Aquarium updates and intended fish.

Here is a photo of one of my tanks no fertilizer was ever used. No gravel Vacuuming. You will see in the photo. Ambulia, Java fern, Water sprite, Crypts, Bacopa. All surviving and growing well. This is a portion a a 250 liter tank at the other end was a sword plant. This tank was around 7 years old when this photo was taken.

My flourescent light is only 30w. That means 0.6wpg. should I add another 30w light?
Intended plants
Ludwigia sp red
Amazon Sword
Java Fern
Elodea/Hydrilla
Water Sprite
Hornwort
Cabomba Furcata
Frogbit
Water Wisteria

Simple answer is yes, I would always run a bank of between 2 and 4 tubes on individual switches, so over time I could tune the light for the tank in question. For planted tanks you need warm spectrum light, so no blues but reds and yellows

Animallover😍 said:

My flourescent light is only 30w. That means 0.6wpg. should I add another 30w light?
Intended plants
Ludwigia sp red
Amazon Sword
Java Fern
Elodea/Hydrilla
Water Sprite
Hornwort
Cabomba Furcata
Frogbit
Water Wisteria

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Watts is only a measure of the energy a bulb/tube/globe uses to produce the light. It is not an indication of the intensity of that light--the only exception is when comparing identically-made bulbs/tubes/diodes. But for example a LifeGlo 20w 24-inch T8 fluorescent tube produces a third more intensity that an AquaGlo tube of the same wattage and length. But an LED of say 15 watts might well produce even more intensity, depending upon the manufacture.

You have high light requiring plants and low light requiring plants in that list. Sometimes these can co-exist, depending upon the species, sometimes not as the light will either be too low for the high-light plants or too bright for the low-light. Let's pin down the light first.

You seem to have fluorescent lighting (tube). Is this T8 or T5 (it should have this at one end of the tube), and how many tubes are in the tank lighting fixture?

I have one T8 Flourescent Lighting Tube.

Animallover😍 said:

I have one T8 Flourescent Lighting Tube.

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The least expensive solution is to use a good tube in the existing fixture. I have T8 fluorescent over my tanks, and have had for a couple decades. I've tried most of the tubes.

The best tube in T8 bar none is the Life-Glo made by Hagen. This is 6700K. It not only has good intensity, the colour rendition is superb. I have 24-inch tubes over my 29g (one tube) 33g (2 tubes) and 40g (2 tubes) tanks.

My current T8 fluorescent tube is flickery and not so good. should I get a new one? Hitachi aquarium light(only one available)?

I can get another tube but if I do get another tube it's hard to find a casing.

If your T8 tube flickers it is passed is use by date you need a new tube, the new T8 tube should just fit into your existing fitting. Do you know how to remove the tube?

Animallover😍 said:

My current T8 fluorescent tube is flickery and not so good. should I get a new one? Hitachi aquarium light(only one available)?

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If you replace a fluorescent globe, you should also replace the started in the light unit because they wear out together.

All T8 fluorescent globes have the same fittings and any 2 foot long fluoro globe will fit in a 2ft light unit, same with 3ft globes in 3ft light units, and 4ft globes in 4ft light units.

Nope, not sure how to replace. I can't find an alumnium light casing, only led lights. I'm getting a 3ft light tube.

Can you take a photo of the casing you think needs replacing

itiwhetu said:

Can you take a photo of the casing you think needs replacing

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Not replacing the casing, replacing the fluorescent light tube

Animallover😍 said:

Not replacing the casing, replacing the fluorescent light tube

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So the tube just twists out of the holders and the new one twists in

The flickering can be a failing of the unit itself, or it can be due to the age of the tube. If the latter, the new Life-Glo tube will solve the problem. But if it is the former, a new lighting unit will be needed.

Finding T8 units for tanks is very difficult in North America, because most have gone from T8 to T5 some years ago and now everyone is on the LED bandwagon. I had to buy "shop fixtures" and install them in the tank light hood to repair mine. No idea if you can get T8 units in Malaysia or not.