamp]

Well then personal choice would be puck style leds
or

3 24" t5's 2 tubes for fail light but prob a bit short at depth. 4 tube each would be better BEST would prob be 3 but not real likely.


Two of these;
The Awesome 32" sBox Pro Timer Freshwater Plant LED Light for your Aquarium.


What are you comfortable spending?

Cheapest and would need 2 but can tank mount them:
Amazon.com: Beamswork DA 6500K 0.50W Series LED Pent Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant Discus (180cm - 72"): Home Improvement


fspec w/ green and red diodes is somewhat preferred depending on your tone preference.
This is a bit warmer than the fspec

added part.
Amazon.com : BeamsWork Rise Dim Timer LED Aquarium Light Ramp Single Channel : Pet Supplies

total $300 plus change..

Jeff;

Still working on my lights.

Want to be able to grow just about anything.

Which do you think would be for my 72" tank?

2 of these

Beamswork

Or one of these with

Hydrofarm Agrobrite

Changing bulb colors for the t5's

Would it be much more expensive energy wise for the t5s? Do the t5 bulbs do a better job for the plants?

Thanks for your help,

Lou

 

[jellopuddinpop]

My recommendation is hanging 3x sbreeflight freshwater lights:

The Awesome 18" sBox Freshwater Plant LED Light for your Aquarium. (sbreeflights.com)

The PAR is higher than you could ever need on full blast, the PUR values are awesome, and they're reasonably priced. A member here @SingAlongWithTsing did a pretty in depth analysis.

SBReef Fresh Water LED 165 watt PAR Data | The Planted Tank Forum

I have the older ones on my tank, and I love them. You can check out both my tank and Tsing's to see what you think. My journal is in my signature.

 

[jeffkrol]

Jeff;

Still working on my lights.

Want to be able to grow just about anything.

Which do you think would be for my 72" tank?

2 of these

Beamswork

Or one of these with

Hydrofarm Agrobrite

Changing bulb colors for the t5's

Would it be much more expensive energy wise for the t5s? Do the t5 bulbs do a better job for the plants?

Thanks for your help,

Lou

From a geometry perspective a 4ft t5 doesn't cover a 6ft tank well.
would need to raise it so high as to make the outside tubes pointless..
OLD advice..

4ft light on 6ft tank - Reef Central Online Community

4ft light on 6ft tank New to the Hobby

www.reefcentral.com

72" Beamsworks listed a a bit "blue" and a bit short in red. So though not bad a bit "dull" overall.
Matter of opinion.
Oh and they have a tendency to bow in the middle

SB Reefs mentioned above are fine if you want to hang of do some creative mounting.

BETTER model a bit more red, still a bluish bias.

Amazon.com : Beamswork DA FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater (50cm - 20") : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Beamswork DA FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater (50cm - 20") : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

2 = 16000 Lumens..

Add on.. There are others you can use.

Amazon.com: BeamsWork LED Timer Dimmer for EA DA Series : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com: BeamsWork LED Timer Dimmer for EA DA Series : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

no ramp function but time/dim.

 

[louiscamp]

My recommendation is hanging 3x sbreeflight freshwater lights:

The Awesome 18" sBox Freshwater Plant LED Light for your Aquarium. (sbreeflights.com)

The PAR is higher than you could ever need on full blast, the PUR values are awesome, and they're reasonably priced. A member here @SingAlongWithTsing did a pretty in depth analysis.

SBReef Fresh Water LED 165 watt PAR Data | The Planted Tank Forum

I have the older ones on my tank, and I love them. You can check out both my tank and Tsing's to see what you think. My journal is in my signature.

Would these work, going front to back on the tank instead of side to side?

 

[jeffkrol]

Would these work, going front to back on the tank instead of side to side?

If I remember correctly your tank is only
18" wide.
Geometry doesn' t really work in your favor.

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Would these work, going front to back on the tank instead of side to side?

I mean... they would work, but it's not ideal. In order to get complete coverage, you'll need to mount then pretty high. Then, you're going to have a ton of light spill over the front and the back.

They're the perfect size for a 125g tank, but they would be best going parallel with the tank, not perpendicular.

I have to ask, why would you want to run them perpendicular?

 

[louiscamp]

I mean... they would work, but it's not ideal. In order to get complete coverage, you'll need to mount then pretty high. Then, you're going to have a ton of light spill over the front and the back.

They're the perfect size for a 125g tank, but they would be best going parallel with the tank, not perpendicular.

I have to ask, why would you want to run them perpendicular?

Just trying to figure out a way to mount them above the tank. I guess they could be hung.

 

[*Ci*]

Couldn’t you just add a cross brace, giving you way more options?

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Just trying to figure out a way to mount them above the tank. I guess they could be hung.

I can't do it right now, but if that's the only concern and you can do a bit of DIY, I gotchu covered. I built a really simple way to suspend them.over the tank in my previous setup.

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Just trying to figure out a way to mount them above the tank. I guess they could be hung.

Scratch my previous message, I found the video easier than I thought.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywf9Cz8paT4

You can see it in my previous journal in this entry

Jello's new 125- Pic Heavy- Dealing with BGA =(

Hi Everyone, I recently joined this forum to get ideas, inspiration, and advice from the planted tank community while I plan out my next tank. This is really a great place to share ideas and information, and I’m happy to say that I’m pretty sure I have everything in place for my upgrade. I’ve...

www.plantedtank.net

Edit: You'll also want to get 10ft computer cables like these for better cable management:

Amazon.com: C2G Power Cord, 90 Degree Power Cord, Right Angle Power Cord, 3 Pin Connector, Universal Power Cord, 18 AWG, Black, 10 Feet (3.04 Meters), Cables to Go 27909: Home Audio & Theater

 

[louiscamp]

Scratch my previous message, I found the video easier than I thought.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywf9Cz8paT4

You can see it in my previous journal in this entry

Jello's new 125- Pic Heavy- Dealing with BGA =(

Hi Everyone, I recently joined this forum to get ideas, inspiration, and advice from the planted tank community while I plan out my next tank. This is really a great place to share ideas and information, and I’m happy to say that I’m pretty sure I have everything in place for my upgrade. I’ve...

www.plantedtank.net

Edit: You'll also want to get 10ft computer cables like these for better cable management:

Amazon.com: C2G Power Cord, 90 Degree Power Cord, Right Angle Power Cord, 3 Pin Connector, Universal Power Cord, 18 AWG, Black, 10 Feet (3.04 Meters), Cables to Go 27909: Home Audio & Theater

Thanks for the link, I went with the three SB reef lights. So that is one major decision over, next is CO2.

Lou