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I have a 3ft tank that holds thirty five gallons(UK) of water.

once it was well planted but now not so much. plants have died I think because of lack of nutrients... no NO3 so improving my lighting is not exactly essential but hey since you guys know so much I figured I'd ask.

Lighting now - two 20 W bulbs.... they are called power glo and have a k? of 18000, NO idea what that means.

I also have a moonlight bulb 25W actinic - looks fantastic but does nothing for the plants wrong kinda light?(I have been doing some reading just easily confused)

my lights go on at 12noon, come off at 8pm and then the moonlight bulb is on till midnight?

1) is the above ok?

2) how long should I have them on to get the best growth for the plants?

3)don't laugh. if I put tin foil on the inside of my tank lid will help the lights? improve it? i was reading about reflectors..... and figured tin foil would reflect right?or would something white be better? or is it a pointless idea?have you stopped laughing yet?

4)also my lights just lay across the top of my tank? - it has a glass top and then a wooden lid above. Is that safe?

I only have very basic plants, but i 'd like to give them the best shot.

thank you.

GFG







Last edited by goldfishgeek at 28-Aug-2005 17:17

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

Hi,

Personally, I would get rid of those bulbs and purchase
a pair of DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT bulbs from the local hardware
store. They are less expensive, and provide the correct "K"
rating for good color rendering.

The "K" or "Kelvin" rating for bulbs is the temperature
(in degrees Kelvin) that one would have to heat a
black steel ball up to have it give off that light.

Heating the ball will take it from red at low
temperature, up through yellow, through white to
blue (18,000+ K).

Your pair of bulbs will barely give you 1 watt per gallon
(wpg). That is really, really low light, and only the most
hardy of the low light plants will survive in that tank.

The duration of the light should be around 10-12 hours on
(not counting the "moon light." Probably 10 hours would
be fine.

Lots of lights come with either polished aluminum or gloss
white painted reflectors behind the lights in an effort to
direct more of the light down into the tank. The foil is
fine, and best if you managed to mount it without having
alot of wrinkles in it. The slopes (angles) of the wrinkles
will scatter the light even more.

Placing a piece of glass between the light and the water is
generally a good idea. The problem arises when the hood
over heats because there is no way for air to circulate
around and through the hood. Properly fitted, the glass will
help prevent condensation (moisture) from getting on the
electronic and metal parts corroding them and ruining the
hood.

Frank



Last edited by FRANK at 29-Aug-2005 01:27

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Wow thanks Frank.

ok, so I need more watts..... my tank is only three foot long! What Kelvin rating do I need?

these are the lights I have - from the Hagen Website,

the aqua glo
[link=http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&amp;SUBCAT=112&amp;PROD_ID=01015830031001]http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&amp;SUBCAT=112&amp;PROD_ID=01015830031001" style="COLOR: #000040[/link]

the power glo
[link=http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&amp;SUBCAT=112&amp;PROD_ID=01016260030101]http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&amp;SUBCAT=112&amp;PROD_ID=01016260030101" style="COLOR: #000040[/link]

my light box thing, that the lights plug into I think that can take up to 80Watts.... at the moment I have 24' bulbs i think I could go to thirty inches...so bigger bulbs and a different Kelvin rating.

I will do the tin foil thing.

Thanks again Frank

GFG

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

great info frank , i always wondered what degrees K had with light output

OH TOLEEDY!

Hi,
From your comments about the "light box thing" I gather that
its home made and you can move the sockets.

First, the light strip or canopy or hood, should cover the
entire width of the tank. That way the whole tank is
lighted and not just the center. So, use the longest tube
that will fit.

Second, as I mentioned, I would toss those bulbs, and
go to a hardware store and purchase the replacement bulbs,
of the correct length, that are labeled DAYLIGHT or
SUNLIGHT. They are 6700K and will change the appearance of
the tank, by giving off a white light that resembles the
over head, noonday, sun. If your tank is more than 18
inches deep, you might consider making one or both bulbs be
10,000K. The higher the "K" rating, the more blue the light
and the deeper it will penetrate. A caution... Bulbs that
are 20,000K and higher are designed for Salt Water tanks
that house invertebrates and are especially harsh, and can
wash out the colors in a planted tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

"From your comments about the "light box thing" I gather that
its home made and you can move the sockets."

er no, just don't know what its actually called....:0

"First, the light strip or canopy or hood, should cover the
entire width of the tank."

check will get 30' bulbs

"Second, as I mentioned, I would toss those bulbs, and
go to a hardware store and purchase the replacement bulbs,
of the correct length, that are labeled DAYLIGHT or
SUNLIGHT. They are 6700K and will change the appearance of
the tank, by giving off a white light that resembles the
over head, noonday, sun."


will that help with plants?? sorry i guess it will plants grow in daylight right.....?

and i want bulbs that have a K rating 67000 not 18000 like I have now.
Check.

and I need more than one Watt per gallon?

Will have to get paid first.
thank you Frank you are as ever fantastic.
GFG

Last edited by goldfishgeek at 29-Aug-2005 18:08

Last edited by goldfishgeek at 29-Aug-2005 18:09

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone