# Rookie Questions About Lighting



## Vassili (Jan 18, 2005)

Hi. I am in the proccess of building a hood for my 200gal, and was wondering about the lighting.

At the moment i have 
1x2' and 1x4' Flouros with Philips TLD Aqua Coral Bulbs
1x2' and 1x4' Flouros with Philips TLD Aquarelle Bulbs (For specs, check out the bottom of this page http://www.aquariumsrus.com.au/lightsp.htm)
1x6' Flouro with a normal white bulb.

I was just wondering, is this lighting going to be suffiecient enough to grow any plants in? What options do i have?

Thanks everyone.
Daniel


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## turtlehead (Jan 28, 2005)

a managable amount for plants is 2 watts per gallon. You will need co2 and ferts, what size is this tank?


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## Vassili (Jan 18, 2005)

Vassili @ Sun Mar 06 said:


> Hi. I am in the proccess of building a hood for my 200gal,


  

C02 and Ferts, mmm, are there some plants that I can just shove in and grow with that lighting (about 1.3 watts/gal + whatever sunlight it gets, which is a fair bit).?


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## turtlehead (Jan 28, 2005)

in that case you'll only need to supply ferts once in a while(trace elements), and co2 injection is not neccesary, I would suggest you not to let sunlight get to your tank because it causes algae.


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## Vassili (Jan 18, 2005)

I cant really help it, the tank isnt really movable  . I havent had any trouble with algae growing on stuff, and with the 40W UV steriliser, green water isnt a problem.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Good low light plants include java moss, java fern, most crypts, anacharis, wisteria, watersprite, most anubias. Have a look at plantgeek.net. They have a lot of plant profiles easily grouped by whatever requirements you will want (low light, tank placement ect...) If you decide to upgrade your lighting, you will have more options. I would go with MH lighting for a tank that size.


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## Vassili (Jan 18, 2005)

MH lighting?


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

You DO NOT need CO2 + ferts + masive lighting (3WPG kind of thing) to grow plants. You do need CO2 + ferts + massive lighting to have very fast growth, to grow difficult or demanding plants, or to grow red plants. But if you want to grow green plants, and a happy with growing them slowly, then 1 to 1.5 WPG will be fine, especially if you have sunlight as well. Simpte has provided a very good list of plants for you to choose from. 

And sunlight doesn't necessarily cause algae. Just like when you're using only artificial light, it's a balancing act. You just need to have plants that are right for the conditions, and not too much of one thing, and the plants will out-compete the algae.

There's a philosophy called "the natural tank" that uses moderate lighting (~2WPG) plus sunlight, little to no ferts, and no CO2, and people get very good results. It's all about understanding the ecosystem of the aquarium and trying to aid natural processes.

NOTE: having a good substrate is just as important as having enough light. Usually, plain gravel doesn't work very well. For a tank of your size, I would go with plain soil + gravel, since putting in enough of the proprietary stuff like Flourite or Onyx sand would be very expensive. However, this probably isn't an option for you, since your tank is presumably already set up and running?

MH = metal halide = $$$$$$$$$$!


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Metal Halide lighting is expensive, though no more expensive than PCs (power compacts) for that size of tank. 400 watts is a lot of light any way you look at it and whether its PC or MH it's going to cost a few dollars. And thats just for 2wpg.


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## LeafGoblinFish (Mar 15, 2005)

u know myravan i like ur theory...i only have one billion questions for you. :mrgreen: j/k actually is there such a thing as too many plants for an aquarium? since plants prefer ammonia to nitrite and nitrate....would it be best to cover the side walls and back of the aquarium with plants and the entire bottom? or would that be overkill? how long will an aquarium be able to go without complete overhauls when its setup like that?


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

To grow the less demanding plants I would suggest 3-400 watts. I would choose power compacts over reg. fluors. PCs put out more light/inch than reg fluors and burn cooler. You can also put the ballasts a distance from the lights. Poke around at http://www.ahsupply.com/[/spoiler] for info and good stuff.

Many plant folks do not run a UV seterilizer as it will also remove some things needed for plants. This is more of an issue with the more demanding plants.

Big tanks usually need big plants. At about 2 wpg you can grow most large swords and a host of others so going with 1.5 wpg+ will open up a lot more than those listed by simpte. Also, up to a point, a deeper tank needs fewer wpg gal than a shallow tank does to grow the same plants. This has to do with how much dispersal you have before the light hits the bottom.

For some good reading/info on plants and lights, here are a few great sites:
http://www.tropica.dk/database.htm
http://www.brainyday.com/jared/aquarium/info.htm
http://www.aquabotanic.com


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