[Paul Higashikawa]

http://www.hellolights.com/361xcofraq1x.html

Am thinking of getting the above system for my 20-gal long, which is 30" long. I am thinking, it could work if I add the legs also by Coralife, which they claimed will work on tanks smaller than that size. Anyone with this product experience please lend me some word of wisdom.

On second thought, would I be better off with a 30" 65-W Satellite instead?

Anything pertaining to the above two systems will be greatly appreciated! This is sorta urgent since I will be setting a new 20-gal long and am looking for lighting system.

Paul

 

[ShaneSmith]

I would use the 65 watter.

 

[gnatster]

The 36" 95W fixture while it will work with the Coralife legs will look ungainly with 3" hanging off each edge. 65W should be sufficient to grow pretty much anything and IMNSHO will also look much nicer as whole.

However an interesting possibly would be to let the 36" unit hang over 6" on one end and place a nanocube or similar small planted vessel next to the 20 gal to take advantage of the light spillover.

 

[bharada]

With the 65w fixture you'll have drop off at the sides of the tank since the bulb is only ~23" wide. With stem plants it could create a situation where plant on the sides of the tank start growing diagonally to reach the light.

 

[Paul Higashikawa]

Forgot to ask; how long is the 96W bulb for the 36"Coralife? I would imagine it be less than 36", right? If it is around 32-33" then it would be perfect for the 20-gal long, whereas the Satellite 30" one has bulb that is less than that length. As gnat had said, the extra light spillage from the 96W could cover another small tank. Thanks for the input, guys! Now, more, more, more!!!(again, thanks alot, people)


Paul

 

[bharada]

The 96w tube is about 34" long.

 

[trenac]

Paul, do you know that Coralife now has a 30" freshwater fixture available. I would also opt for the 65 watt fixture for a 20G long. I have a JBJ 30" 65 watt fixture on my 20G long and it gives plenty of coverage all the way around. IMO, the 96 watt will be to much light for the 20G long tank since you do not have as much depth to penatrate.

 

[Paul Higashikawa]

You guys are the best! Thanks, y'all! Yeah, I also think the single 65-W should be sufficient for me, and by that I mean to grow even the high light plants. One thing I like about the 20-gal long is that it has the same depth as the 10-gal, which means in terms of light penetration, it's about the same. Now I just have to decide which brand to go with. Yeah, I did see the Coralife 30" one, but that was 2X65W, not the single. Is there a store that do sell the single 30" Coralife? If not then I will go with the single Satellite 30". I already have a 24" Satellite so I can at least attest to this brand's quality. But any other opinions are definitely welcomed! You guys are helping me so much! I won't commence with the rescape until next week the earliest since it has to do with rearranging part of my house. Everything has to go together and match. The neverending house chores, people! I need some moment of peace

Paul

 

[richy]

i am relatively in the same position, except that my tank is already set up. i'm looking into getting a retrofit kit from www.ahsupply.com (either 2x55w or 2x36w) to fit a truvu hood on a 30G tank. i believe the hood is only 24" long, while the retrofits for the hood are 17.5" for the 36w bulbs and 22" for the 55w. has anyone retrofitted with these kits?

i'm also considering one of the 36" Coralife fixtures and several others. i have not decided on anything yet. the primary reason that i like the ahsupply retrofits is the design on the reflectors, which has a higher reflection ratio than other fixtures. are there noticeable differences in plant growth compared to premade fixtures, such as the Coralife, JBJ, or Satellite fixtures?

i'm a little wary of buying from ahsupply tho becuz you have to purchase the bulbs separately, while the premade fixtures generally include the bulb(s). in the end the ahsupply fixture comes out to be a little pricier. has anyone had experience with the retrofits from ahsupply? i'd like to know your experience with them.

my setup: 30G plexi, 36W total PC lighting, CO2 diffusion using Hagen's natural plant ladder system.

TIA.

 

[Paul Higashikawa]

Best reflector, simply. I built a hood for my 29-gal, and bought their reflectors and bulbs. Everything looks and works great. DIY diagram is very easy to follow. It's all up to you. Their bulbs come in a variety of K readings, while most planted lighting system's bulbs are just 6,500K, like the Coralife planted light I got...which is great, too! But some people just don't like the spectrum around that range, so AHS provides more choice. I got the 5000K and 6500K from them. I think a combo of diff K bulbs work real nicely, rather than a hood with identical K bulbs, at least for me.



Paul

 

[richy]

re: K rating of bulbs, how much of a difference does it make on plant growth? my understanding of it is that plants prefer a 6700K rating. is there any incremental benefit by mixing the use of bulbs with different K ratings?

also, i know that 10,000K bulbs are generally for SW use. is there any benefit to FW plants using this rating?

-r

 

[trenac]

The K rating 5500-10000k all benifit plant growth, its the actinic blue bulbs that are used in marine setups for coral growth; how much or little actinic blue bulbs benifit plant growth is still up for debate. The K rating you get depends on the color that you want, some mix K ratings to get the color combo they desire.

10,000k- bluish white or bluish tint

5000k- yellow tint

6700k- color tint between 10000k & 5000K