# Lighting for 58 gallon



## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Hello. Thanks in advance for any input/info. I have a few questions about lighting for my Oceanic 58 gallon tank. It is 36" wide, 18" deep, and 21" tall. I am going low tech with variety of anubias and maybe some swords. I found a good deal on a Coralife 36" 2X39 watt T5HO fixture but am unsure if it would be too much intensity. I also was thinking of using flourescent strips from HD. They are 2X28 watt T8 (I think). Would 2 of those fixtures be better for low light plants?

Thanks again
Chris


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

If your going low-light then the T8 fixtures will work well and cost allot less. Or if you want something that's a little nicer looking and a bit stronger then a Coralife T-5 Aqualight Double Strip Light for $60 will do a great job and might get you into the medium light range without the risers.

-Brad


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The Coralife T5NO will be better lighting for the plants, but I think you'll have problems with light spread across an 18" deep tank with only one fixture...

Would it be in your budget to get both the Coralife and the T8? You could run the T8 for the majority of the day (for viewing the tank) and then run the Coralife in addition for 4 hours or so for the plants... I think that would be ideal.

If just one fixture is in the picture, then I'd go with the Coralife, and just plan the plantscape accordingly (concentrate stems directly under the light, go with low light tolerant plants in areas that are shaded/the front of the tank).


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks Brad for quick response. Just got back from HD. They have 34" dual T-5 light strips, 2X21 watts for $30 each. Would 2 of these be better than the 2X39 watts T5HO for low tech/low light plants?

Chris


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes, T5NO will be a much better choice for a low tech setup. :thumbsup:

T5HO will be too much light.

If you're comfortable with DIY, I'd go with 3 rows of the T5NOs, and put them on at least 2 separate switches for better light control.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

And thank you Laura Lee for response. The 2 different fixtures would be fine for budget. The strips from HD would also be mounted on underside of canopy lid so therefore about 6" from top of water. Most the the plants would be on back half of tank (at least the vision in my head).

Thanks again
Chris


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Reflectors are pretty crucial in how much light actually gets directed down into the tank... one reason that T5HO fixtures are so much more powerful than most other light fixtures currently on the market is that they generally come with highly polished individual reflectors...

I'm mentioning this b/c if you're going the DIY route (which I'd do rather than putting a prefab fixture inside a canopy due to heat issues) you can plan to include some reflectors into the design.

In your shoes, I'd probably go with either 3 or 4 bulbs. I'd probably have at least one or two T8s in the mix, to keep running all day for viewing the tank, and then run the T5s for 6-8 hours/day for the plants. If you put all the bulbs inside individual reflectors, this should be more than enough light for the tank, even with the bulbs mounted 6" off the surface (and would most likely be enough light without reflectors as well, so it's just an option).


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Laura, what bulbs do you recommend? The included bulbs are 3000K. So I am looking for 6700K - 10,000K. Maybe even a mixture in fixtures. When looking for bulbs online, they say T5HO. Will those bulbs work?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I'd just get the T5 and T8s that HD usually has in stock. Probably cheaper that way than paying shipping?

I personally like running a combo of bulbs in my tanks. I like the pink/plant grow bulbs combined with nice crisp 10k, and then I'd run a 6700k too to balance out the lower end of the spectrum.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Just went to get light fixtures from HD. Don't have any other bulbs with different ratings. Only have them in T8. Went to LFS and only have bulbs in T5HO. Says they are 39 watts. But the fixtures only drive 21 watts.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Sorry its been so long with no pics. There is 2 double T5NO light strips. 2 X 21 each. Standard bulbs are 3000K. I will order some plant bulbs this weekend. I have removed 1 bulb because of some brown spots on the anubias and 1 sword.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

These are the brown spots I am concerned about. Read a few threads and think it might be to much light so I removed 1 bulb. The lights are on for 8.5 hours. Any ideas on if I am on the right track with dealing with brown spots? No CO2 but dosing excel and root tabs for swords.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Those look like they may be emersed-growth leaves, in which case it's natural for them to die off now that the plant is submerged, and new sumbersed growth leaves should take their place.

I'd give it a week or two.

Looks like the tannins in the tank are pretty high, too- keep in mind that they block a lot of light from the plants.


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## thomp-c (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks Laura. Tank has been running for 2 weeks today. Plants were purchased from aquariumplants.com. Maybe that helps with determining if they were grown emersed. I have ordered 2 6700K bulbs. I think the stock lights look too yellow/washed out. So I will try 2 stock and 2 plant bulbs. 

Chris


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

In that case it's just about definite that they were grown emersed. Most farms cultivate their plants in emersed form b/c they grow more quickly.

To me 6700k bulbs look to yellow. I personally like bright white 10k, and usually combine at least one with a pink bulb and sometimes a 6700k. It's all just a matter of personal aesthetics, though.


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## tom855 (Jan 31, 2006)

I have that tank and quite frankly, absolutely love it. For quite a while I've been using a 2x39W HOT5 from Nova. It has no fan, and can sit directly on the top glass so there is no glare from a raised light. 

It's probably medium light, but has no issue at all with swords, anubias, ferns, etc. It's under $100 including the bulbs.

Biased, yes, but I couldn't be happier with the choice.

Once you've tried a light with fans you'll quickly really just how nice this one really is.

Best of luck with your decision!

Tom


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