6ft tank - New to Planted Aquariums

R33 GTR · 03-14-2009, 05:26 AM

Hi a i have a new 6ft tank it is costum made it is 72x12x12 and i need lights to grow hc what type of bulb you recomend pc,t-5,t-5ho and the total watts tah must be run to get a compact hc carpet

BryceM · 03-14-2009, 07:59 AM

At a 12" depth, you shouldn't need that much. 2.5 watts per gallon with T5 lighting (with good reflectors) should do it just fine. Consistent CO2 is also necessary to get great growth from HC.

davemonkey · 03-14-2009, 09:59 AM

+1 on Bryce's comment.

What else are you planning on having in there?

R33 GTR · 03-20-2009, 06:06 PM

sorry but i got very sick this week but i will have pogostemon helferi ,riccia sp,dwarf hairgrass Bliax Japonica ,Bliax Alberti,Purple Cambomba,Tiger Lotus and i want something to the background but i dont know the lights i am going with two 36 t-5 it will be 153 watts thos light that have in the foto are the ornwers hose i only have the tank

c4cache · 03-20-2009, 06:32 PM

what is "HC"?

niko · 03-20-2009, 07:22 PM

HC is Hemianthus callitrichoides. A tiny plant that prefers to grow out of the water. In these pictures it's grown "emersed" - meaning out of the water only the roots are wet:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/HCMarch2008#

In a planted tank it forms a very low growing "carpet". The carpet is absolutely gorgeous looking. The plant needs a lot of light and nutrients to grow. When you provide them it grows like crazy, gets very thick and you must basically remove the entire mat and replant. It's worth the headache because the plant is VERY beautiful.

After a while you get tired of taking care of it. But look at examples - it's worth trying:
http://images.google.com/images?q=ca...en&rls=ig&sa=2

--Nikolay

R33 GTR · 03-21-2009, 09:49 AM

the substrate will be diy mineralized solid and river sand it will be first diy co2 then i will change for pressurized the light will be two 39 watts t-5ho any suggestion will be welcome