[alanzhao]

Hi everyone,

I bought the 55 gal AquaCulture Deluxe tank from walmart, however the lightings it comes with are two 15w and total of 30w. Obviously there isn't enough for a planted tank as they advertise the tank is good for. Where can I find replacement lighting to have 2 WPG requirement for a future planted tank? I checked Drs. Foster & Smith but neither the strip light or full hood is capable of 110w.

please help.

basic setup now:

 

[fobincorporated]

I see you found foster&smith, try to find compact fluorescent lighting, a 48 inch can give you anywhere from 2-4.5 watts depending on whether you get fixtures that fit a pair or 2 of bulbs. Also VHO(very high output) works but it's sort of an outdated technology, what you want is all up to you. Other info you can either PM me or read on through the forum. READ UP FIRST! it will save you alot of time, energy and money in the long run, trust me. That about sums it up, good luck!

 

[Rex Grigg]

Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits

The 2x55 watt upgrade kit will fit in the current fixtures if you mount the ballasts on the back. And you get more light out of them than any other comparable fixture you could put on the tank.

Also take a few minutes and read my Guide. It will help you a lot.

For example that large white gravel pretty much has to go. One you don't have enough substrate depth. Two it's too large in diameter. Three white is a very poor choice of substrate color as it shows every bit of debris that ends up on the bottom.

 

[tundragirl]

I agree with rex on the gravel- I had white a long time ago and it was awful-if you want to go with the black /white theme go eco complete or soilmaster select. those are the only two blacks I can think of but there may be more.
This light is 24" 55 wt each
Aquarium Lighting: All-Glass Compact Fluorescent Black Strip Lights
I would suggest a 48" @110 or better yet this light
Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Aqualight Single Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights
The 48" would give you 130 wts and it would be set up for plants:biggrin:

 

[alanzhao]

I got a concern here:

are all the strip lights going to fit my existing two piece 24" hoods? I do wanna keep them. here is the picture.

Is 110w sufficient for plants to thrive? I don't want to have a CO2 system yet.

Another stupid question is if the higher wattage lighting going to hurt fishes?

also, I am planning to get rid of thewhite gravel and thinking about ecoComplete.

 

[mrbelvedere]

If cost is an issue look into ODNO lighting. A guy here did it for $30.

I suggest buying a CO2 system and a decent canister filter (Filstar or Eheim, though I've heard good things from the new Marineland canister).

 

[bcreque]

are all the strip lights going to fit my existing two piece 24" hoods? I do wanna keep them. here is the picture.

Yes, the 2x55w kit fit into my stock strips (on a 55g) fairly easily.

 

[Rex Grigg]

Take a few minutes and read my Guide.

The higher light will not hurt your fish. 110 watts of AH Supply lights will grow a lot of different plants.

The AH Supply kits will fit your strips. That's why I recommenced them in the first place. I know what equipment you have there.

 

[fredyk]

Rex is right. It is pleny of light to grow lots of plants.
I did it with the 2 X AHS 55w for that type of setup. It is ugly, so it is a trade-off. You get more light with two AHS 55w fixtures. And you get to use the GE 9325 light bulbs.

You have to squeeze the fixtures into the two hoods and put the ballast on back. I wasn't really happy with the ballast on back. I always feel like I might get an electrical shock!*! Plus some of the light will be reduced with the hood.

You might want to think of doing CO2 first and increase light second. Plants will grow more and need more carbon and nutrients with increase lighting. So CO2 should be thought of as the first upgrade. Maybe consider DIY CO2.

 

[kunerd]

I ve got the same tank and got the same kit fron ahsupply and its well worth it. Also i was the same way about co2 but really once you get it youll love it. I tried the diy co2 and it was such a pain for the tank and now with the co2tank and reg. you dont have to worry about it once you get it set up.

 

[alanzhao]

Rex is right. It is pleny of light to grow lots of plants.
I did it with the 2 X AHS 55w for that type of setup. It is ugly, so it is a trade-off. You get more light with two AHS 55w fixtures. And you get to use the GE 9325 light bulbs.

I ve got the same tank and got the same kit fron ahsupply and its well worth it. Also i was the same way about co2 but really once you get it youll love it. I tried the diy co2 and it was such a pain for the tank and now with the co2tank and reg. you dont have to worry about it once you get it set up.

I heard a lot of good recommendations of AHS lights. Do you guys have a picture of your setup of this light? I do want the tank to look good with this setup.

 

[fredyk]

you can see how rough it all looks, and you can also see the yellow protective covering was left on the reflector and got baked on : (
It's a very tight fit.

 

[alanzhao]

thanks for the pics fredyk!

 

[briandmiles]

I used these on my 29g. I started with 1 55w kit with the ballast mounted on the back. My tank is against a wall and so you had to look for the ballast. After getting pressurized CO2 I bumped up my lighting to 2x55w with two separate cords and ballasts and built a custom hood. I haven't found anything that I can't grow. The kits are very easy to install and they fit the hoods just perfectly (almost like AHSupply planned it!)

Brian

 

[bcreque]

the yellow protective covering was left on the reflector and got baked on

Wow... I wonder if you lose a substantial amount of light because of that? Have you considered just ordering a new reflector?

 

[skabooya]

Dont you find the glass on the walmart tanks to be thin? I would be worried about something bumping into the tank and then smashing it to bits.

 

[mrbelvedere]

Pretty much all glass on standard tanks is thin. Most of the common sizes use the thinnest glass possible. A glass on a ten gallon is only a few mm thick.

 

[alanzhao]

hi,

I want to get 2 55w cf for this 55g tank, so it achieve 2wpg rule but do they have enough "Watt Intensity"? or should I got just one 110w cf that has more watt intensity?

this question pop up after reading this article:

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Basics-to-starting-a-Planted-Tank/4/

 

[Rex Grigg]

There are no 110 watt CF bulbs. You can get a 96 watt but it's only 3' long.

Take my advice. Buy the 2x55 watt kit from AH Supply. If it makes you feel better I can bill you for the advice.

 

[mrbelvedere]

They make 125 watt bulbs. You could try that.