Re: [APD] 100 gallon tank lighting

[Edson Manners <emanners at edsonmanners_com>]

Hi all,
        I'm new to this list.

This thread made me think of a reason why lots of my plants are turning
brown and dying. 

I have a Coralife - Deluxe series Double linear strip 6700K 65 watt
compact fluorescent freshwater  light with 4x65 watt lamps. Its 48" and
is used for my 75gallon community tank. I can't remember exactly when I
bought it but it's been maybe 2 years now.

Looking at this thread with the mention on replacements being ~$80 a
year. Is that in bulbs? I now think I remember reading something about
changing them every 9 months or something. Is that the rule or is there
some other way to know when the bulbs still shine but no longer give the
plants the correct UV radiation?? Well some other way besides the plant
leaves turning brown and dying. :-S

Should I just like buy new bulbs every January to make sure that my
plants get the proper lighting?

Thanks in advance for any responses I get.



On Sun, 2007-10-28 at 12:40 -0700, Elaine T wrote:
> Hi, all
> I've been quietly lurking for a while but I could use some advice.  I'm 
> setting up my first big tank.  A friend is giving me a 5-foot, 100g (60" 
> x 18" x 21") tank and I'm not sure about lighting.  The largest tank 
> I've run before was a 55g.  I'm planning a heavily planted angelfish 
> tank (altums if I can find 'em)  and mostly South American plants like 
> swords, cabomba, and valisneria.  I'm not going to try stunts like 
> riccia carpets, but I may do a Lilaeopsis lawn.  I need suspended 
> lighting or a fixture on legs so the tank doesn't overheat in the 
> summer.  Overheating is a BIG issue for my tnaks because I don't have 
> AC.  I will be running CO2 and I know how to fertilize properly.  I 
> don't paticularly want crazy growth, but I want plants to do well enough 
> that algae is not a problem.  I'm considering both fluorescent and metal 
> halide and I'm not a DIYer.  My options are:
> 
> -- Current USA 260W 5-foot CF fixture.  4x65W CF.  It would fit the tank 
> well and the look of the fixture is appealing.  Not sure it's enough 
> wattage, though.  It's expensive at about $425 to get the fixture and 
> buy FW bulbs and replacements are about $80/year.
> 
> -- Aquatraders (aka Jebo/Odyssea) 322W 5-foot CF fixture.  2x96, 2x65.  
> Fixture is only $250 with FW bulbs and fits the tank.  It has more 
> wattage than the Current USA but Aquatraders has a questionable 
> reputation (bad ballasts, noisy fans) which makes me hesitate.  
> Replacement bulbs $100/year.  Anyone got a Jebo/Odyssea/Aquatraders 
> fixture and like it?
> 
> -- Hydroponic 4-foot T5 HO fixture.  Energy efficient, comparable price 
> to CF, cooler running with no fans, long bulb life.  IMO this is better 
> technology than CF.  I can get 4, 6, or 8 54W bulbs for total wattage of 
> 216, 324, or 432 (yipes). Replacement bulbs are dirt cheap.  I've been 
> looking at Tek-Lights because the reflectors are supposed to be the best 
> available.  I only hesitate here because all the fixtures are 4 feet 
> long and I would have to hang it from the ceiling rather than having legs.
> 
> -- Metal halide pendants, 2x150W.  I love glitter lines, but this is a 
> $600 outlay plus $100 bulb replacements and might cook the tank.  
> Probably out of my budget.  If I would need fluorescents to lower light 
> intensity for part of the light cycle, the cost of the combined fixtures 
> is prohibitive.
> 
> So...what would you get?  How much wattage do I need?  Has anyone 
> suspended a 4-foot fixture over a 5-foot tank and how did it work?  
> Anyone seen other options (like a T5 HO fixture designed for 5-foot tanks)?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Elaine
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> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
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