Lighting question

[Ste_J]

Firstly hello everyone

I would like to say what a great forum this appears to be as it kept me up till gone 3am this morning after i stumbled across it last night

I am starting to embark on my first planted tank and as such have a lighting question that i would like some help on. I have a 31 inch tank that holds around 66litres /14.52 uk gallons , i have started some planting using java ferns and some other "unknown" plants and i have also invested in a C02 hagen unit. So the question is how much light do i need for this tank? i am currently running an 18w 24" Arcadia which states "promotes plant growth" (original tropical light)although a get a feeling that i need more light! my lid is a jewel lid which only appears to have room for one tube (is there a way round this?)

So any advice???

 

[Lateral Line]

You want to try to get at least 40Watts over the tank, 2x 18's at a pinch. Pre made hoods are almost inevitably unsuitable for planted tanks. Most serious planted tank enthusiasts build their own hoods to get the lighting they want. If you really can't squeeze another lamp in there, try to find some reflectors which will increase the amount of light going down. Also, Arcadia lamps are pretty poor quality normally. You'll probably get a lot more better quality light out of a higher spec full spectrum, (5500K - 6500K), tri-phophor lamp.

With low light, CO2 really is noy going to do much, it will be light that is the limiting factor for the plants. CO2 really comes into it's own when you have bright light and fast growing plants, it is then that CO2 becomes the limiting factor.