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re: lighting
> I'll comment on one of Peter's lighting questions: >>>5. I need 3
> watts per gallon for a plant tank = 375 watts at least.>>>
[snip]
> 2 watts CF lighting per gallon should be plenty of light.
I think this really depends on what else is going on in your tank.
I have a fully planted 55 gallon tank lit with 2W/gal, and populated by three
discus, two clown botias, three ottos, three rams, and a couple of zebra danios.
Although all fish and plants seem healthy and happy, I have trouble keeping
nitrate levels down, even though I feed a total of 4 frozen 'gumdrops' of food
per day to the fish; really not much for the fish load.
Every day at about 4pm, a shaft of sunlight passes across my tank. As this
happens, the entire tank suddenly starts pearling and bubbling; the water looks
positively 'fizzy'. AFter the light passes, the plants continue to bubble, but
at a MUCH slower pace. There is almost no bubbling prior to the sunlight.
This reaction, combined with the nitrate buildup, has convinced me that 2W/gal
is not enough for this tank. It might be sufficient if I had a lighter fish
load.
- Anthony