What type of light is this?

[Fallen_angel42]

Okay, I've gotten so many people telling me this lighting system I have for my 29 gallon tank is low, medium, and somewhat high. Can someone please give me a straight forward anwser! I have a T-5 48W over it, which is about 1.6 wpg. But I know the watts per gallon rule doesn't really apply to T-5 lights. So which is it, low, medium, or high. If it's high I'm going to buy stuff to test the Kh and Ph and put DIY Co2 and dose with liquid ferts. I don't want to have to buy the Kh and Gh testing and the DIY CO2 if I have low light, and all that would cause is a algea bloom.

 

[dutchy]

What are the dimesions of the tank and how high is the T5 above the water surface? What is the distance from water level to substrate? Do you use a reflector?

regards,
dutchy

 

[Fallen_angel42]

The dimensions of the tank are 30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4 and the light is about 3 in from the water. The water level to the substrate is about 16 in. and I do use reflectors.

 

[dutchy]

So that's a total of 19 inch from light to substrate. According to measurements with a PAR meter this will give you around 65 micromol of light at the substrate, which is medium light. Plants need around 30 to 35 micromol as a minimum to keep growing. Your light puts out twice that much. If you're not using CO2 you could raise your lights another 5 inch. If you have a fixed white painted canopy and can't raise your lights you could remove your reflector which in both cases will bring you back to around 45 micromol, low light.

regards,
dutchy.

 

[Fallen_angel42]

Okay, I will use some sort of DIY CO2 and check it by using the chart with KH and PH to see how much ppm of CO2 I'm getting. Now, I might try to use the EI dosing of ferts

20-40 Gallon Aquariums
+/- ¼ tsp KN03 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 3x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp (5ml) Trace Elements 3x a week
50% weekly water change


Is this ideal for my tank set-up, I plan on having it stocked to the brim with plants But my selection is limited, I plan on using the Hagen CO2 Natural Plant System, I have heard good reviewes with it. Should I but it and toss the ladder for something more diffusable, like a nano glass diffuser? Someone did tell me it waste alot of CO2 because the bubbles are so big. :/