# lighting for a 29 gallon planted tank



## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

I'm planning on converting my 29 gallon cichlid tank into a planted community tank soon - once the cichlids have gone out naturall. The old light fixture that came with the hood was damaged and my dad ripped out the fixture from hood and we've been using a worklight from home depot. The lighting is a bit dark as its only.. 15 watts? I wanted to get a new light fixture that will fit the tank, and provide enough lights for plant growth.

I'm not planning on using co2 in the tank, so the set up will be somewhat low-tech, but i will be using doses of ferts and flourish excel. In my case - i should be keeping the lighting to 2 wpg from what i've read. 

What kind of lighting would be best for my tank (clf, flourescent tubes, ect)? 
I have alot of those compact flourescent spiral bulbs at home - the 13w and 23w kind, and i was hoping i'd be able to utilize them somehow. Are there fixtures that can use these bulbs - and would they provide sufficient lighting for my plants? 

The plants i have in mind are java ferns, anubias, crypt wendtii, sunset hygro, amazon swords, several mosses, dwarf hairgrass and whatever low light plants i can find. Thanks for the help.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

You could use a screw-in bulb type of canopy fixture over glass that would be able to use compact fluorescents bulbs. This is what I did for my 38 gal aquarium:
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1654&d=1215192829
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1653&d=1215192829
I added a socket to each end of the fixture and that increased the wattage. 
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1655&d=1215192829
This is because the white reflector in the middle took up the space to put in a larger CFL .
The total wattage is 82w. (2x13, 2x28)
Now that I have a dremel tool I could cut that reflector out and have 4X28w bulbs but the set up right now works great. I use a little bit of excel and no fertilizers in that aquarium.
I found that the fixture would get a bit hot in the summer and warm up my aquarium. I put a penny under the two front corners and that way the air would be able to circulate better.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

CFLs are great. I'm glad I saved all those old incandescent aquarium lights that I've accumulated over the years because they're now useful with CFLs.

You can start with a piece of eavestrough and two endcaps and continue as Calmer has if you don't want to buy an incandescent hood. I recommend metal eavestrough, the kind that has an enamel coating, and is white inside. You can get it either brown or white outside. With plastic eavestrough there's a risk of it warping or even melting from the heat over the ballasts. With plain galvanized steel eavestrough there's a risk of dissolved zinc getting dripped into the tank with condensation or splashing.

I've also made wooden covers with a hinged lid, and mounted a 2-tube 2' fluorescent fixture inside the hood. The older fluorescents had very hot and rather heavy ballasts, so I took the fixture apart and mounted the ballast on the outside of the frame. The newer ones have very small lightweight ballasts that don't run very hot, so all you need to do is attach a power cord if it doesn't already have one. I've used this hood on a 30 gallon tank (3' long) and have had no problem growing crypts, vallisneria and other plants with this much light (40w). If you've got some scrap wood around, and some polyurethane varnish, you can put together a very nice looking hood for about $30 this way. Or you can mount 2-4 sockets for CFLs in it instead, for more light.

Btw, you don't need special plant lights or aquarium lights if you go for fluorescent tubes. Ordinary 'cool white', 'warm white' or 'daylight' will do fine. Pick a combination that looks good to you. Plants, especially shade plants and aquatic plants, have adapted to use most wavelengths of visible light, not just the mostly red and blue that are absorbed directly by chlorophyll. 

You should have a glass cover on the tank under the hood to protect the bulbs and electrical connections from water, and there should be air around CFL ballasts (the heavy base of the CFL bulb) so they don't overheat.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Cheap 2ft double-tube light strips from the hardware store or home dept work good too. Replace the stock tubes with whatever daylight tubes have 5000k or more (6700k is ideal but those won't be there) color rating. The newer models may have some type of reflector already.

If no reflector, take the tubes out, tape off where the lights go in. Paint the inside of the strip with flat white paint. Let dry 24 to 48 hrs. Pop the tubes in, you're set.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Hey, i really appreciate all your help. I'm gonna look around the garage to see if my dad kept the original sockets from the fixture and then i'll do something similar to what calmer did with the cfls. If not, i'll go check out home depot for a flourescent tube fixture.

So with my 29.. i should be aiming for 40-60 watt range?


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

jon021 said:


> So with my 29.. i should be aiming for 40-60 watt range?


Yeah, around 50 watts would be good. Add 35% to get the T12 equivalent of CFL's. The best thing about the compact fluorescent bulbs is that you can arrange the wattages so easy to match your plants requirements.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Calmer said:


> Yeah, around 50 watts would be good. Add 35% to get the T12 equivalent of CFL's. The best thing about the compact fluorescent bulbs is that you can arrange the wattages so easy to match your plants requirements.


Thanks for the help Calmer - oh and the java moss i got from you a couple months ago are now full of baby white clouds. Thanks again for moss.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

I forgot (am getting older was bday yesterday lol) I used 2 double strips (T8) on the my old 29 to get just over 2wpg. With fishstore strips that's expensive, with hardware store lights it's doable. My stem plants were still leggy, but no reflector. 

I use cf bulbs in my 10g and they light up well enough. 5000k+ bulbs are easy to find, in your 18 inch deep tank you'd want at least that color rating, and 2wpg to carry a mix of easy to medium light plants.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

DaFishMan said:


> I forgot (am getting older was bday yesterday lol) I used 2 double strips (T8) on the my old 29 to get just over 2wpg. With fishstore strips that's expensive, with hardware store lights it's doable. My stem plants were still leggy, but no reflector.
> 
> I use cf bulbs in my 10g and they light up well enough. 5000k+ bulbs are easy to find, in your 18 inch deep tank you'd want at least that color rating, and 2wpg to carry a mix of easy to medium light plants.


Happy Belated birthday, thanks for the help. I'll probably check out the hardware store and pick up tube lights, i haven't been able to find the light fixture that came with the hood so unless i buy a new fixture i won't be able to use the cfls. Do you know approximately how wide the doublestrip t8 fixtures are? i only have about 3.5-4 inches of clearance on the hood for lighting.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Thanks for the bday wishes ! I'm guessing 6 inches wide, for one. I can measure when I get home to give you accurate measurements, if someone in here doesn't beat me to the punch.

If I understand this right you have a standard hood, missing the light part ?
If so, cutting a glass top may be your best bet. Clear plexi is another option.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

The 2ft All-Glass double strip is 23 x 5.5 inches. The home depot or hardware store double strips may be wider still, as not designed for tanks but much cheaper and easy to do up a top. I asked a window/door place to cut me a glass top from their scrap to my needed dimensions for $10. cost. Plexiglass is another option and can be cut with a fine blade (hacksaw-like) jigsaw.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

DaFishMan said:


> Thanks for the bday wishes ! I'm guessing 6 inches wide, for one. I can measure when I get home to give you accurate measurements, if someone in here doesn't beat me to the punch.
> 
> If I understand this right you have a standard hood, missing the light part ?
> If so, cutting a glass top may be your best bet. Clear plexi is another option.


Yea, i have a standard hood over the tank - if i wanted to keep the hood, is there an alternative to the double t8 that would work with the hood and provide a similar amount of lighting? or would i have to just go buy a halogen light fixture and replace the halogen bulbs with sprial cfls?


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

"is there an alternative to the double t8 that would work with the hood and provide a similar amount of lighting?"

T5 power compact lighting, retrofit into your hood, which costs more.

"or would i have to just go buy a halogen light fixture and replace the halogen bulbs with sprial cfls?"

Incandescent light fixture is what you're after. If you can find the u-tube shaped cf bulbs they direct light more evenly then the spirals, but work with what you can find.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

DaFishMan said:


> "is there an alternative to the double t8 that would work with the hood and provide a similar amount of lighting?"
> 
> T5 power compact lighting, retrofit into your hood, which costs more.
> 
> ...


Thanks alot, i really appreciate your help. I'll talk it over with my dad and see what he wants to do. I personally wouldn't mind going with a glass canopy, but i know my dad wants to keep the hood thats already on the tank. Thanks again.

- Jonathan


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Glad to be of help, Calmer might be able to provide some other better options for you.

I know LED lighting has worked in plant tanks and could be easily fit into your existing hood as they use the smallest bulbs. I don't know enough about it as to what bulbs, wiring, color temp etc you would need, but worth looking into. This will depend on how handy you/your dad are. 

If changing anything is not a possibility, I've seen some great 'next best' results with fake plants, much to be found at the dollar store. My friend Shannon has a killer setup and the fish are happy.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

jon021 said:


> Thanks for the help Calmer - oh and the java moss i got from you a couple months ago are now full of baby white clouds. Thanks again for moss.


Your welcome anytime Jon.  I am glad the java moss has worked well for you and the baby white clouds.
If you get a glass top you will want to take a file and gently run it on an angle along the sharp edges so you won't get cut by the glass. Glass shops can do that as well for you.
You may be able to make something up as bae said with a short piece of eavestrough and eavestrough end pieces. All you need to do is use screws to attach the end pieces or maybe silicone caulking.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Calmer said:


> Your welcome anytime Jon.  I am glad the java moss has worked well for you and the baby white clouds.
> If you get a glass top you will want to take a file and gently run it on an angle along the sharp edges so you won't get cut by the glass. Glass shops can do that as well for you.
> You may be able to make something up as bae said with a short piece of eavestrough and eavestrough end pieces. All you need to do is use screws to attach the end pieces or maybe silicone caulking.


I looked into modifying my existing fixture but my mom said she doesn't like the look of my dad's diy handiwork so we're leaning towards just buying a fixture. I was wondering if something like this would be enough for my 29 gallon. The tank is actually set up already with plants and all, so i need to get a light as soon as possible.

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA...1/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight30


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Ok i really need help right now.. my planted tank is all set up now, but no lights still. In the tank i have:

- java moss
- flame moss
- phoenix moss
- java ferns
- sunset hygro
- asian ambulia
- stargrass
- water wisteria
- dwarf peargrass or something like that
- and some other unknown stem plant with green leaves
- crypt wendtii
- cyrpt parva

I'm trying to choose between:

1) Hagen Glo T5 HO lighting system Single strip - 24" @ 24 watts
2) Hagen Glo T5 HO lighting system DOUBLE strip - 24" @ 2 X 24 = 48 watts
3) Coralife T-5 Aqualight Double Strip - 30" @ 2 X 18 Watt = 36 watts

Calmer has helped me calculate the wpg using T5s, but i was wondering if T5 HO are even higher. My tank, as i've stated before will not have CO2, but i will be fertilizing it. Can someone please help me figure this out, i want to pick up a light system before my plants start to die. At the moment, i just have an old light from a 10 gallon over the tank. Thank you very much for your time and help. 

- Jonathan


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Plants need light, water, minerals (fertilizer) and CO2 to grow. Whichever is in shortest supply will limit growth. In the case of aquatic plants, there's always competition with algae. I suspect that with very intense light, without all other factors to match, you will have an algae problem. You have to balance these factors to get good results.

High tech tanks use intense light to drive the process, and require fertilizer and CO2 to keep up. The plants flourish and have to be pruned regularly. Low tech tanks use low to moderate light intensity so that the fish and the air and the water changes provide the fertilizer and CO2. The plants grow slowly and steadily and require much less pruning and other work. Of course, some plant species are more suited to one regime than the other. This is a simplification, since there's no real definition of high and low tech.

All my experience is with low tech tanks -- low to moderate light, no fertilizers or CO2, so perhaps the more knowledgable can help you. 

Btw, you have a good eye for landscaping a tank. Your design is very attractive.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

bae said:


> Plants need light, water, minerals (fertilizer) and CO2 to grow. Whichever is in shortest supply will limit growth. In the case of aquatic plants, there's always competition with algae. I suspect that with very intense light, without all other factors to match, you will have an algae problem. You have to balance these factors to get good results.
> 
> High tech tanks use intense light to drive the process, and require fertilizer and CO2 to keep up. The plants flourish and have to be pruned regularly. Low tech tanks use low to moderate light intensity so that the fish and the air and the water changes provide the fertilizer and CO2. The plants grow slowly and steadily and require much less pruning and other work. Of course, some plant species are more suited to one regime than the other. This is a simplification, since there's no real definition of high and low tech.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comment, the tank is still a work in progress, i'm worried that i'll lose some of the more high light requiring plants. I'll probably just go with the light thats inbetween and take the coralife at 36 watts. That equates out to roughly 1.7 wpg is 35% efficiency is added - thanks to calmer for helping me figure this out.

I have another planted shrimp tank set up using the low tech method - but i used a worm casting substrate which has really helped the plant growth. But with this 29, i went with only gravel so i don't know how its going to be compared to the shrimp tank. I guess i just gotta experiment with it and see how it turns out.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Have to look for your tank pic now, your plant list is nice 

Use at least 2wpg if using regular flourescents (2 double-lamp shop lights from home depot or hardware store), or option 2 in your list since T5 might be equal due to the higher light intensity. If getting the double-lamp shop lights replace the stock tubes with high noon or daylight deluxe bulbs. Desired k rating as close to 6700k as possible.

If getting the t5 the bulbs need to be changed every year so t5 can be an expensive option, although for more intense lighting may well be worth it, especially for larger tanks with alot of foreground or high light plants. With mine I used that as an opportunity to switch from 6700k to 8800k, since I'll prob be putting on a taller tank and want more light hitting the substrate.

People were and are still doing award winning plant tanks with regular flourescents, and keeping things simple. T5 gives more intensity to those growing high light and foreground plants. T5 is more energy efficient, less heat, and usually come with a decent reflector.

I use low tech approach and low requirement plants. High tech = high maintenance.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

DaFishMan said:


> Have to look for your tank pic now, your plant list is nice
> 
> Use at least 2wpg if using regular flourescents (2 double-lamp shop lights from home depot or hardware store), or option 2 in your list since T5 might be equal due to the higher light intensity. If getting the double-lamp shop lights replace the stock tubes with high noon or daylight deluxe bulbs. Desired k rating as close to 6700k as possible.
> 
> ...


I'm gonna go drop by home depot on my way home from school and see what kind of lights they have that'll fit my tank and lighting requirements. I was only looking at the t5's, because i was going to get a good price on the fixtures. The T5HO are too might lighting for my tank, so i've determined that the coralife would be the only one suitable but its not quite hitting 2wpg.


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## jon021 (May 19, 2009)

Heres a link to my thread that has a couple pictures of the tank. Lighting is pretty poor at the moment, so i'm sorry for the poor picture quality.

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10919


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