Lightning help

[ismenio]

Hi everybody

This topic is for you folks help me to decide which light but in my tank.

The fertilization part is being discussed here http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/8110-This-would-be-a-good-routine-for-an-tank-without-any-source-of-CO2?highlight=

And by the way, all my tanks are no co2 tanks

In the other two tanks i have resolved the light issue, now they are at 30 PAR or a little bit but my problem is the tank of my goldies.

This is a tank with 35 x 31 x 19 inches and the light is above anothers 19 inches.

At beginning i have used a fixture with 2 pc of 55 W each but only the middle of the tank have light.
Then a have but a 24 PC philips tornado at 19 inches at the top of the tank and the plants where going fine, but was summer and the plants took advantage of direct sunlight and now that is winter i see the pants stop growing due ti insufficient light, i have bought the apoge sq120 sensor and i have found that i only have 5 umol.

Don´t forget that the tank is almost a square is a open tank and have immersed plants too that grow fine.

T5 or T5 HO are ugly and if i used a HQI ? From the lamp to the bottom are 38 inchs.

View attachment 2121

A new one

Regards

 

[ismenio]

Any opinion for this problem ?

Regards

Ismenio

 

[dutchy]

HQI lights are VERY strong, too much for a non CO2 tank, even 18 inch above the tank. Maybe if you hang it at ceiling level

Maybe you should have a dimmer setup so you can vary the intensity with the season.

regards,
dutchy

 

[ismenio]

Hi Dutchy

Yes i can hang on the ceiling, can i dimmer the hqi ? In that case 70 W would be fine or not enough ?

Do you have a better choice ? Is a open tank and i intended but more plants out of the tank.

Regards.

 

[dutchy]

I never used HQI and it's hard to tell without PAR meter. Probably Gerry could say something smart. If he doesn't respond, send him a PM.

There are also nice hanging pendants with T5. Two T5's would provide all the light you need.

regards,
dutchy

 

[ismenio]

Thanks, I don´t know wich hanging pendants you say, i´m in Portugal and some material is very expensive, HQI isn´t cheap but is far easy to find.
I have a par sensor, but any friend of mine with tanks have HQI to measure, because that i´m stuck with this, i don´t know what to put over the tank and i don´t want to buy something that will give too much light too.

regrads.

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

I can't really suggest a fixture for you but I think the HQI is too much for that tank.

Since you have a PAR meter, why not take it with you when looking at fixtures?

I had MH mounted 1 meter above a 24" deep tank and still had > 50 micromoles at the substrate...

Are you sure there is no simple COMPACT flourescent or similar?

 

[ismenio]

Thanks Gerryd.

At begining i have one of these

Is a 2 X 55W PC, but only got about 30 par at the middle of the tank, and behind and front i don´t have light since my tank is 35 by 31 inches, if i rise the fixture the par will decrease more and PC lamps only from sunsun, is very hard find a pc from hagen philips silvanis ge or other! T5 or T5HO is very easy, but how many lamps i will have to put side by side ? And probably my wife would kill me since probably will be very ugly.

By other hand you say the MH at that distance gives you about 50 par, well, can i use the MH without a reflector?
Or can i use a MH single ended with E27 on vertical ? Will it burn ? I don´t understand nothing about MH too.

I saw a tank of Tom Barr with too lamps above but i don´t no which lams are inside and i don´t know too the size of the tank.

Since my plants don´t grow without light and since i don´t want to grow algae neither what can i do ?

Regards

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

Well we do not want your wife to kill you

So, being as they are goldfish and the tank is sparsely planted, why do you feel you NEED to have light to cover the entire tank with more even PAR?

Most plants will be eaten by your goldies long before the lack of light is an issue lol

I think the tank looks fine where it is. Why do you want more light?

 

[ismenio]

Hi

I would like to have green plants and not brown plants.
In the first photo i do not have plants really but now i have, Java fern, big anubias with leaves with 3.5 inch and bigger, echinodorus grandiflora and others.
They leave the plants as long i feed they well, there will be some bytes but that not upset me.

The first photo is fine but actually is not so pretty.

Regards

 

[dutchy]

If using T5's, you would need to use two luminaires. If using MH, I would choose a variable height system with one 75 Watt bulb. That should do it. Then use the PAR meter to get no more than 40 micromol because it's a non CO2 tank.

Maybe this graph can help you

regards,
dutchy

 

[ismenio]

First of all thanks for your help.

I'll probably have to go to MH, now i have two question:

Cai i use this for example?

Probably the par will decrease sinse i don´t have to use a reflector.

Witch temperature of color will be better ?

Regards and tanks for your help.

 

[shoggoth43]

Color temp will not really tell you much for PAR so you may as well just get the color that looks most pleasing to your eye. 6500K or higher is "normal" for reefers. 5500-6500 would probably be a good range to start. Fresh water often gets filtered light or tannins/whatnot in the water so tends more to the yellower side but not always. Basically, get a color that looks good to you. The MH spectrum will tend to wander somewhat anyway as the bulb ages.

-
S

First of all thanks for your help.

I'll probably have to go to MH, now i have two question:

Cai i use this for example?

Probably the par will decrease sinse i don´t have to use a reflector.

Witch temperature of color will be better ?

Regards and tanks for your help.

 

[ismenio]

Thanks to everyone who helps me.

I will buy a MH and some how adjust with the par meter.
Why fertilize when i don´t have light to grow plants ? No method even EI will help me !
I will change and calibrate the fixture to 40 par and then start to fertilize.
I think that even goldfish deserve green plants to eat

Regards

 

[ismenio]

Hi

I have mount a MH Sylvania Metalarc HSI-TD 70W/NDL UVS
Now i have about 35 PAR in the front and back of the tank and 42 PAR in the middle of the tank.
The equipment is in a funny angle because it was the only way to balance the PAR along the tank, this kind of equipment is not for tanks but with the help of the par meter i have get there.
The lamp is 24 inches above the tank.

Now my issue about dosing will continue here http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/8110-This-would-be-a-good-routine-for-an-tank-without-any-source-of-CO2?highlight=

Regards and thanks for your help.