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Re: lighting for hex tank
In the last digest there were two different stories on MH lamps and whether
or not they are too much or too little for the 60 gallon hex being discussed.
Well, here's my experience, FWIW. I have a 75 gallon pentagonal that is
fairly deep (guessing ca. 2 feet). It is about 30 inches wide at its
greatest width. There are two 175 watt MH lamps illuminating this tank.
The lamps are mounted horizontally in an open-top hood. There is some
light loss b/c the light must pass through the glass panels in the hood,
but the lighting seems to be adequate for the plants. I do not have a CO2
setup (yet) and the only additives to my substrate are clay balls and
occasional Jobe sticks. There is some minimal algae--I had a terrible time
w/ brush algae before I got my SAE, but it is now under control (knock
wood). The lights were ordered from Aquatic Lighting Systems, and I've been
very happy with them. Since the hood is a homemade job, it was nice to be
able to wire in the lights the way we wanted. The bulbs are from Home
Depot,--a friend actually gave me one of the "nice" catalog bulbs that he
had been using on his reef tank. Burning side-by-side, I couldn't tell the
difference between the $70.00 bulb and the $28.99 H.D. bulb.
BTW, I am very envious of you. I've always wanted a 60 hex! ;-)
Cheers!
Dorian