# First timer...46 gallon bow front...need help



## el_capitan (Jan 28, 2012)

Hello everyone, I am relatively new to aquariums (grandpa was very involved in the local aquatic society, and my dad always had a tank in the house so I have some familiarity with them) and just inherited a 46 gallon bow front tank from my dad. I really love the look of planted tanks so I figured I would try and tackle this feat, however I'm not looking to break the bank. I've been reading for a few days and really learned a lot, but there are still some things that confuse me. 

I believe the tank came as a set, with a nice wooden cabinet and a hood. The lighting is probably what confuses me the most. I am looking to just do low to medium light, just a tank that can grow some nice plants and look good. I'm assuming the bulb it came with wouldn't work? Do I just buy a correct wattage bulb that fits in the hood? Or will I need to buy a new hood all together? 

The second thing that I am a little unsure of is the substrate. Is it basically a nutrient rich soil with sand or standard aquarium gravel over it? Are there any fool proof options?

I am going to have a cannister filter, and after reading some DIY CO2 methods I may tackle that if it is worth the time. I would like to have a few tetras, corys, ottos, maybe a pleco. I also would love to get some shrimp, preferably some beginner ones once the tank is established. 

I have a large piece of driftwood that I was planning on putting on one side of the tank with some moss and maybe some taller plants behind it to fill some vertical space. On the other side I have some pieces of slate that I plan on making some stacked caves out of, hopefully covering them with some moss and having some large plants in the back and small lawn-type plants in front of the caves. 

So that is my vision for the aquarium, whether or not that will come to fruition is another story! :hihi: I appreciate any help you guys could give me, and will answer all questions as best as I can. I look forward to becoming part of the community!

-Jamison


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

I would take a guess you probably have a 36" T-8 Fluorescent light over it right now. If that is what it is you won't be able to grow much in the tank if anything. Do you have a hood, or a wood canopy like cabinet over the tank? If you have a wood canopy you could probably diy something. If it is just a black strip with a white reflector you can just get a new fixture. You could go very cheap and get some clamp on work lights and get compact fluorescent light bulbs or you could get some regular 48" shop light from Home Depot. You could spend a little bit more money and get a fixture that looks nice and is high powered. Here are some links to some lights.

-Zoo Med- http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaS...IRCS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1327724971&sr=8-7

-AquaticLife- http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...xtures-AquaticLife-AK01142-FILTFIT54U-vi.html

-Wavepoint- http://www.marinedepot.com/Wave_Poi...vePoint_Technology-ZP01001-FILTFIT54U-vi.html

Hope this helps with the lighting situation:icon_smil


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

BTW I have the 30" Zoo Med T5s on my 29 gallon and really like them.:icon_lol:


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## el_capitan (Jan 28, 2012)

Zefrik said:


> I would take a guess you probably have a 36" T-8 Fluorescent light over it right now. If that is what it is you won't be able to grow much in the tank if anything. Do you have a hood, or a wood canopy like cabinet over the tank? If you have a wood canopy you could probably diy something. If it is just a black strip with a white reflector you can just get a new fixture. You could go very cheap and get some clamp on work lights and get compact fluorescent light bulbs or you could get some regular 48" shop light from Home Depot. You could spend a little bit more money and get a fixture that looks nice and is high powered. Here are some links to some lights.
> 
> -Zoo Med- http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaS...IRCS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1327724971&sr=8-7
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply and thanks for the links! Not exactly sure what's under the hood, it is currently at my dads waiting to be washed thoroughly. I did have him send me some pictures though, hope these help!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That's a nice looking stand! Your light looks like a standard, magnetic ballasted T8 one bulb light, but with a fairly good reflector for that type of light. It is probably enough to grow the very low light plants, like mosses, anubias, Java Fern. You can very likely retrofit it with an AH Supply 96 watt PC light kit, by removing the guts from the light you have and installing the kit. http://www.ahsupply.com/96watt.htm That would give you medium intensity light, which, if you use CO2, would let you grow anything you want to.


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## el_capitan (Jan 28, 2012)

Hoppy said:


> That's a nice looking stand! Your light looks like a standard, magnetic ballasted T8 one bulb light, but with a fairly good reflector for that type of light. It is probably enough to grow the very low light plants, like mosses, anubias, Java Fern. You can very likely retrofit it with an AH Supply 96 watt PC light kit, by removing the guts from the light you have and installing the kit. http://www.ahsupply.com/96watt.htm That would give you medium intensity light, which, if you use CO2, would let you grow anything you want to.


Thanks for your help! I was hoping that it might have been as easy as replacing that bulb with a stronger one, unfortunately it looks like it's not. I may just roll with it and plant some of the very low light plants and see how that goes. Would that be enough to grow most of the low light plants or just a few that require VERY low lighting?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Because of the reflector, which is unusual in standard T8 light hoods, I'm not sure exactly how much light you will have. It will be at least 10 micromols of PAR, which is really low, but it could be as high as 15-20 micromols, which isn't that bad, for low light.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Stick with the plants Hoppy listed a few posts below and you should be able to work with that light fixture. Add swords and Crypts to his list, too. 

I probably would replace the bulb just to ensure it's a new one (need to be replaced every year anyways) and one that will support plant growth. T8s aren't hard to find. Home Depot has "plant lights" now... though IDK offhand if they regularly stock 36" lengths? (I have a hard time sometimes finding 30" and 36" bulbs... seems 24" and 48" are much more standard  )


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## el_capitan (Jan 28, 2012)

Thanks for all your help! I was worried at first about not being able to grow anything but now I am confident that I can have a pretty nice tank with low lights. I am thinking of going with pool filter sand as a substrate, would I need to put anything under that or could the entire bottom consist of sand? And would that be bad for some of the bottom dwellers like corys or shrimp?


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## tlyons01 (Nov 23, 2011)

I have the same tank as you, and I also have the pool filter sand. I changed from gravel to PFS for my cory group. They seem to love it, and haven't had any type of injuries at all. As far as putting anything under it, I guess that would depend on your plant selection. If you choose to go with heavy root feeders, then yes. It sounds like you are looking to go the less technical route for the time being, so I wouldn't think it would be necessary. Just know that PFS is inert and will have no added nutrients for your rooted plants. If you have rooted plants, you may want to look into root tabs of some sort. (I also have ghost shrimp, they seem to be ok with the sand too) Good luck


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