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Lighting



Since first subscribing to this list, I have learned many things. It 
is obvious that I am benefiting from the experience of many people. 
I now have a 20 gallon "long" that is doing wonderfully after only 2 
months. Anubias nana is sending up a new leaf about once every two 
weeks, Cabomba and Bacopa must be trimmed back every week, many 
sun-tropical Hygrophilas are growing with nice pink leaves, and my 
two pygmy chain swords have literally carpeted the front of the tank! 
Thanks alot everyone!

Due to my (hopefully not too premature) success, I am beginning to 
think abot transforming a 65 gallon tank into a plant tank (anybody 
want some really nice looking Cichlids?). However, this tank is 
relatively deep (30"). It essentially has the same length and width dimensions of a 
standard 55 gallon, but is just taller to contain the extra 10 
gallons. Can I use the same amount of lighting as one would use on a 
55 gallon tank? I have read that the water column depths encountered 
in aquariums are not deep enough to appreciably limit the amount of 
the light reaching the substrate. I known I should shoot for about 1-2 
watts/gallon which would mean about 140 watts total. Would 4 40W 
fluorescent bulbs be the correct type of illumination to choose or 
should I go with MH?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Also I would like to 
custom build the hood which will house the lights. Does anyone have 
any DIY plans I might follow? Thanks again!

Robb D. VanPutte
Dept. of Biology
Texas A&M University