Aquarium light

vendixa · 04-01-2004, 04:19 PM

Hi there. I am new here. I have a 180 litre aquarium tank with few plants in it. they are not very healthy. all i have is 2 35 watts neon tubes. do you think they are enough for my aquarium?

drfish · 04-01-2004, 06:56 PM

Neon tubes? Do you mean fluorescent? 75 watts in a 180 litre (~50 gallon) should be ok for some plants (right Liath?) but a third tube would probably be helpful... Specifically any kind of plant grow light with full spectrum coverage... I think you're supposed to have about 1 watt per gallon for an unplanted tank, and two or three times that for a planted one...

I am not a plant expert, and this fourm is really mainly for computer fish, but there are a couple people here that can probably help better than myself...

Panthera · 04-01-2004, 11:34 PM

I just recently read that it's 3 watts per gallon, not sure if it meant w/ or w/o plants, but I thought it meant w/ plants. If so then vendixa should have 150 watts per 50 gallon tank.

Liath · 04-02-2004, 08:06 AM

3 watts per gallon is the recommendation for a heavily planted tank. I have about half that, and my plants seem to do ok. Some plants have much higher light requirements than others, so I try to use plants that only need low to medium lighting. I use two Hagen 15 watt Life-glo lights for my 20 gallon tank. These are full spectrum lights with internal reflectors. Kind of pricey though.

Liath · 04-02-2004, 08:11 AM

A good forum for this topic is The All Wet Thumbs Community

vendixa · 04-02-2004, 11:39 AM

Hey thanks everyone for his help. Yes I read alot that 3watts per gallon should be the preferable light. That means that I have to have twice as much light as I have now. I think what I would do is try to put only another 35w flourescent tube and see if that would be ok. Thanks everyone for his help. thanks Liath for the suggested forum. :-)

cjmaddy · 04-02-2004, 01:06 PM

Doesn't the length of time the light is on also have a bearing on the wattage required? - Together with the amount of natural daylight, ..... and NO sunlight!

Liath · 04-02-2004, 02:52 PM

I have heard that you should have a 10 to 12 hour photoperiod no matter what the wattage, but I don't know for sure if that's true. Leaving the lights on too long will definitely result in an algae bloom, and I do know that plants need a good nights rest just as much as I do.

drfish · 04-02-2004, 05:40 PM

Yeah, something to do with some guy named Calvin...

Tiny Turtle · 04-03-2004, 12:43 AM

Probably missing the irony, but don't you mean Kelvin?

Panthera · 04-03-2004, 01:09 AM

Originally posted by Liath
I have heard that you should have a 10 to 12 hour photoperiod no matter what the wattage, but I don't know for sure if that's true. Leaving the lights on too long will definitely result in an algae bloom, and I do know that plants need a good nights rest just as much as I do.

Yep, that is exactly what I've heard too.. 10-12 hours of light but not too much or, as Liath mentioned, it will result in an algae bloom.

When I first got started with my fish tank, I always left the lights on so I could watch the fish. I started noticing algae growth all around then finally realized it was caused by so much light. Plus fish need to sleep too and some fish (like my pleco) eat at night.

vendixa · 04-03-2004, 02:40 AM

I leave the lights on for about 10 to 12 hrs a day as you said. Lately what I did was to cover each flourescent tube with a half pipe on the inside of which I put a silver contact paper so that the light reflects directly in the aquarium and I'm noticing good results. All my plants are growing again slowly. Now I think I will add another flourescent tube and hopefully I will have good results

drfish · 04-03-2004, 06:26 AM

Calvin Cycle

Edit: Here's another good one.

Tiny Turtle · 04-03-2004, 07:30 AM

Ouch! Arrows of interest almost struck my eye out...

I know, I asked about it (sort of).

/Tiny 5000K

ESHIREY · 04-03-2004, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by vendixa
I leave the lights on for about 10 to 12 hrs a day as you said. Lately what I did was to cover each flourescent tube with a half pipe on the inside of which I put a silver contact paper so that the light reflects directly in the aquarium and I'm noticing good results. All my plants are growing again slowly. Now I think I will add another flourescent tube and hopefully I will have good results

They do reflect more like that . You know you can buy the bulbs like that . I have them in my tank .

Panthera · 04-15-2004, 02:17 PM

Ok I think I just confused myself.. when we say 10-12hrs of light, does this include sunlight or does it mean just bulb light?

cjmaddy · 04-15-2004, 04:29 PM

I think it is referring just to bulb light!

It is not wise to let ANY sunlight shine onto a fish tank. - Algae will grow rampant!
Some ordinary daylight is OK!

Panthera · 04-15-2004, 07:08 PM

That's what I thought but wasn't sure.. makes sense though.

My tanks aren't near my windows but I do get regular sunlight from the day in my apt.

cjmaddy · 04-16-2004, 02:24 PM

As long as the sun never shines directly on to the tank, things should be fine!

04-01-2004, 04:19 PM	#1
vendixa Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Malta Posts: 3	Aquarium light Hi there. I am new here. I have a 180 litre aquarium tank with few plants in it. they are not very healthy. all i have is 2 35 watts neon tubes. do you think they are enough for my aquarium?

04-01-2004, 06:56 PM	#2
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	Neon tubes? Do you mean fluorescent? 75 watts in a 180 litre (~50 gallon) should be ok for some plants (right Liath?) but a third tube would probably be helpful... Specifically any kind of plant grow light with full spectrum coverage... I think you're supposed to have about 1 watt per gallon for an unplanted tank, and two or three times that for a planted one... I am not a plant expert, and this fourm is really mainly for computer fish, but there are a couple people here that can probably help better than myself... I don't watch commercials.

04-02-2004, 08:06 AM	#4
Liath Still here in spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 637	3 watts per gallon is the recommendation for a heavily planted tank. I have about half that, and my plants seem to do ok. Some plants have much higher light requirements than others, so I try to use plants that only need low to medium lighting. I use two Hagen 15 watt Life-glo lights for my 20 gallon tank. These are full spectrum lights with internal reflectors. Kind of pricey though. Liath Appleton University of Michigan Museum of Zoology My Homepage Why I've been gone

04-02-2004, 08:11 AM	#5
Liath Still here in spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 637	A good forum for this topic is The All Wet Thumbs Community Liath Appleton University of Michigan Museum of Zoology My Homepage Why I've been gone

04-02-2004, 02:52 PM	#8
Liath Still here in spirit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 637	I have heard that you should have a 10 to 12 hour photoperiod no matter what the wattage, but I don't know for sure if that's true. Leaving the lights on too long will definitely result in an algae bloom, and I do know that plants need a good nights rest just as much as I do. Liath Appleton University of Michigan Museum of Zoology My Homepage Why I've been gone

04-02-2004, 11:39 AM	#6
vendixa Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Malta Posts: 3	Hey thanks everyone for his help. Yes I read alot that 3watts per gallon should be the preferable light. That means that I have to have twice as much light as I have now. I think what I would do is try to put only another 35w flourescent tube and see if that would be ok. Thanks everyone for his help. thanks Liath for the suggested forum. :-)

04-02-2004, 01:06 PM	#7
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	Doesn't the length of time the light is on also have a bearing on the wattage required? - Together with the amount of natural daylight, ..... and NO sunlight!

04-02-2004, 05:40 PM	#9
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	Yeah, something to do with some guy named Calvin... I don't watch commercials.

04-03-2004, 12:43 AM	#10
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Probably missing the irony, but don't you mean Kelvin? Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

04-03-2004, 02:40 AM	#12
vendixa Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Malta Posts: 3	I leave the lights on for about 10 to 12 hrs a day as you said. Lately what I did was to cover each flourescent tube with a half pipe on the inside of which I put a silver contact paper so that the light reflects directly in the aquarium and I'm noticing good results. All my plants are growing again slowly. Now I think I will add another flourescent tube and hopefully I will have good results

04-03-2004, 06:26 AM	#13
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	Calvin Cycle Edit: Here's another good one. I don't watch commercials.

04-03-2004, 07:30 AM	#14
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Ouch! Arrows of interest almost struck my eye out... I know, I asked about it (sort of). /Tiny 5000K Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

04-03-2004, 08:58 AM	#15
ESHIREY Smilie Dragon Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lebanon, PA Posts: 4,725	Originally posted by vendixa I leave the lights on for about 10 to 12 hrs a day as you said. Lately what I did was to cover each flourescent tube with a half pipe on the inside of which I put a silver contact paper so that the light reflects directly in the aquarium and I'm noticing good results. All my plants are growing again slowly. Now I think I will add another flourescent tube and hopefully I will have good results They do reflect more like that . You know you can buy the bulbs like that . I have them in my tank . Thank you for taking the time to read this.

04-15-2004, 04:29 PM	#17
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	I think it is referring just to bulb light! It is not wise to let ANY sunlight shine onto a fish tank. - Algae will grow rampant! Some ordinary daylight is OK!

04-16-2004, 02:24 PM	#19
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	As long as the sun never shines directly on to the tank, things should be fine!