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This is a fairly simple idea; build a canopy, and rig it up to use these things:http://www.rewci.com/rewilliams/26wafuspcofl.html

I'm thinking 4-5 of them for my 33 gallon. Would this work? On a more plant related note, would there be any point going this high light without a CO2 system? Also, any thought on this substrate? any concern about heavy metals or pH buffering?


[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-07 18:23][/span]

Would it work? Yeah, but it'd be terribly inefficient - most of the light those bulbs produce just bounces around inside and never gets to what they're pointed at. A 33 is a 4' tank, right? Be a loooot cheaper, and you'd get much better light out of it, to build a canopy with some normal shoplites.

I tend to think of it the opposite way: what's the point of avoiding CO2 if you want high light plants? It's easy (I use the Hagen kit now because I always hated the look of the DIY bottles, but either way - a couple of minutes twice a month, so what?) and dashed effective.

I really wouldn't use that substrate - coal in the tank seems like a bad idea somehow. But moreover, if you're going for lights, why not get some good gravel? Fluorite'll last you forever, pretty much - if you have it twenty years each bag only cost you seventy-five cents per year.

-Molly
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For the bulbs, what about throwing in a reflector behind them?

The substrate isn't actualy coal, thats just the color of it, the substrate its self apparently works very well for growing plants.

Question on the DIY's; do they tend to have problems with pH fluctuations because of pressure inconsistancy?

Also another idea if you'll humour me; what about using an actual co2 canister with an expansion chamber followed by a reg?

And just because I want to ask a million and one questions, how about a quartz halogen light?

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-07 18:41][/span]

A reflector's still only going to give you what's coming out of the back half of the light - most is caught in the middle. Why not normal fluorescent tubes? Just as easy, or more so, and a lot more effective.

Okay ... I still think you're safer with a tried-and-true plant substrate rather than an unknown quantity. Why that one?

It's minor, and IMO the fish can easily handle the changes. With a nice kh (about 3-6 is ideal, I've found) you can maintain a fairly stable pH while allowing adequate CO2 saturation.

No idea ... I know nothing about compressed CO2, sorry.

Not a fan. They're really really really really hot, which is always a good clue a light isn't spending most of its energy on light, I've never seen one with a particularly good spectrum, and I seem to recall they're kind of expensive - at least, more so than a couple of shoplite fixtures in a homemade hood would be.

-Molly
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what sort of wattage could i manage with about 10 inches width for room and 36 length not including room for fixtures using shop lights?

I got that specific substrate because it was reccomended to me by a guy who knows a whole lot about fish. He and his wife have kept discus over 20 years, preffering that substrate for his tanks over anything else.

I'll likely dump the QH idea unless I can find one with a good spectrum, and the ammount of lumens it outputs.

I don't see anything wrong with the substrate other than you have no clue what it is.... It just says geo system.. you can't even tell how big the particles are in that little pic which won't zoom well. As for the compact flourescent lights they work somewhat there are better kinds than the one you linked to. I use that and a rounded kind for my 10g simply because my mom manages apartments and I get them free. They aren't efficient and they don't provide many lumens. I have 40watts on one of my 10g and it still looks somewhat dark compared to my other tanks with regular flourescents. $10 for a shoplight holding 2 48inch lights

i already have a bag of the stuf, it was $20 canadian so i grabbed it while on vacation; normaly its $45 around here. Its fairly much a blend of organic compounds packed into little granules about 2-3mm. It annoys me slightly that they won't list the actual contents, but i can live with that because of who reccomended it to me; just looking for a seccond opinion realy. For length I'm limmited to far less than 48 inches, in fact all I can manage is 36 inches for tank length.

Another thought on the QH light; would it work to go much higher wattage? i've got an extra 500 watt fixture just sitting around right now. I figure with a bit of reading on spectrum I could get equivalency using it. I'de throw a bulb slightly less than 500 watts naturaly; no need to fry the fishies retnas .