Aquarium Forum
Advertise
Freshwater Plants, Freshwater Planted Tanks Do you grow freshwater plants in your aquarium? This is the forum for you! Freshwater plant species, freshwater plant lights, freshwater plant water additives, chemistry, and plant nutrition. This forum is also a place to discuss plant-safe fish, CO2 dosing, nutrients, fertilizer, substrates, and other topics of interest to those keeping planted aquariums.

Go Back   Aquarium Forum General Freshwater Aquarium Topics Freshwater Plants, Freshwater Planted Tanks

Forgot Password?
Connect with Facebook

Welcome to the Aquarium Forum forums.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast and simple so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Connect with Facebook
OR

Members currently in the chatroom: 0
The most chatters online in one day was 16, 03-02-2012.
No one is currently using the chat.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 10-11-2011, 02:59 PM   #1 (permalink)
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 237
Location: Mass
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 1 Times
Was Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Default lighting question...do i have enough

I had recently upgraded fron a 10 to a 20 gallon tank. My previous tank had 2 15cfl watt bulbs making 3 watts a gallon. I have about 4 aponogetons, 1 dwarf lily (just starting to srpout) vand one anubius that has been seeing very minor growth now. I read on one site Lighting | Aquarium Basics | Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine
that 4-5 if you have co2 and ferts.
FOr that im running 2 3L bottles of diy co2 and the ting is bubbling a ton. I also had osmocote in pills capsules that were in the 10 but since changing to the 20 i scoped all the stuff up.
SO my questions are..
1. i was gonna get 2 26 wattcfl bulbs making 2.6 watts/gallon. Is this enough or way to low?
2. also should i refert the plants with capsules of osmocote or should i wait since i disturbed them in the tank upgrade.
jeff5347 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jeff5347

Join AquariumForum.com Today - It's Free!

Are you an aquarium enthusiast? Then we hope you will join the community. You will gain access to post, create threads, private message, upload images, join groups and more.

AquariumForum.com is owned and operated by fellow lifelong aquarium enthusiasts. We strive to offer a non-commercial community to learn and share information.

Join AquariumForum.com Today! - Click Here


Sponsors

Old 10-11-2011, 04:17 PM   #2 (permalink)
....has no life....
jrman83's Avatar
Welcome Wagon Aquarium Forum Tank Of The Month Winner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 9,463
Name: Ben
Location: White Plains, MD
Feedback: 16 / 100%
Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,382 Times
Said "Thanks" 478 Times
Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

WPG doesn't work with spiral CFLs (I assume this is what you had) . 2CFLs should work fine. If you are going to transfer the substrate from the 10g, no need to refertilize. Just be careful with how much you add. 4-6 (approx) capsules in a 20g is about all you need.
jrman83 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jrman83
Old 10-11-2011, 04:25 PM   #3 (permalink)
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 237
Location: Mass
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 1 Times
Was Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

jr, thanks forthe input here and on other posts. I have the spiral cfls and they are 15 and one is 26. The 15 says it is equivilant to i think 60 watts and 26 is equiv to i think 100. So would that mean my tank is getting 160watts?
jeff5347 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jeff5347
Old 10-11-2011, 04:33 PM   #4 (permalink)
....has no life....
jrman83's Avatar
Welcome Wagon Aquarium Forum Tank Of The Month Winner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 9,463
Name: Ben
Location: White Plains, MD
Feedback: 16 / 100%
Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,382 Times
Said "Thanks" 478 Times
Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

I never pay attention to equivalent wattage. Just focus on actual wattage. Make sure they are in the right spectrum.
jrman83 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jrman83
Old 10-13-2011, 09:22 AM   #5 (permalink)
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 237
Location: Mass
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 1 Times
Was Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

Hopefully someone will read theis update and post on what they think. So i added another 2 sockets into my DIY canopy and now have 2 26 watt PC cfls and 2 10 watt cfls. The 10 watts are these..Lights of America
They are both 6500k. So now since i have a 20 gall and the lighting is a total of 3.6 watts. The 10 watts bulbs have 600 lumen each so give off 60 lumens per watt or 30 lumens per gallon each. The GE Pc 26 watts are around 1600 lumens each so about 61 lumens per watt and 80 lumens per gallon.
The lighting is bright and so far the plants seem to eat up the lighting. I dont knowthe whole par, pur, lux and all that so im not sure how these do in that arena. So would i be right in saying my tank is getting 220 lumens per gallon and if so is that good? Am i way off on my calculations and numbers?

Im just wondering if 3.6-4 watts per gallon is way to much or if i am at a good point right here. Any advice comments, applause is welcomed. Oh also im not sure if my calculations i just gave are "correct" so if nor please re-educate me.
Thanks
jeff5347 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jeff5347
Sponsors

Old 10-13-2011, 09:47 AM   #6 (permalink)
....has no life....
jrman83's Avatar
Welcome Wagon Aquarium Forum Tank Of The Month Winner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 9,463
Name: Ben
Location: White Plains, MD
Feedback: 16 / 100%
Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3,382 Times
Said "Thanks" 478 Times
Was Thanked 2,431 Times in 2,286 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

I think you should be fine, given it is going to be mounted in a hood and probably not the optimum way to have CFLs. If they were mounted pendant style and you had individual reflectors you maybe would have too much. Either way, monitoring it for algae or other issues will be necessary.
jrman83 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jrman83
Old 10-13-2011, 10:15 AM   #7 (permalink)
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 237
Location: Mass
Feedback: 0 / 0%
Said "Thanks" 1 Times
Was Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

Thanks JR, I agree thats one reason i was curious as i was wondering if it would give algea a start. So far the plants seem to love the bright lights, the fish dont seem to care which is goo. Since i ganged my DIY co2 it is producing a ton of co2 so i think im good there
jeff5347 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To jeff5347
Old 10-13-2011, 11:44 AM   #8 (permalink)
who... me?
joevw007's Avatar
Welcome Wagon
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 239
Name: Joe Hemler
Feedback: 1 / 100%
Said "Thanks" 28 Times
Was Thanked 30 Times in 30 Posts
Default Re: lighting question...do i have enough

Quote:
Originally Posted by jrman83 View Post
I think you should be fine, given it is going to be mounted in a hood and probably not the optimum way to have CFLs. If they were mounted pendant style and you had individual reflectors you maybe would have too much. Either way, monitoring it for algae or other issues will be necessary.
+1
I have that exact bulbs as well and they are super bright, you should be fine with the plants you have. it might end up producing too much algae for you in the long run and you might want to go to only one bulb. good luck!
my .02
joevw007 is offline   Reply With Quote Send A Private Message To joevw007
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:32 AM.





Fish Topsites
Follow us on Twitter!
Alltop, confirmation that we kick ass

All content Copyright © AquariumForum.com & the respective author. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: We are not responsible for the content of any post or thread. This is a public forum and the content posted does not reflect the opinions of nor are endorsed by AquariumForum.com nor any of our employees.