fish_4_all

Ok, I am gonna give this another try but I need to know how to set it up this time so something other than algae grows. I used very little light last time and it failed misereably. I plan to either get another 4 foot shop fixture and put 2 bulbs in it or get a couple smaller ones so the light is more spread out over the entire setup. I am thinking I need at 20 watts per square foot to get good growth. I have some 25 watt screw in compact flourescent bulbs that I am considering using also. I think they would work but might be hard to wire in to get 4 of them close enough to give concentrated enough light. I know the screw in CF will not equal 25 watts total light but 4 of them should handle a standard sweater box of emersed growth or a couple 5 gallon tanks.

I am getting all this together over the next couple months as I am pretty sure I know what to do for a dome and what I want to use for trays and substrate but the lighting issue is the biggy so any help would be greatly appreciated.

niko

To start use four 48 inch T8 Daylight bulbs from Home Depot. The fixtures are about $10 each and you need two fixtures. The bulbs are about $10 for two bulbs. The 4 bulbs will provide enough light over 2 standard trays. Hang them about 2 inches above the humidity dome. Run them at least 10 hours a day.

Forget the moronic spiral CFs or the obsolete normal CF. Also do not waste your money on T12s. If you want the best light consider the Giesemann T5HO Midday from reefgeek.com.

There is much more to growing plants emersed but the more light (without overheating) the better. The T8s that I suggest are cheap and a good place to start.

--Nikolay

rs79

If you want the best consider hetal halide

The spiral cf's are ok in larger sizes with pendant or batwing reflectors. There's a cheap 48W one and an expensive 125W one. They're very painful to look at, the 125 is almost impossible to look at.

The smaller ones are ok in places where you have say, an old reflector meant for 4 incandescent bulbs. They're a cheap way to do low light tanks.

SCMurphy

For emersed growth set ups you are on the right track, a 4 foot fixture with a couple daylight T-8 bulbs will work great over the small containers you are planning on using. I use the screw-in daylight compact bulbs in desk lamps over nano tanks and they work great too. One each over the 5 gallon tanks would do the job. The sweater box or a seed flat with a humidity dome (get the extra tall one) would work better under the 4 foot fixture as you will get an even distribution of light that way.