[teonguyen]

My cousin has just upgraded to the 100 gal tank and he gave me the 42 gal bow-front tank (30L X 20H X 15W). Since I decide to plant most of the plants which require "medium and high" lighting . I've been desperately searching for the 30"L light with 2 lamps of 54 W, but no success.Most of the 54W T5H0 are really long and it will not fit to the top of my tank.

I'm not sure im doing the right thing, I have read many posts on this forum , and people say that i need 2.5-3 WPG for hi light setup
Please help !!!
If you know where to get them . I'm really appreciated

Can i use this one ?
http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaS...?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1314253145&sr=1-12

 

[shrimpNewbie]

watt per gallon isn't relevant a very outdated practice, par is a much better way to gauge your lights, and a 24 inch dual t5ho raise about 4 inches from the top of the tank would be perfect, if you want to supplement it you can with 1 single strip of t5NO however if you have the money leds would be awesome, just make two pendants according to some of the diy tutorials on reef tanks but cut the leds in half and use 6500k-8000k leds, 30 inch t5s are hard to find good replacement bulbs for by the way


i will also add that light will do fine, just make sure you have a source for replacement bulbs should you ever need them

 

[Hoppy]

That ZooMed light should work fine. If it has a very good reflector you would need to raise it on the legs to avoid having too much light, but that also lets the light spread out better so that 24 inch bulbs will cover the whole tank better.

 

[teonguyen]

That ZooMed light should work fine. If it has a very good reflector you would need to raise it on the legs to avoid having too much light, but that also lets the light spread out better so that 24 inch bulbs will cover the whole tank better.

I just found out the site called ahsupply.com .They seem to have good deals of DIY light ..How do you think if i purchase lights from them?

i m starting out with planted tank again , so there are still may things for me to learn. The first planted tank i had was 6 years ago which was about 5 gal. Now i want to start with some thing lil bit bigger.
One thing i really concern rite now beside the lighting is "substrate"

What kid of substrate should i use ?
I found out "Aquasoil Amazonia" , If i use this one , could i put another layer of gravel on top of it ? (i like the look of gravel on the top)
Is there any substrate are you recommended ?

Is there anything else should i put in the "substrate" to make plants grow healthily?
How much substrate should i put in?
someone say that 9litter bag from Aquasoil is for 55o cubic feet

I know there are many questions to ask , but if you can help i m really appreciated

Thank you

 

[Higher Thinking]

You can certainly use the "planted tank" substrates like Aqua soil, or eco-complete, but you can also use just regular gravel or sand and achieve the same quality. If you use sand then it is advised to use fertilizer tabs for the substrate. Using fertilizers for the water means you can get away with just plain old gravel. Really the amount of fertilizer that is needed is going to be based on the kind of lighting you decide on and whether or not you plan on using CO2 injection.

You need about 3 inches or so of substrate and then you can slope it as you desire. Just make sure you keep a couple inches in the lowest part. More important than getting your substrate is going to be deciding how you want to inject CO2 because this will enable your best growth.

 

[teonguyen]

You can certainly use the "planted tank" substrates like Aqua soil, or eco-complete, but you can also use just regular gravel or sand and achieve the same quality. If you use sand then it is advised to use fertilizer tabs for the substrate. Using fertilizers for the water means you can get away with just plain old gravel. Really the amount of fertilizer that is needed is going to be based on the kind of lighting you decide on and whether or not you plan on using CO2 injection.

You need about 3 inches or so of substrate and then you can slope it as you desire. Just make sure you keep a couple inches in the lowest part. More important than getting your substrate is going to be deciding how you want to inject CO2 because this will enable your best growth.

Thank you very much cause you jut have saved me from lots of headache in choosing what types of substrates. I think i will use the eco-complete cause it's easy to buy and i can get it from petco near to my house.

Yes i will use the CO2 injection as well