Need Advice On Lighting For A New Tank

[Biulu]

Hi everybody!

I just got the hood for my new 180 litres (47.5 US gallons) bowfront tank delivered. I have a friend which is an electrician which will help me to install the lighting. I have calculated that I have space for 2 90 cm and 1 45 cm tube. I am located in a rural area, where I do not have access to fancy aquarium lights, and would have to go with what is ordinarily available for housing lighting. I want to have a planted tank since I am keeping gouramis and want them to be able to lay out each their own territory. I won't be using CO2, and no EI as I am living in a semi-desert area, and I think it is not fair to do 50% waterchanges everyday if we are so short on water. I do have access to root tabs, liquid fertilizer and a decent substrate though.

Now, having read other topics on lighting on this forum, I am getting very confused. The talk about metal halide, T5 linears, cold cathode etc is not really my thing. Would anybody be able to help me designing a decent lighting system for these circumstances? If possible maybe with pics, as I will eventually have to translate this all into Spanish, and showing it to him might be much easier.

I am also very interested in knowing the spectrum description (or how do you call that to be able to buy the right one?) for daylight and white/pink lights.

Thanks very much!

 

[Biulu]

Nobody?

 

[Musho3210]

go with maybe 2 tubes of HO T5 linears, the initial cost of linears may be a bit much but you wont need as much wattage to get a good amount of light (if you get a good reflector) and you dont need to change tubes as frequently. I use a 5,000k lamp and a 10,000k light, i dont really like it since its red in the back but white in the front but it works at least..... the sun has around 6,500k so lamps around that spectrum are good.

Low stock your tank, buy slow growing undemanding plants, may need some fertilizer, with a low stocked tank you may not need to do as many water changes.

 

[Biulu]

Thanks! What about the cold cathode lamps? I like the look of them, and maybe I could put them in the curved part, as I have seen pictures in which they are quite small?

 

[Christine1014]

If you're definitely not going to go with Co2, you probably don't want more than 2 watts per gallon, otherwise you'll develop an algae problem. oh, and it was probably just a typo, but EI dosing requires a 50% water change once a WEEK, not once a day (but I bet you knew that!)