# Low tech lighting



## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Hey there I'm new on this forum and as a first question I would like to ask if what my current lighting on my tank is considered. I have a 2 T5HO aquatic life fixture with plant lamps on my 29g (12wx18tx30l). Would this be low, med, or high lighting? Could my plants use more CO2 with this light? I currently do not add CO2.


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## ringfinger (May 28, 2010)

T5HO is quite a bit more intense than other light sources. You are either in the high-medium or high light range. Co2 would be a good idea.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Do you think excel will work with a tank this size?


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

I used just excel on a 29 G tank for a year, it look great, flourished nice. But I added pressurized Co2 in addition to the Excel and I have explosive growth!

So the answer is yes, but don't discount the power of Co2


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Is it true that some plants will melt with excel? Like vallisneria? I have lots of vallisneria.


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## Digital (Apr 4, 2008)

^ it is true.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

So vals will melt?


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

And so what is my lighting considered? Low, med, or high?


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## Byron (Aug 20, 2009)

I consider your light very high. If you can remove one tube and still have the other light it would work, but most fixtures are not wired to allow this, both tubes have to be in. If that won't work, and if it were me, I would definitely try to replace the dual T5 with a single T5 or even T8 fixture. T5 HO is almost double the intensity of T8, so with two tubes you have close to the light intensity of 4 regular T8's. 

I believe Tom Barr mentioned elsewhere on here about starting with minimal light so the nutrients will balance without going overboard. Algae is an issue if light exceeds what the plants can use in balance with the nutrients. I prefer true low-tech, as minimal as possible on light and extras, so nature does the work.

The other aspect is the fish; most of the fish in planted tanks are forest fish and these come from very dimly-lit streams, shaded by the overhanging forest canopy. Such fish are more "comfortable" and thus less stressed under less light.

On my 33g I have one T8 tube and it is more than enough light, as the attached photo demonstrates. This tank is close to your 29g. Currently I use it mainly as a grow-out for daughter plants from the main tanks, so the plants are a bit of a jumble.

Byron.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Ok. Maybe I'll do a DIY co2 yeast.

Oh and what about the vals?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

T5HO is such strong lighting that you're going to have to work to make DIY CO2 consistent enough to keep up with the light. And inconsistent CO2 levels can trigger algae blooms. If you want to keep this tank low tech then the easiest thing would probably be to raise your light fixture 6-8" up off the tank.

CO2 + Excel may be enough, but might also melt off your Vals. I've heard some people can "acclimate" their Vals to Excel by starting off with low doeses and slowly working their way up to "normal" dosing levels, but I've never tried that myself. I did once kill off all the Vals in my 90gal by dosing Excel, though, and they never grew back.


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## JimmyYahoo (Aug 14, 2005)

Id say if you had enough to spring for such nice lights.. then spring for a nice pressurized system. Your experience will be more rewarding and your tank will look great. Go for it.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Pressurized is much too expensiver for me. Yeast will do. If I had 4xT5HO then maybe.


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## bikeny (Apr 29, 2010)

Squared said:


> Pressurized is much too expensiver for me. Yeast will do. If I had 4xT5HO then maybe.


Then why did you buy such an expensive/bright lighting system? I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to help out. You asked what light range you were in, and recieved a couple of answers stating high to very high, which I think is accurate. To balance that light level, you need pressurized CO2.

Other options that were mentioned are raising the light up off the tank, which in my opinion is just a waste of electricity, removing one bulb, or getting a different light. I light which is always recommended here which works well for low tech tanks are the Coralife T5 NO, avaialable at Big Als and other places.

Good luck,
Mark


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

I had 3 coralife T5NO fixtures. All of them failed to work long enough for me. So I got this one, which was only $120. My LFS subtracted the cost of the coralife from this one, so it was about $40 for me. I asked if it would be a lot light, he said it would be fine for the plants to get more light. I didn't think only 2 bulbs would be high light. I was thinking medium to medium high. So there's the story.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Oh and the bulbs are about 3" from the top of the tank, and there is a black strip from the cover blocking some light.


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## Squared (Jun 13, 2010)

Also will putting the CO2 airline in the filter impeller be less efficiant than making a DIY reactor?


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