# Question about 20 gallon long light



## dmrg3 (Mar 13, 2014)

Hello everyone, 
Not sure this is the right place to ask a question. Please understand if it is not. 

It is my first time to set planted tank and I am not sure I have enough light for my plants. 

My tank is 20 gallon long tank which is 30 inch wide and height is about 10 inch (almost same as 10 gallon). 

My plants are some moss, riccia, fissiden, Moneywort, and Water wisteria. Typical low to mid plants. 

I bought 17w 24 inch fluoscent light bulb. It is dimmer than I expected. 
Should I get one more same light bulb strip for my plants? Or should I get something else?
If you can recommend a specific product, that would be perfect. 
Thanks in advance.


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## Professor Monkey (Jan 8, 2015)

In my experience with T8 fluorescent lighting one bulb is barely enough to sustain most low light plants.

I have managed to keep java fern & moss, jungle vals, and crypts alive with a single bulb, but they had minimal growth and poor health. In a dirted tank I was able to get some hydro to grow slowly, but with good colour and health.

It looks like you want to get good growth to fill in that tank so you will definitely want to upgrade.

The options are many and dependent on your budget. I'd recommend a T5 bulb or LED spotlighting.


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## dmrg3 (Mar 13, 2014)

Thank you! That is what I thought too. Darker than what I expected. 

What do you think about getting another t8? Since I heard t5 would be too much light.


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## Professor Monkey (Jan 8, 2015)

I have used two T8 bulbs on a 15 gallon once before. The only plant in the tank was java moss and it definitely increased its growth rate and health. Unfortunately I neglected the tank and it became overgrown with algae.
You appear to have minimal plant biomass at the moment which can give algae an opportunity to get a foothold as there will be excess light and nutrients available to them.

In terms of plant growth two T8s should be quite effective for your low light species.
Personally I didn't like the look of two fixtures over the tank and being forced to constantly move one out of the way so that I could feed the fish.

If the T5 is too much light you can adjust the length of the photoperiod and the height of the fixture above the tank.


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## dmrg3 (Mar 13, 2014)

Maybe I should try led floodlight. 
Anyone used led floodlight??
Where do you get it?


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## default (May 28, 2011)

From my experience, don't judge light by simply how it appears to your eyes, I've grown plants in darker situations - and vice versa I've grown plants in ridiculously bright situations with less satisfying results than the "darker" ones. Aslong as the spectrum is right and you're providing the proper nutriences, anything should be able to grow with less light. I've had plants growing 3" a week under 2" thick layers of floaters, I didn't even think light reached the tank..

From your picture, there are two things I would immediately recommend:
- fix your co2, the one thing that's crucial to plants, even in low light settings, proper co2 levels will help plants grow - under high light settings, proper co2 levels will help grow. It doesn't matter whether it's dark or bright, co2 is key.
DIY is great, if you are prepared to change them on a regular, I would recommend a larger container though, that water bottle would deplete and fluctuate quite fast. Nonetheless, very hard to control.
Having lots of light with less co2 is more of a problem than a fix.
That air stone is also useless for co2, you might want to consider rigging a DIY reactor or perhaps using the "ghetto" approach of a broken bamboo chopstick  the current stone will release bubbles too large and they'll rise too quick.

- what kind of substrate are you using? Proper substrate will help a good bit, but is optional as budget usually restricts most people.

- let your plants grow. People usually jump to conclusions too soon or try to seek improvements immediately. The best way to see how your set up is, you guessed it, let it grow first. Plants will display signs of deficiencies, they will not just die suddenly (unless they melt to oblivion - rarely happens). Give it a couple of weeks to settle in, if you don't notice any root or leaf development, then it may be time to seek improvements. 
Some species of Hygrophila, Rotala, and Ludwigia would be great for beginners as they show signs of deficiencies very quickly and can survive just about anywhere.

Let us know if any questions arise, best way to avoid problems is to learn about them!
I also have some spare equipment that may be helpful, I'll send you a pm.

Best of luck!


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