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Re: light




> After looking at Jeff Kropp's, Frode Roe's, Erik Leung's and others tanks from
> photos, I see many of you grow plants more compact and less etiolated (ok, a
> botanical term long internodes or spaces betw/the leaves) than mine.
> 
> Clearly, more light would be required than what I provide to get this kind of
> growth, right?

No, not really.

>  I currently have 3 watts/gal on my 40 gal tank from 4 30 watt
> flourescents. 

That's about what most of those tanks you like have on them.

> I use Corallife's Trichromatic bulbs and never let them get
> older than 6 months.  As an aside, the Corallife hood I have ONLY takes
> Corallife T-12 bulbs; other types won't fire up well or at all; I tried many.
> There is a great mirror inside the hood they are in, so reflected light is
> fine too.  Nevertheless, my Glossostigma is growing up even before it is
> getting crowded.  I aspire to it being more flat.

I've had it grow pretty flat at 2 watts a gallon. It grows faster at higher
light, but that's not always a good thing with this weed. It'll run up if
it's shaded, crowded.
 
> Do you all use compact fluourescents these days?  or metal halides?

I use one or the other. I seldom take to mixing. MH's => open top tank.
 
> Or a mix? 
> When I recently visited Albany Aquarium in Albany, CA, I saw Jeff Kropp's tank
> there and it had a "mega" amount of light - a mixture of cf's, fluourescents,
> and who knows what.  I couldn't look at the hood long enough to take it all
> in.

It's about a little over 2 watts a gallon, not that much.

> 
> I'm interested in more light - what's the next step up from 3 watts/gal using
> standard 
> T-12 fluourescents?

2x 55 watt or a single triton T-8 and one 96 watt 5000K PC.
Regards, 
Tom Barr  
> 
> Thanks much,
> Roxanne Bittman