# would this be enough light?



## cichlidsnorth (Dec 2, 2009)

Hi all, I consider myself pretty well versed on african cichlids but I am lost -inexperienced when it comes to a planted tank, and I want to learn!
I want to start a 20gallon high planted tank. I own the tank filters and such already. Can I used regular gravel for substrate? I curerently have a single bulb hood on the tank but I feel it is inadaqate. I am looking at this Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight Double Strip Light-24" from big als. Would this do the job for up to medium light plants?
Thanks in advance


----------



## Tark77 (Sep 6, 2010)

You could likely keep medium plants alive, but that about it. (although, that's probably all your looking to do). Low light plants would do very well with that fixture.


----------



## bae (May 11, 2007)

cichlidsnorth said:


> I want to start a 20gallon high planted tank. I own the tank filters and such already. Can I used regular gravel for substrate? I curerently have a single bulb hood on the tank but I feel it is inadaqate. I am looking at this Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight Double Strip Light-24" from big als. Would this do the job for up to medium light plants?
> Thanks in advance


Plants will grow in anything from sand to fine gravel. Coarse gravel (average grain size over about 3mm) doesn't work as well.

I don't know much about the Coralife units, but people seem to like them. For low to medium light plants, you want about 1.5-2 watts per gallon, which is a crude measure, but works reasonably well for small to medium size tanks that aren't too deep. Too intense light will require you to fertilize and possibly add CO2, and prune constantly, or else you'll have algae problems, and the Coralife fixture may be overkill if you want a nice looking, easy maintenance tank. Darkblade has written some postings at the top of the plants forum that address higher tech tanks.

If you want a less expensive method of lighting the tank, consider buying or making a hood that will take two compact fluorescents, and using 2 13-watt or 2 23-watt CFLs. Note that 23-watt CFLs won't fit in some standard incandescent hoods. You could also buy a 2-tube 24" fluorescent fixture and build it into a hood. The fixture is slightly longer than 24", so your hood design will have to deal with this.


----------



## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

the coralife t5 on a 20gal tall works fairly nice. If you get stem plants then the tops will be nice and colourful the closer to the light they get.

It's not really a tonne of light though, and many of the fun plants tend to be higher light.


----------

