Changing From 2Xt8 30W Tubes To 2Xt5 54W

[elisew]

I`ll hopefully be setting up my new tank towards the end of this week. The lighting in my current 180ltr tank is 2xT8 30W tubes but the new lighting will be 2xT5 54W tubes in a 350/360ltr tank. Dimensions of the new tank are:
145cm length
60cm Height
40cm Depth

I know the change in lighting is obviously going to make a difference but I`d like to ask advice on how the difference will show itself and what are the things to look out for?

I use Flourish at the moment and a few weeks ago I added some Crypto tabs following previous advice on this forum. My plants have improved massively since taking the advice and I`d love to be able to continue doing things right with the planting, it`s obviously made a huge difference to my fish now that there`s healthy plants in my current tank.

All advice and info greatly appreciated.

 

[RadaR]

That's a lot of light. You'll need pressurized CO2 on the new tank with that light and good nutrient dosing to boot.
You'll probably experience the t5s to provide more lumens (doesnt benefit plants, it just looks brighter to us humans). Plants care about PAR.

 

[stevereade]

Well your going from 0.75WPG to 1.3WPG so nearly double the lighting. Depends what plants do you have? Any easy growing plants not needing CO2 will shoot for the surface, to be honest if you have a well planted tank and have doubled the lighting I'd add CO2 makes a huge difference. I had high lighting and everything was just dying so I got CO2 and some TPN+ following supercoley's advice and my tank is full and growing so well I have to keep trimming now.

 

[Nick16]

unfortunately you cant just apply the WPG rule anymore. i dont even regard it as a rule of thumb.

T5's also have a much higher intensity than T8's due to them not distributing light as well. in my eyes you are just asking for trouble if you are not prepared to invest long term in pressurised co2 and ferts.

 

[elisew]

I knew there would be a difference, I just wasn`t sure how much!

I don`t mind investing long term as I`ve got the plants in my current tank looking healthy and growing well, which in turn keeps the water more stable than if my plants were rotting away and my fish seem happier than they were before I joined the forum and got some great advice.

I admit that I know nothing about CO2 and wouldn`t know where to start, I`d happily begin to learn though if I can look after the plants once they`re in the new tank like I do now in the current one.

I have Anubias, Amazon swords, Dwarf sag (and a few other plants that I can`t remember the names of at the mo) in my tank, all have been growing really well lately.

Just a thought and forgive me if it`s a daft question, but would it be better to replace one of the white tubes with a 'moonlight' one? Surely that would lower the amount of light going into the tank?

 

[RadaR]

Just a thought and forgive me if it`s a daft question, but would it be better to replace one of the white tubes with a 'moonlight' one? Surely that would lower the amount of light going into the tank?

It may look dimmer to us but the PAR is probably still the same. It's just the same as your other tube, just a different kelvin.

 

[elisew]

Ahh ok, thanks RadaR.

So I guess the best option is to look at a co2 system?

Hmm, I`m blonde and female so this may end up being either too complicated for my brain to cope with or very costly

Can anyone point me in the right direction for everything I`d need to get and where the best price for it all is likely to be please?

 

[RadaR]

Hmm, I`m blonde and female so this may end up being either too complicated for my brain to cope with or very costly

With enough research you'll have no problems.

So I guess the best option is to look at a co2 system?

Or simply use less light.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for everything I`d need to get and where the best price for it all is likely to be please?

Forum rules says I'm not allowed to post links to ebay. So I will PM you the link.

 

[elisew]

Thanks RadaR, I really appreciate your help

 

[elisew]

I just wanted to ask, if it`a possible to use a CO2 FE instead of the cylinders that you buy in the lfs`, can the FE`s be refilled and where would that be done?

 

[stevereade]

You may not need CO2 with those plants, I grew them perfectly in my old tank with high lighting and no CO2 and no ferts lol

 

[elisew]

You may not need CO2 with those plants, I grew them perfectly in my old tank with high lighting and no CO2 and no ferts lol

Confusion, confusion, confusion!!!!

 

[PDSimon]

Put it this way

the more light you have, the more nutrients the plants demand. It seems a common error these days that peoples plants aren't doing well and they assume its there lighting. Normally, easy to grow plants will grow under the lighting that comes with the tank.

for example, I have about 1-1.3WPG T8 tubes and my tank has ferts and liquid co2 added, I consider this pretty low tech, I could probably get away without dosing liquid co2. I also have a nutrient substrate and root tabs too. You have a higher light intensity, more light... which I consider high tech, therefore requires co2, plenty of ferts, should really have a more nutrient substrate.

The plants will grow of course, other people have come on complaining that there plants are dying who have high light and the light makes them grow too fast and then they just die... not to mention the algae. They don't dose enough ferts, nor co2.

CO2....i'm not sure if you can get FE refilled but you can get plenty of cylinders that are refillable. A lot of people use reusable as its pretty cheap nowadays, you can even get gas canisters from halfords.

 

[ian]

You may not need CO2 with those plants, I grew them perfectly in my old tank with high lighting and no CO2 and no ferts lol

she 'will' need c02 in this tank with the light this high or algae will soon take over this tank.

 

[stevereade]

They grew fine in mine but yes I did have major algae on the glass