How much light is too much?

I have a 60 gallon FW tank which currently has 4-48" standard
fluorescent bulbs over it. As a general rule, that doesn't seem to be
enough for some of the more light-demanding plants, such as grasses
and red-leaved plants. (Though they may also be getting done in by my
clown loaches....)

So I'm thinking about retrofitting a couple of MH bulbs into the tank.
Would a pair of 150-watt MH bulbs at either end of the tank plus a CF
or other fluorescent be far too much light? That works out to over 5
watts per gallon. FWIW, I am going to have a CO2 tank up and running
before I put the MH in if I do it at all.

Thanks in advance,

Bob
Ontario, California

As someone said recently: "The only reason you would need that amount of
light is if you were growing banned botanicals round the base of your tank".
Better prepare yourself for some wild algae blooms unless you have the co2
cranked way up there
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**





"Bob" wrote in message
om...
I have a 60 gallon FW tank which currently has 4-48" standard
fluorescent bulbs over it. As a general rule, that doesn't seem to be
enough for some of the more light-demanding plants, such as grasses
and red-leaved plants. (Though they may also be getting done in by my
clown loaches....)

So I'm thinking about retrofitting a couple of MH bulbs into the tank.
Would a pair of 150-watt MH bulbs at either end of the tank plus a CF
or other fluorescent be far too much light? That works out to over 5
watts per gallon. FWIW, I am going to have a CO2 tank up and running
before I put the MH in if I do it at all.

Thanks in advance,

Bob
Ontario, California

Too much light depends on how much work you want to put into your
tank. I have 4wpg on one tank and while it's nice to have it, it's a
lot of pruning and not a lot of margin for errors when it comes to
fertilizers. I would however think that 4 T12s on a 60 gal tank should
be able to grow most plants so light may not necessarily be your main
problem at the moment. I would start with adding CO2 and working on
nutrient levels, once you have mastered this it will be easy for you
to make the call regarding stronger lighting, it will mostly change
rate of growth, nothing more. There is little that can't be grown at
your current light level with good CO2 and nutrients. You can also
consider overdriving some of your current bulbs, will be much cheaper.
If you do still want to increase the lights, perhaps try to stay in
the 3-4wpg range, you can definetly grow anything at this level.

Hope that helps
Giancarlo Podio

BTW, never had problems with clown loaches eating any of my plants. Anyone else?

Giancarlo Podio

yep, mine always eat the anubia blooms, and that's ALWAYS... why? Got me.. I
thought it was a fluke, but ever since the first nibble and run, I can
guarantee, it'll happen time and time again....

--

RedForeman ©®





"Giancarlo Podio" wrote in message
m...
BTW, never had problems with clown loaches eating any of my plants. Anyone
else?

Giancarlo Podio

"Giancarlo Podio" wrote in message
m...
BTW, never had problems with clown loaches eating any of my plants. Anyone
else?

Giancarlo Podio

"RedForeman ©®" wrote in message ...
yep, mine always eat the anubia blooms, and that's ALWAYS... why? Got me.. I
thought it was a fluke, but ever since the first nibble and run, I can
guarantee, it'll happen time and time again....

RedForeman ©®

Yeah, they're munchers, but there's not many fish that are more fun
and animated. I love how my 5 clown loaches "dance" around the tank.

I did see that ClearForLife makes 70T and 85T tanks that are 30 inches
tall. That could be a lot of fun and justify the idea of putting in
MH lighting a little bit better. How much lighting would I want for a
tank that tall?

Also, I only saw that tank available at FishTankStore.com and the only
review I saw of them in rec.aquaria wasn't very favorable. Anyone
have any good experiences with them or should I try to find a local
vendor? And are there other sources for a tank that tall that I
should consider?

Thanks!

Bob
Ontario, California