# 55 Gallon Question



## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

I just joined the forum last night and have some questions about my tanks. Now its time to ask about my 55G. I want to have a low light/low maintenance tank and have tried to do this for 3 years. I order Diana Walstad's book and really want to try out a natural aquarium. The main problem with my tank is that I do not like the lighting. I have 2 T8 fixtures that give me 15 watts of light a piece. I struggle to grow some plants and the ones I do grow do not last long. I have tried to add ferts to the tank but growth is way to slow. How big of a light in terms of watts or type could I go and still be able to have low light and be low maintenance? I have thought about a dual HO T5 light that would give me 108 watts. I am just afraid that it might be too much light since HO lighting is pretty bright. Could I go with a NO T5 or should I get dual light fixtures like the ones I am using? If I go with a dual T8 fixtures I would get 30 watts for have the tank. I know that some people are happy with what they can get with what they have but I really want a brighter looking tank with the ability to grow a bigger number of plants.

Here is a picture of my tank as it is right now


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## Erloas (Dec 14, 2009)

You might be able to find a single 1x54 T5NO fixture which I think is still in non-CO2 levels of lighting.
If you can't find that, then I would look for a retrofit kit for a 2x24W T5NO setup (2 23"ish lights) and make your own canopy and put that over each side. Which I would assume would probably be about 2-3x the light you have now considering they are T5s and have good reflectors.

At that point if you have too much light you can just raise the fixture to get the light levels you want.


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## msc (Mar 10, 2008)

If you want to stay low light, this light my work good for you. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp57011/si1379087/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight48


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

Isn't a 54 watt T5 a High Output bulb? I have looked at HO T5 light that would give me 108 watts or 2X54 watts. A NO T5 bulb 4ft long would have 28 watts per bulb.


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## Chafire (Jan 6, 2010)

I recently bought my lights from:

http://www.fishneedit.com/t5ho-4ft--2lamp-aquarium-light.html 

Thought it was a good price and I like the look of the aluminum body. Don't have it set up because I'm just aquiring everything I need first but can't wait till I can. Also these are "High Output" but not sure if you would want that for a low tech tank.


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

That light looks good and I have seen it around but right now Al has it out of stock. If I used a NO T5 like the Coral life one would I be able to grow stem plants? I really want to be able to have good growth out of this tank since its in my living room. The dark spot in the middle is really a fake wood stump with Java Fern growing all over it. I would love to get out of ferns and crypts. With the light I do have, any crypt I put in there lasts for a couple of months showing no growth and then melt away. I plan on getting a newer light and slowing convert this tank to more of a Walstad type. I want a bright light that would put me on the edge of low light. I think I could grow a lot more plants and possible watch them thrive like they do in some of my other tanks.


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## pKaz (Mar 27, 2009)

Forget T5 HO and forget 2 individual twin tube T8 fixtures. You have a 48" tank get a 48" light.

I would go with something like this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13612http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+3817&pcatid=3817

or the T5 NO Aqualight already mentioned:http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...7/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight48

The good thing about the T8 light is that it will give you a good amount of light plus you have a plethora of bulb choices, and bulbs can be found cheaply at big box hardware stores. The T5 Aqualights are a great light I use them myself and have had no trouble, the only downside I have found is that you are limited to the Coralife bulbs, which isn't really that bad. The T5 light will also be towards the high end of low light, pushing medium light.


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

Chafire:
I looked at that one too but I don't have the funds to get pressurized CO2. I got a 5 year old and twin 7 month old boys to deal with and am looking for more of a low maintenance type tank set up that could handle me missing some things like frequent water changes or pruning. LOL


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

Pkaz:
What I want to know is why is the T5 light $64 and the T8 is almost $100? if I look at it that way then I would go with T5. Do you use any CO2 in your tanks or leave it as is? I really want to get a decent light not have to go all out and get the high tech equipment. I feel that with time you can get the same results with less daily work.


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## pKaz (Mar 27, 2009)

miguel959 said:


> Pkaz:
> What I want to know is why is the T5 light $64 and the T8 is almost $100? if I look at it that way then I would go with T5. Do you use any CO2 in your tanks or leave it as is? I really want to get a decent light not have to go all out and get the high tech equipment. I feel that with time you can get the same results with less daily work.



Simple, the T8 light is made in the USA and the T5 light is made in China. I do not inject CO2. The only CO2 my tanks get is from the fish and from fresh tap water when I do a water change. I agree, if you have the patience low-tech is the way to go.


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

I think I am leaning towards the T5 light. But I noticed that for like $10 more I could get a triple bulb T8 light like the dual light. Would this be too much light for a low tech setup? I think it would be 96 watts of T8 lights. Compared to 56 watts of T5 light. I just want to make sure I don't get too far from low tech but still be able to grow almost any plant I see.


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## Erloas (Dec 14, 2009)

One thing to keep in mind is that T5, both NO and HO, are more energy efficient then T8 bulbs. About 50Watts of T5 will be more light then 50Watts of T8s. Good quality reflectors make a difference too.

The estimates on this site in the lighting section shows that a 28W T5NO bulb puts out just a bit more light then a 32W T8 bulb. The T5NO averaged about 80% more efficient then the T8 bulb. So even though they don't cost the same starting out, keep in mind that the T5s will cost relatively less to run in terms of power.

I would also assume more T5 fixtures come with better quality reflectors then T8 fixtures, but I don't know that for sure and it will vary by manufacturer.


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## Frogmanx82 (Dec 8, 2009)

I would get the more watts. You may or may not need it, but you can always remove a bulb. What you don't want to do is have to buy another fixture down the road.

I would go with the three bulb T8 unit and run T6 bulbs on it which are almost as efficient as T5 but still fit in a T8 socket. If its too much light, take out one bulb or if your lucky it would have dual plugs that you could set on different timers. 

If you go T5, you might as well go high output. I would go a dual bulb HO T5 unit if it were me so I could have the option of going medium or high tech down the road. A single HOT5 bulb on a 55 should still be low tech so just run one bulb. Depending on how its switched, you may be able to turn on one or two bulbs and you could run two bulbs every now and then. Like I said, that at least gives you the option.

As far as efficiency goes, a highly polished individual reflector for each bulb is the best. Make sure you have a decent reflector on the unit though only the high end units would have individual reflectors.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Keep in mind that many fixtures will not run with one bulb removed, depends on the design of the fixture.

I'd personally go with the Coralife 2x21 watt T5NO (which would give you close to the lighting equivalent of 3x T8 bulbs), and if you want to add CO2 down the line, it would be easy enough (and fairly economical, since these aren't expensive) to add a 2nd of the same fixture.

1x54 of T5HO would be "enough" light, but not give you as good front-to-back light coverage as a two bulb fixture. But 2x54 T5HO will require you to run pressurized CO2 on the tank.


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## Erloas (Dec 14, 2009)

Wouldn't it be a 2x28W light to get 48"? The 21W are 36"

Here is a link to the Coralife 48" T5NO fixture


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Erloas said:


> Wouldn't it be a 2x28W light to get 48"? The 21W are 36"
> 
> Here is a link to the Coralife 48" T5NO fixture


Whoops yes you're totally right!

I've got the 36" fixture over my own 46gal so I guess I had that stuck in my head LOL


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## webgirl74 (Dec 2, 2009)

I actually just bought that Coralife T5 fixture for my 55 gallon. I like the size of the fixture as it's nice and slim and compact, and it has a good reflector already built in. The only complaint I have I guess is that the bulbs are close together, so you aren't able to get as much coverage as you maybe would with other fixtures. I think it's good value for what it is though (I paid under $80 Canadian for it) and I can always add another single bulb light strip if I find I need a bit more light. Personally though, I'm trying to keep my tank fairly low budget as well, so the strip works fine for me.


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

With all this info, I think that I will go T5 NO when I change this tank over. I hope to be able to do this in the spring. That gives me some time to read Diana Walstad's book and gather all the supplies needed for the change. I am in a real need to have low maintenance tanks at home. With three young boys, the less chemicals, ferts, hoses, the better.


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## ball3r (Mar 12, 2009)

if you are going for coralife t5 NO, i have a fixture for sale 50 shipped original bulbs included (used for a month before i upgraded to HO). Otherwise, i would you recommend getting a nova t5 HO from ebay. Good luck


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## miguel959 (Jan 19, 2010)

ball3r said:


> if you are going for coralife t5 NO, i have a fixture for sale 50 shipped original bulbs included (used for a month before i upgraded to HO). Otherwise, i would you recommend getting a nova t5 HO from ebay. Good luck


I don't have any extra cash right now but if you still have it in a couple of weeks I might just be interested.


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