Help On Lights Please

[joespontiac]

Hi all. i have gone and upgraded my tank from a 4ft to a 6ft one i got on ebay for £30
At the moment i am using 2x 42" 38w tubes. I will have to make a hood for the tank (as well as cabinet) so wish to use these tubes or just the ballast.
the trouble is with my old tank there was plenty of light but now it seems to be a bit dull. I also have bought some plants for the tank.
does anyone have anything to suggest for a cheap setup as im not sure what to add. I have seen some t5 80w kits? also are halide lights any good? Then there is the possibilty of moonlighting.... so many options but dont know which way to go.

 

[rabbut]

Halides are very powerful lights, typically used in realy high-light EI tanks and marine set-ups. I'd avoid these in a hood where possible, due to heat issues, and in freshwater, you would have to EI fertiliser dose and add CO2 and heavily plant to prevent massive ammounts of Algea... The only exception to the rule is with 3-4ft deep tanks, where Halides are the only practical thing to push light to those deapths...

What Wattage balasts does your current T8 set-up run?

What is in these T5 kits? One lamp or two, and how long is each tube?

Your best bet from here would be some standard (T8) or T5 Florescent tubes, depending uppon tank deapth and the light-levels you require for your plants...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[fishyfreak]

Hi all. i have gone and upgraded my tank from a 4ft to a 6ft one i got on ebay for £30
At the moment i am using 2x 42" 38w tubes. I will have to make a hood for the tank (as well as cabinet) so wish to use these tubes or just the ballast.
the trouble is with my old tank there was plenty of light but now it seems to be a bit dull. I also have bought some plants for the tank.
does anyone have anything to suggest for a cheap setup as im not sure what to add. I have seen some t5 80w kits? also are halide lights any good? Then there is the possibilty of moonlighting.... so many options but dont know which way to go.

I'm also upgrading my 6' tank as well and am open for ideas. Currently I have a 48" fixture with 2 tubes but like you there's not enough light. I'm thinking about building a hood (canopy), keeping the 48" fixture and adding 2-18" (or possibly 24" if there's room) fixures at either end, running front to back, and attaching them to the inside of the hood. Another idea would be to find a 72" fixture with 2 or 3 tubes.

 

[joespontiac]

Halides are very powerful lights, typically used in realy high-light EI tanks and marine set-ups. I'd avoid these in a hood where possible, due to heat issues, and in freshwater, you would have to EI fertiliser dose and add CO2 and heavily plant to prevent massive ammounts of Algea... The only exception to the rule is with 3-4ft deep tanks, where Halides are the only practical thing to push light to those deapths...

What Wattage balasts does your current T8 set-up run?

What is in these T5 kits? One lamp or two, and how long is each tube?

Your best bet from here would be some standard (T8) or T5 Florescent tubes, depending uppon tank deapth and the light-levels you require for your plants...

All the best
Rabbut

The balast at the moment is arcadia 36/38w starter units, 2 of them.
the t5 ones i was looking into are on ebay http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/T5-LIGHTING-KIT-MARI...%3A1|240%3A1318

was going to add these to the ones i got.

Halides are very powerful lights, typically used in realy high-light EI tanks and marine set-ups. I'd avoid these in a hood where possible, due to heat issues, and in freshwater, you would have to EI fertiliser dose and add CO2 and heavily plant to prevent massive ammounts of Algea... The only exception to the rule is with 3-4ft deep tanks, where Halides are the only practical thing to push light to those deapths...

What Wattage balasts does your current T8 set-up run?

What is in these T5 kits? One lamp or two, and how long is each tube?

Your best bet from here would be some standard (T8) or T5 Florescent tubes, depending uppon tank deapth and the light-levels you require for your plants...

All the best
Rabbut

i know what you mean, the ready built tanks in the shop i see have 4 tubes 2 startind at one end and 2 starting at the other interlaping if you know what i mean. was thinking of doing this but unsure if i should add t5's or t8's or somthing else

 

[rabbut]

Are you looking to keep the existing lights as part of the new solution?

If so, you could look at another pair of T8 balasts and four 4ft tubes (the existing balasts should run tubes a few inches longer) and copy the shop-tank with the four overlapping slightly in the center and two at each end

If not fussed, a whole new unit could be used, but to keep it plug-and-play, sticking to 4ft tubes would be best. They are the largest commonly available aquarium tubes

All the best
Rabbut

 

[joespontiac]

Are you looking to keep the existing lights as part of the new solution?

If so, you could look at another pair of T8 balasts and four 4ft tubes (the existing balasts should run tubes a few inches longer) and copy the shop-tank with the four overlapping slightly in the center and two at each end

If not fussed, a whole new unit could be used, but to keep it plug-and-play, sticking to 4ft tubes would be best. They are the largest commonly available aquarium tubes

All the best
Rabbut

yeah that was the idea, but didnt know if i should add t5' to the exsisting t8's or another pair of t8's. think ill go with another pair of t8's. Im unsure of moonlight aswell. would a moonlight tube work in my current ballast?

 

[rabbut]

Should do, but that will reduce the ammount of light over the tank... With low light plants like Anubius, Java Fern, Amazon Sward e.t.c you should be Ok with two white tubes over, but for anything more demanding, you will want addidional balasts to run your moonlights, so that you have have 4 normal tubes over it

All the best
Rabbut