# Lighting 6 Foot Tank



## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

I will be getting a 6foot tank, 18 inches high. I plan to start a low-tech planted discus tank without co2 or ferts. What lighting should I get to grow low demand plants as well as show off the discus' colours? Are shops lights sufficient? Should I get a 72" light or combine a few different fixtures?

Thanks,

Philip


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Shop lights will probably be sufficient, but there will be more than a few plants that won't do well in the warm discus water.


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

I plan on getting hardy plants that do well in warm temperatures such as hygrophila polysperma in the beginning to get things going anubias, crypts, swords and vals. I will be growing them in pots since I will be having a barebottom tank for the first year so I don't stunt their growth as well as easier maintenance.


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

The lack of CO2 is going to be more of an issue than the lighting. With CO2 almost any plant will grow in the warmer temperatures. Without it a lot of them will fail.

The key factor in trying to light a planted tank is illuminating the substrate. There is never any problem to light the surface of the water. Ideally, you want the bottom of the tank lit just as well as the top of the tank. Anyway, for 6' tanks you can get 5' T5 lamps or 6' T8 lamps but your colour choice and selection will be limited. 4' lamps are way more common. You could use T5 HO 4' lamps and raise them like a foot above the tank to spread out the light. For this to work, you need really good parabolic reflectors on each lamp otherwise a lot of the light will never make into the tank. You don't give the actual size of your tank but just 2 or 3 lamps will do the trick. Personally, I can't stand all that light escaping and polluting the rest of the room, but a lot of people light their tank that way. It is supposed to help prevent the plants from reaching toward the light so much.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Philip.Chan.92 said:


> I plan on getting hardy plants that do well in warm temperatures such as hygrophila polysperma in the beginning to get things going anubias, crypts, swords and vals. I will be growing them in pots since I will be having a barebottom tank for the first year so I don't stunt their growth as well as easier maintenance.


This is good, since the pots will raise the plants closer to the light. However, 18" isn't a bad depth at all.

I agree with BillD that shop lights should work well. It's also the least expensive alternative. I would get two two-tube four foot T8 fixtures, and use cool white or daylight tubes, or a mixture. You could either put both of them over the middle of the tank, or stagger them so the ends of the tank are better illuminated. Watch the fish and see whether they spend more time in the shade or in the open. Put the swords and vals near the center, the other plants on the ends.

One problem with six foot tubes is getting them back from the store without breaking them. Awkward and fragile things! More expensive too. Probably 90-95% of all fluorescent tubes manufactured are four-footers, so any other size lacks economy of scale and is more (sometimes substantially more) expensive.

Btw, I always turn on a room light for a few minutes before and after I turn on or turn off aquarium lights if the room is dark. This avoids startling (panicking) the fish, and in the evening, cues them to go to their favorite sleeping places. I think it reduces stress, especially for nervous kinds of fish.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Two 3 foot two bulb t8 fixtures would be sufficient for low light planting. For higher lights Id do an additional 4 foot fixture with the two 3 footers and place it in the centre.


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

I bought an Aquatic Life fixture for my six foot tank. It holds 8 three foot T5HO bulbs although I only turn on four of them. The Blue LED Moon Lights give a wonderfull glow in the evening and doubles as a nightlight in the hallway. It was $800 at BA. Obviously not for everyone but I wouldn't be without it.

Lee


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