best way to light a 6ft tank

[Spindoctor]

I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank

Trying to work out how best to do so

I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
as well hidden as possible

For the front would I be best

buying a high frequency ballasts capable of driving either one or two
(not sure how many needed) 70 watt (6ft) daylight bulbs

or

a pair of controllers that would drive 2 or 4 30 watt 3ft bulbs, the
latter are off-the-shelf aquarium units (what I can't work out is
whether 2 by 3ft 30 watt bulbs is more or less the same in terms of
light output as 1 by 70 watt tube.

This tanks will use slate and black sand as a substance and house a
mixed community setup

(my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
too bright,

Would welcome some help on this

Brian

[Steve]

Spindoctor wrote:
> I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank
>
> Trying to work out how best to do so
>
> I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
> one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
> corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
> as well hidden as possible
>
> For the front would I be best
>
> buying a high frequency ballasts capable of driving either one or two
> (not sure how many needed) 70 watt (6ft) daylight bulbs
>
> or
>
> a pair of controllers that would drive 2 or 4 30 watt 3ft bulbs, the
> latter are off-the-shelf aquarium units (what I can't work out is
> whether 2 by 3ft 30 watt bulbs is more or less the same in terms of
> light output as 1 by 70 watt tube.
>
> This tanks will use slate and black sand as a substance and house a
> mixed community setup
>
> (my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
> front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
> light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
> too bright,
>
> Would welcome some help on this
>
> Brian
On my 90-gal 4 ft x 1.5 ft x 2 ft deep tank I currently have three, 4 ft
Grolux WS and the (lower light) plants do fine. Because of floating
plants and the Grolux lights, the tank does not look over-bright.

So for a 6 ft long tank I'd suggest trying five, 4 ft fluorescent tubes,
staggered for even lighting.
Steve

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 21:55:00 GMT, Spindoctor
> wrote:

>
>(my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
>front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
>light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
>too bright,
>
>Would welcome some help on this
>
>Brian

Have you considered using spotlights rather than tubes. They can be
arranged to produce different amounts of light in the tank. In my
opinion tanks lit with spotlights are much better looking that those
lit with tubes. In a six foot tank I would use four 60W spotlights.
The only disadvantage is that they cost a bit more to run than tubes.

Steve

[Spindoctor]

On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 23:22:15 +0000, wrote:

>On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 21:55:00 GMT, Spindoctor
> wrote:
>
>>
>>(my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
>>front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
>>light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
>>too bright,
>>
>>Would welcome some help on this
>>
>>Brian
>
>Have you considered using spotlights rather than tubes. They can be
>arranged to produce different amounts of light in the tank. In my
>opinion tanks lit with spotlights are much better looking that those
>lit with tubes. In a six foot tank I would use four 60W spotlights.
>The only disadvantage is that they cost a bit more to run than tubes.
>
>Steve

Never thought of spotlights but how would you make them waterproof
without using glass covers

Brian

[Bill Stock]

"Spindoctor" > wrote in message
...
> I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank
>
> Trying to work out how best to do so
>
> I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
> one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
> corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
> as well hidden as possible
>
> For the front would I be best
>
> buying a high frequency ballasts capable of driving either one or two
> (not sure how many needed) 70 watt (6ft) daylight bulbs
>
> or
>
> a pair of controllers that would drive 2 or 4 30 watt 3ft bulbs, the
> latter are off-the-shelf aquarium units (what I can't work out is
> whether 2 by 3ft 30 watt bulbs is more or less the same in terms of
> light output as 1 by 70 watt tube.
>
> This tanks will use slate and black sand as a substance and house a
> mixed community setup
>
> (my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
> front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
> light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
> too bright,
>
> Would welcome some help on this
>
> Brian

I have 4*36 compact fluorescents running off two ballasts on my 3' tank.
These are two wide and two long. But you could put 4 end to end. They are
from ahsupply.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 00:30:25 GMT, Spindoctor
> wrote:


>
>Never thought of spotlights but how would you make them waterproof
>without using glass covers
>
>Brian

They are above the glass tank cover.

Steve

[Nick Wise]

Spindoctor > wrote in message >...
> I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank
>
> Trying to work out how best to do so
>
> I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
> one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
> corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
> as well hidden as possible
>
> For the front would I be best
>
> buying a high frequency ballasts capable of driving either one or two
> (not sure how many needed) 70 watt (6ft) daylight bulbs
>
> or
>
> a pair of controllers that would drive 2 or 4 30 watt 3ft bulbs, the
> latter are off-the-shelf aquarium units (what I can't work out is
> whether 2 by 3ft 30 watt bulbs is more or less the same in terms of
> light output as 1 by 70 watt tube.
>
> This tanks will use slate and black sand as a substance and house a
> mixed community setup
>
> (my gut feeling is that having a 4ft tube at back and 6ft tube and
> front would be enought, but I'm not sure will this provide enought
> light, however, I don't generally don't like overlit tanks that are
> too bright,
>
> Would welcome some help on this
>
> Brian

Switch to MH lighting. 3x175 would be good for your setup. Though
3x250 would be better.:)

[2pods]

"Nick Wise" > wrote in message
...
> Spindoctor > wrote in message
> >...
>> I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank
>>
>> Trying to work out how best to do so
>>
>> I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
>> one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
>> corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
>> as well hidden as possible
>>
Just wondering
Aren't Juwel filters built in ?
If so how can you add them ?

If it is a Juwel tank there is a lighting upgrade to go with the 2 x 36 watt
tubes that are supplied
http://www.juwel-aquarium.com/uk/popup_detail.php?Bereich=Z&ID=208&itm=1

Peter

[Spindoctor]

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 17:46:56 -0000, "2pods"
> wrote:

>
>"Nick Wise" > wrote in message
...
>> Spindoctor > wrote in message
>> >...
>>> I have got to light a 6ft by 1.5ft wide by 2ft deep tank
>>>
>>> Trying to work out how best to do so
>>>
>>> I already have a pair of 4ft controllers, I figure on using at least
>>> one of these for a tube suitable for planting (I want to keep the back
>>> corners dark as I am fitting juwel jumbo filters there and want them
>>> as well hidden as possible
>>>
>Just wondering
>Aren't Juwel filters built in ?
>If so how can you add them ?
>
>If it is a Juwel tank there is a lighting upgrade to go with the 2 x 36 watt
>tubes that are supplied
>http://www.juwel-aquarium.com/uk/popup_detail.php?Bereich=Z&ID=208&itm=1
>
>Peter
>


If ypu keep an eye out for them juwel filters quite often come up on
ebay or equivilant. I got my juwel jumbo, with pump and heater and
other bits for 20 quid, I saw a brand new one go for 40 quid

a lot of people say they look ugly, but put in a good pad of filter
wood and they are an excellent mechanical filter, where the floss can
be removed every time you do a water change with no difficulty

Brian