Too Much Light?

[Valyrian]

I just got back from this great LFS that I always pass on the bus but never decide to get off and go in. However I finally did today and the owner is really good and when I asked about lighting for my 10 gallon, she showed me this awesome 96 watt light fixture that she says will order for me for $120. I thought this was pretty good so I told her I would think about it.

Anyway, my question is, would 96 watts be too much light in a 10 gallon tank? Another site says that the WPG rule doesnt apply in smaller tanks in that smaller tanks need more WPG than larger tanks and it reccomends about 70 watts for a 10 gallon. What I'm wondering is if 96 watts is too much?

Can too much light hurt plants? For example, if I were to put, say, 200 watts over a 10 gallon tank, assuming the tank temperature isnt affected by all that light, would there be any other bad effects?

 

[piper]

Would you be looking to have a CO2 set up aswell ??

 

[zig]

Your fish will need to wear shades if you put 96 watts over a 10 gallon tank, it can be done but you would really need to be on top of the game as regards co2 fertilisation etc, so if you are just starting at planted tanks i would not recommend it or you may quickly have an algae farm on your hands, so yes i think its too much light.

With 40 watts you can probably grow any plant you want on a ten gallon but you may still require co2 and need to fertilise the tank regularily.

 

[Valyrian]

Yes I would add CO2 and ferts. Also, what's the difference between this and this?

I think I may go with a 1x40 or 2x36 fixture. Would Excel be enough for the CO2 requirements for 40W? I'm guessing the 72W will need a CO2 system.

 

[Sean_Buckley]

With 96W your fish won't need shades, assuming you were speaking seriously. I've seen 10 gallons with 250W of metal halide over them, albeit, with a large chiller on the tank. If you can keep up with 96W with fertilizers and CO2, I'd say go for it. You'll see amazing growth.
Sean