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i have a 20 gallon tank. i have plants that are growing and i have a temp. light set up for the live plants. i dont have a light for the aquarium yet but im wondering how many watts of light do i need to buy from the petstore?? also what kind! please help

That depends on what type of plants you want to grow. Some, such as java ferns, only need a little bit of light. Others need a whole lot. Decide what plants you want, then we can tell you how much light you'll need.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Id say for most plants 2wpg(watts per gallon) .. so id go with about 40 watts. just make sure its floresent (full spectrum if possible) and not incandesent.

Good luck.. keep us posted as to how it goes!!!!!
-CJ

Hi,
As I read your post, you already have plants, are
using a temporary setup for lighting, and are asking
how many watts/gallon you should purchase.

Actually, if you have plants in the tank, then you
are going about things backwards. What you should
have done was figure out how many watts/gallon you
can afford, and then purchase plants that fall into
that category or below.

If you already have plants, go to this site:
http://www.azgardens.com/
Then follow the links to the packages. They have
plants in packages for low (less than 2 watts/gallon),
Medium (2-3 watts/gallon), and high (3+ watts/gallon).

Look on the list of plants in the various packages,
and find the ones you have.
Purchase light (watts/gallon) that will take care of
the bulk of them. If the plants you have need low
and medium, then purchase the medium (2-3 watts/gallon)
light and then plants in both will grow just fine.

Frank



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