Lighting question

[davej]

Tom, I am using 2 URI Aquasun bulbs on my 55 gallon tank right now.
What are your feelings on this amount of light (220W) is it too much?
I cant find any info on their color spectrum and wonder if anybody has it somewhere.
The reason I went with these is the fact that they come in 46.5" lengths to fit in my 4 foot tank stand.
Should I keep on using them or change to a different bulb.
Lately since starting to dose EI my glosso seems to want to grow straight up rather than hugging the substrate, I was wondering if the bulbs had something to do with it. I plan on getting a new bulb to replace the oldest one in the next couple of days, but was wondering if I need to rethink the lighting all together.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Lighting question

Tom, I am using 2 URI Aquasun bulbs on my 55 gallon tank right now.
What are your feelings on this amount of light (220W) is it too much?
I cant find any info on their color spectrum and wonder if anybody has it somewhere.

They are around 6500K or so last I recall, I shied away from old VHO tech for PC and T5's, more bulb options, smaller, easier to wire and cheaper all the way around(ballast, bulbs parts etc).

The reason I went with these is the fact that they come in 46.5" lengths to fit in my 4 foot tank stand.
Should I keep on using them or change to a different bulb.

These are the best bulbs for planted tanks if you use VHO's.

Lately since starting to dose EI my glosso seems to want to grow straight up rather than hugging the substrate, I was wondering if the bulbs had something to do with it. I plan on getting a new bulb to replace the oldest one in the next couple of days, but was wondering if I need to rethink the lighting all together.

I'd say it has little to do with the light.
Mow that weed.
Trim it to about 1".
It is a weed and will grow back at the normal 1-2" per day.

Some folks just rip it up and replant.
I prefer HC myself, looks nicer and is easier to deal with.

Also, I can see the taller stem plants too close to the gloss, if the gloss gtes shaded and olnly has a narrow angle it gets lights from, it'll shoot up.
So either keep the other plants trimmed low or use different lower growing plants there.

That alone is likely causing it to get leggy, not the light
I have 3 tanks with 1.5-1.6 w/gal and lots of gloss doing quite well.

So it's not the light........
Many like to say it is........but when I can grow gloss at 24-28" deep tanks with NO FL's at 1.5 w/gal???

Something else must be occuring obviously.............
I will say this often and have, more light is not better.


Regards,

Tom Barr



Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[davej]

Re: Lighting question

Tom I have since trimmed the plants behind as well as cut down the glosso, and still it wants to grow up. That is why I was wondering about the lights.
The Aquasun bulbs are 10000K not 6500K could that be a problem?

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Lighting question

No, the lights are not the issue, trim the plants behind the gloss also.
10K is fine.

Regards,
Tom Barr