optimum lighting

[rwel4809]

Hi,

I am about to purchase lighting for my new planted tank that is being built at the moment :

300 litres: 100 (L) x 50 (W) x 61 (H) cm

I am either going with 8x 39 watt t5s or 2 x 150 watt halides + 2 x 39 watt t5's

question is do I need the halides as my tank will be 24" deep

or will 8 t5's be plenty

I know its a lot of light, but I will be adding lots of CO2 and ferts.....

also the halide fitting has moonlights and the each different type of light (halide, t5, led) is on a different lead, so I can recreated a sunrise -sunset to moonlight effect - which I imagine will be very cool :D

[ILLUSN]

you wont need halides for a 2 foot deep tank, mine run fine on t5's, also the spectrum of the MH tends to drift with age so they're ony good for a year, t5's hold spectrum but do loose intensity over time, again I replace my t5's every year.

8 is a lot, i get massive algae problems with 4 over a 250L. if you went with something like the aquamedic sunbeam strip lights with individual reflecters i reckon you'd still get emmersed growth under water with 6 tubes (3 fittings) (it would be equivilent to 400w of t8 light over your 300L tank).

you'd also still be able to have your sunrise/sunset effect.

[Bald_noggin]

I only run 4 x 54 Watt T5's on a 6 foot by 2 by 2 and I'm very impressed with the amount of light they punch out. They also run a lot cooler than a MH which run hot and can be a problem depending on the climate where you are located.

I am able to grow medium-high light level demanding plants like Rotala Wallichii and Lilaeopsis brasiliensis (Microsword) which is growing into all the corners of the tank.

I have a third 2x52w ballast ready to install to provide more lighting but I don't think that I'll ever need to install it because everything is doing so well.

[rwel4809]

Thanks for the advice guys - I think I'll go with the t5's .. and they're cheaper than MH's so all is good


Robert