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Re: Compact Flourescent lighting question

I don't know how well this fixture will reflect light back to the tank. I 
have used these light bulbs in strips, in place of incandescents and I think 
they rate okay. There's a list member who builds all his light strips using 
these compacts and has great success. Unfortunately aol trashed all my mail 
and bookmarks, so I can't provide their url. He even has a DIY page on how to 
build strip lights cheaply. I'll leave it to someone else to help you with 
the lighting.

I do have an experience with 2 window tanks. On one I put backing and 
provided additional lighting; on the other, it received direct sun (no 
backing paper), plus some, but less, additional lighting. These two tanks sit 
side by side. I did have some algae problems in the tank with backing, not 
major, and waited until it was well established and growing before I removed 
the backing. The water remained clear and the algae growth was about the same 
as before.

Though I loaded the other tank with plants heavily from the get go, I 
developed green water, and thready cotton algae. I covered the tank for a 
week with a towel. It cleared the water but I lost some plants. I now have 
backing on this tank until I get it well cycled and growing.

It just seems  to me that it's better to get the tank actively growing and 
established before exposing it to full sun. Maybe modify the amount of time 
the sunlight hits the tank.

Sylvia

> F.Y.I...I have 2 otto's in the tank so far, Hygrophila difformis,
>  Sagittaria subluvata va. subluvata, and Egeria densa...so far I have
>  been battling first diatoms which the otto's took care of and now green
>  algae on the glass and extremely fast growing brownish thread type algae
>  in major clumps...I change 4 gallons of  water a day and it still keeps
>  coming...I have yeast CO2 into an internal power filter and fertilized a
>  plain gravel bed with too many jobe's palm spikes (too much N and P in
>  the water column) and Root Tabs (0-0-3+iron).  Ooops...can't seem to get
>  the  algae to slow. By the way...water in Missoula, MT is as hard as the
>  rocks!..
>