kalos.bios

Hello all,

I would like some advice on lighting for a 24" cube. It was originally going to be a reef set-up until I saw some incredible planted tanks a few months back. I am experimenting with a standard 55 gal. at
school with some luck (emphasis on "luck" here. . . no prior experience with aquarium plants). For the new cube, I currently have a 250 watt metal halide pendant (new in the box!) that I know would not be appropriate for my level of experience--thinking I can sell or trade for something more fitting a planted FW aquarium.

I am looking to grow a variety of hardy plants to start with a few interesting schooling fish. Any suggestions? I would like to experiment with CO2, but my budget is tight; I thought I could start w/ a DIY setup and progress as the wallet allowed. Any suggestions for the setup in general would be appreciated.

Thank you for any advice you can offer.

NoSvOrAx

Ok a bunch of people are gonna tell you 250w of MH is too much for a 24" cube. However, if its a high K bulb its not going to be as much usable light. Even so its only around 5 wpg, which with a good flow of co2 can be very managable. I have several tanks with that much light and I love them. You could also run a short light period. A good light for that tank is gonna cost you around the price of a co2 rig.

hoppycalif

I suggest using 150 watts maximum lighting - a MH pendant would work. That is a 60 gallon tank, so even 120 watts would work fine. Or you could make a light fixture using 3 AH Supply 55 watt light kits. If you don't use pressurized CO2, don't even think of going past 150 watts.

You can save money on substrate by using pool filter sand, or 3M Color Quartz sand (black for example), or Soilmaster (Turface or equivalent). If you want a rich substrate, just add a bottom layer of silt from a nearby river. That will save you a lot of $ over using ADA Aquasoil.

Think about the idea of starting the tank by growing an emersed carpet of HC or glosso. Then when you fill it with water you will have growing plants to help you avoid algae.

kalos.bios

Thank you much for the advice folks!

I think I'm going to sell the metal halide setup (I got a great price to begin with, and it's new in the box, so it should not be too much of a problem to get my $ back) and look for a good T5 retrofit. Any suggestions on quantity? I imagine I will have enough for a 6 bulb setup and break even. I do plan to save for a pressurized C02 kit. DIY (sugar and yeast method) seems like, at best, a short term solution for what I would like to achieve.

The idea of starting with emersed plants first is very creative. Thank you. Can other plants handle the transition from emersed to submerged like the Glosso you mentioned, Hoppy?

Now for the last in this series of questions: since this cube was originally designed for a reef application (I switched to a nano for my reef), it has a built in overflow. I have heard that an overflow is counter-productive with C02 applications. My idea was to cap off the bottom (run it sumpless) and use this space to hide the heater, as an intake for a canister, etc. Any advice on this. Right now, I'm waiting for a stand, so I have time to plan.

I do not want a disaster (my tank at school has had its ups and downs, but I have learned much from it. . . .), so I'm reading and getting as much advice as I can. Thank you for all your help, everyone.

hoppycalif

HC, hairgrass, HM, Marsilea minuta and glosso should all work well starting as emersed plantings. I suspect most stem plants would have problems because of the time it would take to transition from emersed leaves to submersed leaves. But, the only ones I know people have tried to start emersed are HC and glosso, both of which do it very well.