# how much lighting is too much/too little



## barbarossa4122 (Jan 16, 2010)

Hi,

I would go for 2 54w T5 HO for a total of 108w. 










http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

whoa, according to that, i would have gotten overkill fixtures. thank you very much for the chart. after reviewing the fixtures on the catalina website i found one that matched the specs you specified. thanks again, that is why i like asking questions before purchasing



barbarossa4122 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would go for 2 54w T5 HO for a total of 108w.
> 
> ...


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## barbarossa4122 (Jan 16, 2010)

Welcome. Yep, the 4 bulb fixture is way too much. Check out the Giesemann bulbs.
http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_39_130

Check out Hoppy's posts, he knows A LOT about lights.


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

If you do find a cheaper fixture with lots of bulb, there's alot of ways to help reduce the light output for it. My favorite one that is also by far the easiest is by using a screen sheet. It's in one of Hoppy's thread where he explains it in good detail.



barbarossa4122 said:


> Check out Hoppy's posts, he knows A LOT about lights.


Maybe even too much... Maybe he's a light himself; who happened to know how to use the internet.


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

i was just wondering if anyone can tell me, if i get this fixture:
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_190&products_id=1419
what would my 55g be considered? a low or mid light tank? i will be injecting co2 and i want to make sure i have enough light for my standard 55g. thank you.

also, do i need a splashguard for this fixture if it will be on legs? i would really like to not get one but if it is a problem for the bulbs or what-not i can got it.


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## nicks7.1985 (Aug 11, 2010)

with that fixture you will definately be in the highh light range. i have a similar fixture with 2x 54w T5HO bulbs...and my reflectors arent all that good and i have tons of light for my 55gallon. the red cabomba(high light needs) grows like crazy...prolly 4 inches per week or more...i had 3x 54w bulbs instead of two, but was getting algae problems...right now everything seems to be nicely in balance with 2 bulbs..it may still be slighty too much light. im also using pressurized co2 and ferts. 

so to answer you question, you will have high light.

i dont think i have a splash guard...at the bottom of the lights is a sheet of acrylic..im sure most fixtures will come with this ,..and that alone is fine..nothing really splashes up for me


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## nicks7.1985 (Aug 11, 2010)

i forgot to mention that with the fixture ur lookoing at, you may want to swap out the actinic bulb for a 6700k or something in the appropriate color range..about 15-25$ for the bulb depending on where you get it


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

nicks7.1985 said:


> i forgot to mention that with the fixture ur lookoing at, you may want to swap out the actinic bulb for a 6700k or something in the appropriate color range..about 15-25$ for the bulb depending on where you get it


thank you very much for your advise, it is much appreciated. i will definitely go with that fixture now.


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

If you are going to buy from Catalina you can order the fixture with whatever color temperature bulbs you want at no extra charge. You can pick from anything they sell. Or, you can buy the fixture with no bulbs included if you want to do a bulb upgrade to something like the Geisemann bulbs.

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=28_39_130&osCsid=0bef46ef1e4e85067cf25bb8f72bca35


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

would this be a better buy? it has one more bulb and is almost the same price. i know this will be a lot of light but i will be injecting co2 and dry fertz plus root tabs. is the problem with too much light that algae can easily take a foot hold? i'd hate to be battling algae with my first planted tank. 

click here to view the 3 bulb fixture 

these are the 2 bulb ones that i was really set on


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

anyone?


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/Current_USA_Nova_Extreme_T5_Aquarium_Lighting_p/rcu01129.htm

this is what i have and even with this light you will be in high light, i suggest that you get the 2 bulbs fixture instead of 3 bulbs fixture.


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## willknowitall (Oct 3, 2010)

look t the best tanks in ada aquascape contest 
there all using 4 and 6 t5 bulbs or hqi and t5
the best rated tank there in the large category has 6 t5 on a 4 x 18 x18 tank
and they arent even high light plants
dont be afraid of light , most 4 or 6 bulb units have two plugs so you can adjust light intensity / hours
in other words on a 4 t5 setup you can run 2 at 10 hours and 2 at 4 hours as a example


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

willknowitall said:


> look t the best tanks in ada aquascape contest
> there all using 4 and 6 t5 bulbs or hqi and t5
> the best rated tank there in the large category has 6 t5 on a 4 x 18 x18 tank
> and they arent even high light plants
> ...


also show me where you see the fixture siting on top of those tanks?
they use much more light but again they have it lifted the light maybe 6-8 inches high from the tank as well. 

if you want to create a algae city then go with that light.

this tank is wow:
http://www.reefbuilders.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/618.jpg


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## willknowitall (Oct 3, 2010)

i never said anything about light height
to me thats even a bigger plus. the higher the lighting
the more options in light height
i would rather have my my lights higher from tank. it gives room to work 
the lights are more out of sight of aquascape and the light is more focused then diffused
algae city?
i get more algae from a 6500k 54w fluorescent then my 150w halide
yes ive seen that tank it is really nice


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## farmhand (Jun 25, 2009)

rickztahone said:


> i was just wondering if anyone can tell me, if i get this fixture:
> http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_190&products_id=1419


Have you purchased anything yet? I just purchased the above light you referenced but asked them to put it into a wider hood so the bulbs have a 8" spread. (2x T5) They are very accommodating at Catalina. Since both bulbs run on their own switch, I was thinking of alternating run times. One in the morning and one afternoon. Maybe both mid day if I want more light. Also, after reading Hoppy's last chart about height, thinking I'll just raise that sucker up.


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

farmhand said:


> Have you purchased anything yet? I just purchased the above light you referenced but asked them to put it into a wider hood so the bulbs have a 8" spread. (2x T5) They are very accommodating at Catalina. Since both bulbs run on their own switch, I was thinking of alternating run times. One in the morning and one afternoon. Maybe both mid day if I want more light. Also, after reading Hoppy's last chart about height, thinking I'll just raise that sucker up.


let me know how that works out for you. you are running them on a 55g right? also, wouldnt you want to run both bulbs all the time? how much more did they charge for the wider fixture? the only reason that would be a concern for me is that the 55 is not very wide and i dont want to only have a tiny space to stick my hand in the tank to do water changes.


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## farmhand (Jun 25, 2009)

rickztahone said:


> ...you are running them on a 55g right? also, wouldnt you want to run both bulbs all the time? how much more did they charge for the wider fixture? the only reason that would be a concern for me is that the 55 is not very wide and i dont want to only have a tiny space to stick my hand in the tank to do water changes.


Mine will be 36" long over a 40 gal breeder. No extra charge for using the wider hood. They will space them what ever width you ask.
Not sure if alternating times between bulbs will end up being a good or idea or not, but I want to try. I agree with you that I like lots of room between the light and tank to work in. According to hoppy's chart, with 2xT5, there will be plenty of light, so safe to put the light up higher.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

willknowitall said:


> look t the best tanks in ada aquascape contest
> there all using 4 and 6 t5 bulbs or hqi and t5
> the best rated tank there in the large category has 6 t5 on a 4 x 18 x18 tank
> and they arent even high light plants
> ...


Yep, totally agree with your gist that you really shouldn't be too worried about too much light as long as you're using pressurized CO2. Almost all of the really excellent high tech tanks have insanely high MH lighting.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

snausage said:


> Yep, totally agree with your gist that you really shouldn't be too worried about too much light as long as you're using pressurized CO2. Almost all of the really excellent high tech tanks have insanely high MH lighting.



my co2 is close to yellow in drop checker and am still dealing with algae, yes i also feed fertilizers. the reason behind my algae issue is too much light, am using T5HO 2x54 21 inches away from the substrate. 

filtration or flow cant be the issue, i got 2 rena xp2 running on my 50g tank.


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## willknowitall (Oct 3, 2010)

there are so many issues at play here with algae
type of bulb ,spectrum, distance , hours of light
ferts , tap water quality, ph , gh, co2 , substate
type and quantity of plants , hours of light
algae eaters
there no simple - you need this much light
i have had algae problems with low light
and no problem with lots of light


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

willknowitall said:


> there are so many issues at play here with algae
> type of bulb ,spectrum, distance , hours of light
> ferts , tap water quality, ph , gh, co2 , substate
> type and quantity of plants , hours of light
> ...


To understand why algae grows, one would have to look no further than the understanding of why algae is less likely to grow in a high co2 tank.


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## theDeanorama (Nov 6, 2010)

When this chart considers light to be "too much" ... what is it indicating? Plant damage or potential algae if not correctly managed? Also does this chart take into account pressurized co2?

The reason I ask is that I am putting together a new 15g tank and purchased a 48watt HO light for it that I was intending to set on the tank with the supplied brackets rather than resting flat (not suspended as suspending isn't really an option where its going). Its armed with a 6700k and a ColorMax. If it's way too much right off the bat I still have an opportunity to change it up, would rather do that now rather than once I'm actually running the tank.


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## Mermaid (May 9, 2005)

I have a question about the lighting chart. As far as the height of the tank measurement. Does that mean the actual tank measurement or start measuring at the level of the substrate? I would think that would let you know the water column is. Right?

Thanks,
Mermaid


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

theDeanorama said:


> When this chart considers light to be "too much" ... what is it indicating? Plant damage or potential algae if not correctly managed? Also does this chart take into account pressurized co2?
> 
> The reason I ask is that I am putting together a new 15g tank and purchased a 48watt HO light for it that I was intending to set on the tank with the supplied brackets rather than resting flat (not suspended as suspending isn't really an option where its going). Its armed with a 6700k and a ColorMax. If it's way too much right off the bat I still have an opportunity to change it up, would rather do that now rather than once I'm actually running the tank.


Too much light means that even with good CO2 and good tank maintenance you are very likely to spend more time battling algae than enjoying the tank. And, the plants will not be growing appreciably faster with too much light than with "high light". The only damage to the plants that is likely is the fastest, most vigorous growing plants hogging the nutrients, including CO2, causing the less competitive plants to stop growing and become algae magnets.

That 15 gallon tank is about 14 inches high, so even one T5 bulb needs to be raised about 2 inches above the top of the tank to get down into the high light range. Two bulbs would have to be hanging about 8 inches above the tank.



Mermaid said:


> I have a question about the lighting chart. As far as the height of the tank measurement. Does that mean the actual tank measurement or start measuring at the level of the substrate? I would think that would let you know the water column is. Right?
> 
> Thanks,
> Mermaid


The chart is for distance between the light bulb and the substrate surface. I generally just assume the bulbs will be recessed into the fixture housing at about the same distance as the height of the substrate in the tank, so just using the tank height is a reasonable way to estimate the amount of light you get with the fixture sitting on top of the tank.


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## rickztahone (Jul 20, 2009)

happi said:


> http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/Current_USA_Nova_Extreme_T5_Aquarium_Lighting_p/rcu01129.htm
> 
> this is what i have and even with this light you will be in high light, i suggest that you get the 2 bulbs fixture instead of 3 bulbs fixture.


i still have not gotten my light fixture (lack of funds) but still have been shopping around for the best deal. Do you happen to remember if the shipping charges were high? i called catalina the other day and it was only 10 bucks ship, not too shabby. The one linked already comes with legs and it looks like a fan as well, which might be the better deal.

Furthermore, if i do order from catalina it is going to be difficult to pass up the 3 bulb set up since it is only $4 more :angryfire. But, i will definitely go with the expert advise here and go with the 2 bulb setup. 

Lastly, if i do go with Catalina, which bulbs would most of you consider to be the best for plant growth?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

rickztahone said:


> i still have not gotten my light fixture (lack of funds) but still have been shopping around for the best deal. Do you happen to remember if the shipping charges were high? i called catalina the other day and it was only 10 bucks ship, not too shabby. The one linked already comes with legs and it looks like a fan as well, which might be the better deal.
> 
> Furthermore, if i do order from catalina it is going to be difficult to pass up the 3 bulb set up since it is only $4 more :angryfire. But, i will definitely go with the expert advise here and go with the 2 bulb setup.
> 
> Lastly, if i do go with Catalina, which bulbs would most of you consider to be the best for plant growth?


The advantage of a 3 bulb Catalina fixture is that you can run one bulb, two bulbs, or 3 bulbs. You can't get much more flexible than that. Bulb choice is up to you - whichever bulb or bulbs you think make the tank look the best.


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