# I wanted 29G, but know I want something 36" so please help



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

If you want to stay low light on a 36" tank, IMO this Coralife T5 is perfect, and a great price: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...6/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight36


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

It is just 42w, can I grow anything except ferns with that?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I think the 38g being almost 20" is a good height. By the time you get 3" of substrate in there you are dealing with 16+ inches for growth. That is IF you have the water to the tippy top - which you won't. So I think that is a good height. Most of the time the plants just grow too tall for our tanks.

I would also get a light that you can go high light if you ever want to. Maybe one with 2 switches so that you could run only one for a while.... or have a noontime burst.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'm running that light over my own 46gal (18" deep) and am happy with it. Does well with low light plants, and will bring out reds once the plants grow a little tall.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

Tex Gal said:


> I think the 38g being almost 20" is a good height. By the time you get 3" of substrate in there you are dealing with 16+ inches for growth. That is IF you have the water to the tippy top - which you won't. So I think that is a good height. Most of the time the plants just grow too tall for our tanks.


That is the problem. I have a 12" tall tank and I constantly have to trim all my stem plants at the top casue they are growing horizontally. It doesn't look good and I was wondering if that happens on tanks 16" and 20" tall.



Tex Gal said:


> I would also get a light that you can go high light if you ever want to. Maybe one with 2 switches so that you could run only one for a while.... or have a noontime burst.


Any suggestions anyone?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

You will always have to trim stem plants, but not some of the crypts and smaller swords and some grasses. The difference is that it is easier to have foreground, midground and background with full look. And of course not trimming some of the aforementioned...

I used the 36" Corallife Aqualite Double 96Watt = total wattage 192 for years. It was a great light!!! It has 2 switches. It would give you high light or low light depending on how high over your tank you put it.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

Sounds perfect for me. I don't want to go with very-low light, so I think one bulb on 38g should be fine. What do you think?


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## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Definatly go for the 38G..they are really nice looking and just *look* alot bigger than the 30G. Id probably go for the Coralife 36" 96watt strip. That would give you a good 2.5WPG...and if you decided to upgrade later these always sell really nicely 2nd hand and arnt to expensive to start with.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

This converstion is like a live chat right now OK, 38g sounds good, what do you think of the filtration I have?


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

That coralife- it is compact fluorescent, am I right? What about t-5's?


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## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Yeah its a compact fluorescent  Ive never used T5s cant comment there.

Filtration Id go with an XP2 canister.

*just saw you had the Eheim* Just double up on the 2213s that would give you a good circulation and plenty of filtration:thumbsup:


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> If you want to stay low light on a 36" tank, IMO this Coralife T5 is perfect, and a great price: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...6/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight36


 Maybe 2 of them, that will give me 82w of light...


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

I think a 38g has the same widthxheight as the 29 gallon if I remember it right. IME/O with my 29 gallon, unless you're growing really tall plants, 18 inches is really to high, even with my 3" of substrate. My arm with fit up to the elbow when I reach down to the bottom, even with keeping the water level an inch below the rim. And I have really long arms.

I've also recently got what I think is a 40 gallon breeder tank, and it strikes me as a little large/wide for an apartment tank. 18" wide doesnt sound like alot, but it is. I don't have any experience with water in it though. 

Personally I would go for the 30g, I like longxthinxshort kind of tanks.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You'll probably end up needing pressurized CO2 if you do, T5s are much more powerful than CFs. Not as much as T5HO; perhaps right in between the two.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

I agree with Lauralee, that if you use T5's you will need CO2 of some sort. T5's are very bright. ... but I do love high tech...:hihi:


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## Rod Hay (Feb 11, 2006)

Quite a few people in my local plant club swear by the 40g breeder. In fact, when our club sponsered a tank at one of the LFS we put up a 40g breeder. As long as there are no rules limiting tank sizes in your lease, then I don't think a 40g is too large for an apartment. 

If you just want to be happy growing plants the other sizes are just fine. However, if you really want a knock-out Aquascape, nothing beats having those extra six inches. This allows space for a true foreground, midground then background.

Otherwise, the 46g bowfront is a sweet size too for a 36" tank. Although, the bow does make it very hard to get good photos. I'm seriously thinking of turning my own bow towards the back the next time I do a complete re-scape!:icon_eek:


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

My 125g is 22,5" tall. I love the depth. Before I changed to high light and CO2 I grew lots of types of plants and a foreground of Marsiliea, dwarf sag. and others. If you look at the beginning px of my tank you can see all the plants I grew. I had the Corallife 96 lights. They are compact flourescents. I think in the 38g you would want to run 1 light.

I did not have trouble with the height. I am 5'4" and I could reach. I do use a small step stool to reach the back bottom of my tank. With my 29g it is 19" and I can reach without a step stool. I have a coralife double light on that one too. You can always mitigate the light with floater and let your stem plants grow long on the top.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

i would go with the 40 breeder and t5 lighting. the 40 breeder is the perfect size imo. t5's run cooler and the bulbs can be ran until they blow. if you've already have stuff that wanted to use and it doesn't work for the 40, post it on the sws and get some of that money back... it has been my experience that you should plan all of this out way ahead of time and give yourself a chance to figure it out right the first time. + you have all of these people to help make decisions that have more experience than just you.:thumbsup:

edit - i think a 37g has the same foot print as a 29g. the 38g is a taller 30g size. the t5no like laura posted is great for low light tanks. you will not need co2 for that.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

oldpunk78 said:


> if you've already have stuff that wanted to use and it doesn't work for the 40, post it on the sws and get some of that money back... it has been my experience that you should plan all of this out way ahead of time and give yourself a chance to figure it out right the first time. .


I'm sorry oldpunk78, you know how it is with this hobby. I didn't plan to sell your light with profit when I bought it from you. I just know that this time I need a lot of planning before I buy something.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

OK people, so now I am confused again The one thing I know is that I don't want to fight algae all the time as I do with my 15g, I will add DYI CO2 from the beginning (I also know that I won't be able to get stable level of co2) and I want to go high-tech one day, when I'll have money for the pressurized system. So I made some sets:
1.38g with 2x Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight Double Strip Light-36"http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...lestriplight36
That will give a total of 81w T-5 NO and the tank is 19 3/4" high
2. 38g with Nova Extreme T-5 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...2&pcatid=12772 It is 4x39w T-5 HO (I think there are two cords for the lights but I am not shure) and run just one light. Pros: it is Current and has lunar lights; Cons: it is expensive and it is saltwater only, so I have to buy two 6700 bulbs which make it even more expensive
3.38g with Satellite Compact Fluorescent http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8&pcatid=11418- 96w of compact fluorescent. I am more into t-5's, but what do you think?
And thesame sets for 40g breeder and 30g. I think the best set for 40g is no.1 cause the tank is wide and I can place one fixture toward the back and one toward the front of the tank. The problem is if the tank is not too shallow for T-5's.

As for filtration, can I start with eheim 2213 and aquaclear 30? And what then? Will second 2213 be a good choice or I should buy something bigger? I don't want to sell it cause I just bought it

For substrate I am going to mix 3M colorquartz (if I'll get it) with Fluorite Black- I just don't know the proportion.

Heater- maybe in-line? Any suggestions?

Thank you guys for all your answers.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

what's the time line for this project? i would hold off on getting the lights until you have made up your mind about everything else. what do you want to grow? how much maintanance(sp?) do want to do? what kind of dosing are you comfortable with. could pressurized co2 be something you might want to consider? i would figure all of things out first. that's what i did wrong. i wish i had bought a co2 set-up first. now i have to save for one, and hope for the best... as far as the filtration is concerned, i think getting one of the same canister filter would be best. that would give you flexibility. also, go with a in-line heater, one less thing in the tank to look at.

edit - i would think a 50/50 mix would be ok with the substrate. think about what plants do well for this. are you going to go with a carpeting plant for the foreground that likes this mixture?


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## Christine T (May 4, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> If you want to stay low light on a 36" tank, IMO this Coralife T5 is perfect, and a great price: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...6/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight36


I have this light on my 36" 30 gallon tank and love it. I have the lights on for 9 hours a day, two 2L bottles of DIY Co2, dose dry ferts, Eheim 2217 (two 2213 would prob be ok, or even the Aquaclear with the 2213), and all is well. I tried the light w/o Co2 and had an algae nightmare.

I originally wanted to stay low tech, but underestimated the T5s. However, the light has let me stay kind of in the middle, I can have low-light and med-light plants, have a nice mix of browns, greens, and reds, and don't need to spring for pressurized Co2. I've just been staggering the re-fill of my DIY bottles to limit the fluctuation in Co2. I have the Co2 going into two power heads on opposite sides of the tank, helps to make sure i'm covering the whole tank, and not just feeding one side with Co2. 
And like suggested by others, you could start with one of these lights, and if you want to go higher later, you could grab another one.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

oldpunk78 said:


> what's the time line for this project? i would hold off on getting the lights until you have made up your mind about everything else. what do you want to grow? how much maintanance(sp?) do want to do? what kind of dosing are you comfortable with. could pressurized co2 be something you might want to consider?


I don't have time limit, but I do have patience limit I don't want to rush things and end up with something I don't want. That's way I love this forum To answer your questions: I would like to grow some medium and low-light plants at first and experiment with something more demanding in the future. I will transfer crypts, java fern, and rotalas from my tank. I would love to finally have a dense carpet, HC is my goal (never had luck with it). For the foreground I consider also blyxa, marsilea and everything someone can suggest
As for maintenance, I'll continue doing regular water changes and trimming. Right know I am using saechem products for fertilization, but I am planning to switch to dry fertz, but I don't know the proportions yet. 
And yes, pressurized CO2 is something I am planning to get in the future, as I get some experience in maintaning this new tank




oldpunk78 said:


> edit - i would think a 50/50 mix would be ok with the substrate. think about what plants do well for this. are you going to go with a carpeting plant for the foreground that likes this mixture


As I said, HC is what I aim for.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

Christine T said:


> I have this light on my 36" 30 gallon tank and love it. I have the lights on for 9 hours a day, two 2L bottles of DIY Co2, dose dry ferts, Eheim 2217 (two 2213 would prob be ok, or even the Aquaclear with the 2213), and all is well. I tried the light w/o Co2 and had an algae nightmare..


You're saying that you've had ONE of those and without CO2 it was an algae nightmare? If yes, I also underestimate T-5's.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

marcinsmok said:


> You're saying that you've had ONE of those and without CO2 it was an algae nightmare? If yes, I also underestimate T-5's.


Yes, you should go check out this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/77900-coralife-t5-suprise.html


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

One coralife fixture will give 42W, that's 1.1watt/g. I still cannot believe I can grow anything with that light, but if you say so...


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

the t5's put out more light per watt than power compacts. end of story. i am currently using 2 24w t5ho bulbs and they put out more light than 1 65w pc bulb. so, i'm at 1.65 watts per gallon(and i deffinately(sp?) don't have a low light tank). the pc put me at 2.24watts per gallon with the one 65 watt bulb. it's a little different with the t5no fixtures, but those coralife t5no fixtures are just right for a low tech tank. at least that's what i have learned so far...

if you are considering going high tech later on, i would look for a fixture that can grow with you. or one you can double up on (like the coralife t5no).


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

You think I can buy just one coralife at first and buy a second one if I decide to go high-tech? What about 4 bulbs options with separate cords? Does Current or Coralife make them in 36" T-5's?


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

marcinsmok said:


> You think I can buy just one coralife at first and buy a second one if I decide to go high-tech? What about 4 bulbs options with separate cords? Does Current or Coralife make them in 36" T-5's?



yep, that's what i'd do if i were you. buy one now and get another one later. current only makes t5ho's as far as i know and that would put you at light levels that would need co2. at least that's what people tell me. i've been able to get away with just diy co2 + excel with t5ho's. but then again, i'm only running 48watts. you are looking at at least 2x39 with t5ho's. i bet there are fixtures that would alow you to just run one bulb at a time though. so maybe you could find some thing you can use for low and high tech.

as far as the bulb options, it seems like there are more options if you go with ho's. you might be able to run ho bulbs at a no wattage though. i was thinking about doing the reverse and overdriving some no bulbs so i could fill up the full 30 inches of my tank...


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

hmm, the price of coralife T-5's is unbeatable IMO. And I am planning to add Excel + DYI CO2 from the beginning, but I don't want to fall into high-tech waters unprepared


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

it sounds like you are doing a good job of researching things(better than i did at least). you'll be fine. have you decided on a tank size yet?


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

marcinsmok said:


> hmm, the price of coralife T-5's is unbeatable IMO. And I am planning to add Excel + DYI CO2 from the beginning, but I don't want to fall into high-tech waters unprepared


i just thought of something... ^ that just screams: buy a good co2 set up first... then you are ready for what ever you want, now or later.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

About a research- it is from my personal experience. I did so many mistakes back then and I don't want to repeat them. I know I am going to regret something anyway, but you know how it is. People are so helpful at this forum, really... The CO2 setup- yes I could get that first but then I couldn't get the tank and lights Maybe I'll try doing the emersed grow of HC first... I am really confused right now. The only thing I know is that I don't want to repeat thesame mistake I made with my 15g where I fought algae all the time.36".


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

i don't think hc will do the low tech thing... that's just what i've read though. maybe you need to focus a little more on what you want to grow, and how fast you want to grow it.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

ask Hoppy why you should get the co2 first. he has a great way of explaining it.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

So you're saying I should go to my fiancee and ask her to borrow me another $200 for CO2 No, I mean, maybe I'll get the tank, substrate and one light and start growing something and then buy CO2 and add second light. But we went off-topic a little bit. 
So I am almost decide to get 38g or 40g breeder, inline heater (any brand reccomendation) and for filtration use my eheim 2213 and aquaclear 30. I am trying to get an antique credenza to act as a stand. What else do I miss?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Sounds like a good plan to me. Those Coralife T5NOs are only 3" wide so it would be easy to double up later on. Just be sure to get the CO2 going before buying the extra light; otherwise you're likely to end up with algae issues before you get the CO2 on there...

What substrate will you be going with?


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

I'm planning to do a 50/50 mix of fluorite black and colorquartz T grade, if I can get the latest somehow.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That's exactly what I have in my 90gal. I have no complaints, but if I had it to do over again I would have gone with Mineralized Soil.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

Is it black like fluorite?
I was also thinking about doing a DYI stand, like this one http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/75028-diy-aquarium-stand-lots-photos-first.html and I now I could do it, but I don't have space to do it. I don't think my neighborhs would like the idea of me cutting stuff with skilsaw on saturdays mornings.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, the black ColorQuartz and the black flourite are pretty much the same color wet (the flourite does look more grey while dry, but that changes once wet). 

You can see pictures of the mix in my 90gal journal, if you'd like. I believe it's on the very first page of my journal in the photo forum...


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> That's exactly what I have in my 90gal. I have no complaints, but if I had it to do over again I would have gone with Mineralized Soil.


 
You know, now, when I think of it, I don't know if the whole mixing is worth the effort. I calculated that I need a little more than 3 bags of fluorite for 38g which will cost me about $48 without shipping. If I mix it with colorquartz I will end up with half empty bags of colorquartz and fluorite. How much is a bag of colorquartz?
Second question: Big al's have fluorite for $16 a bag, but they add additional weight charge for shipping. Do you know how much is that? Drfoster&smith have thesame bags for $19, but, as far as I know, they don't charge additionaly for shipping.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

you could get one bag of Tropic Isle Tahitian Moon Sand and two bags of black fluorite. 

why do you want to mix the fluorite with something inert?


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

i wanted to save some money, but now I see I won't save at all. Still, what about those shipping charges in bigals?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Last time I bought CQ it was $28 for a 50lb bag.


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