[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Lighting for a 100G "long"
I'm jealous! Sounds like this will be a spectacular tank.
Two observations about my 18"x18"x36" tank:
First: Four 40-watt fluorescent tubes hung about 6" from the tank's open
top do not cause blinding light in my living room. The tank is about a
foot from the sofa, and does not interfere with anything except watching
scary movies in the dark. Even with 3" overhang on either end of the
tank.
Second: I have a very large Echinodorus sp. (36" tall or so) whose young
leaves do not begin to get burned until they reach a distance of 3-4"
from the lights. I raise the lights to 12" above the tank when that
plant is in full production to prevent this. Of course, they just keep
growing up and up, but the older leaves get burned less severely.
Ludwigia, water hyacinth, and a species of saggitaria (? I think, it
came from my pond) have never been burned even when growing emersed.
I love the open top look to the tank, but don't know what MH would do to
your living space.
I do know that my LFS keeps two square planted tanks of about that depth
with MH pendants hung at least 20" above the surface of the water. I
have never observed good growth in these tanks, but that could be due to
a number of factors.
Melissa Shea
mjshea at earthlink_net
> 1. The tank is 18"x18"x6'.
> 3. How high would they have to be hung to avoid burning emergent leaves?>
> 4. This tank is going in my livingroom