# 20 gallon lighting, need some help



## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Need some advice,

I would like to upgrade my lighting because I have what seem to be easy to grow plants dying in my tank. I've got DIY CO2 running and i am in the process of buying some seachem flourish excel to dose with it, however I am still using the light and hood that came with my aquarium (bought a starter kit). I believe it is a Marinland single bright LED. I would like a hood and light that will compliment my tank. My plants just seem to be stagnant and not growing at all, infact they seem to be just melting and they have been in the tank for about 6 months now, I've been keeping them alive barely.

Please if you could suggest a hood and light fixture for medium light or light that will allow me to do well with the plants I have and some plants that require more light that would be great. 

Specs:

17" high (standard 20 gallon tank)
Eco-Complete substrate
100 watt heater
Penguin 150 bio wheel filter

Plants:
Moneywort
Rotala
Ludwigia Repens
Amazon Sword
Java fern

No fish in the tank as of now, I had a community tank but then contracted a parasite, so you know how that goes...below are pics of my current lighting and tank.

Thanks,

TECK


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## Dolfan (Apr 8, 2005)

The light you posted a pic of, is not for plant growing. It doesn't put off the right color temp. Your color rating needs to be about 6500k. I think you could go with a hood that has screw in incandescent lights. Just use cfl's that screw in to the socket. It's easy to find cfl screw in bulbs that are in the 6500k range. Here is a link to a hood that would be cheap and effective for you...

http://www.bigalspets.com/fish/lighting/recessed-full-incandescent-hood-black-24.html

I like these kind of hoods for small tanks as with 2 bulbs you have options if you just want to use 1 bulb or mix and match 2 different bulbs. The bulbs are easy to find. I get mine at Costco for about $8 for a 6 pack of 18 watt bulbs. 2 of the 18 watt bulbs would give you medium light, so if you wanted lower get less wattage bulbs, and of course go higher if you want more light. The fixture can take up to 25 watt bulbs. One thing, the bulbs I use are a little to "fat" in the bulb area to fit in the fixture, so I had to remove the reflectors to give a little more room for the bulb to fit. You could try to get skinnier bulbs or take out the reflectors as I did. They weren't very good reflectors anyway, very small and not very shiny.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

I appreciate your input, like i said my lights stink for growing plants, this will fit a standard 20 gallon tank?


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## owens81jw (Feb 7, 2009)

Finnex fugeray


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED I almost bought that marine LED light strip for it was on sale at Pet Smart. Doubly glad I didn't now.

The Coralife T5NO is the best for the tank. 

This is it over a 29G by lauraleellbp









The Finnex fugeray over a 29G









Don't get am incadescant light strip. It will heat up the tank.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Hilde said:


> TECKSPEED I almost bought that marine LED light strip for it was on sale at Pet Smart. Doubly glad I didn't now.
> 
> The Coralife T5NO is the best for the tank.
> 
> ...


Can you show me were you purchased this I've got a 20 gallon do they have one that would fit


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> Can you show me were you purchased this I've got a 20 gallon do they have one that would fit


Amazon, Pet Blvd and pet supplies carry the T5NO light strip. Not certain which has the lower shipping fee. Also sold at Pet Smart under Aqueon brand.The NO (normal output) light strip has 18 watt bulbs. There is a freshwater and salt water strip. The freshwater has a pink bulb. So you've got to figure out if it is cheaper to buy it on line or in the store.

Got coralife light fixture at local aquarium club auction 2yrs ago and it is still running. Just replaced the bulbs this year.


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## Dolfan (Apr 8, 2005)

The light fixtures that Hilde and owens suggested are just light fixtures, they are not hoods. They are great fixtures and what most of the experience/expert plant and fish ppl use, but somewhat expensive compared to the hood that I suggested. The one I linked is for a 20 gallon tall tank as it is 24x12. It is for incandescents but if you use cfl screw in bulbs it doesn't add much heat at all, very comparable to the heat from a tube still light. For $25ish dollars, and maybe $5 for some cfl screw in bulbs, you would have a good light that provides your tank with all that it needs.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Dolfan said:


> The light fixtures that Hilde and owens suggested are just light fixtures, they are not hoods.
> 
> The one I linked is for a 20 gallon tall tank as it is 24x12. It is for incandescents but if you use cfl screw in bulbs it doesn't add much heat at all.


Not everyone uses a hood. Glass top I found cheapest at Pet Smart.

CLF bulbs over an 84G by Sharpchick 60L x 18W x 18H


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

I greatly thank both of you for your suggestions, in my own personal opinion I find the black bulky hood to be an eye sore and was leaning more towards a glad top with a fixture for lights. Could you guys point me in the direction for a glass top? Are they all the same or are some different?


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

I also believe the Coralife T5NO burns out very fast and has problems with that type of thing? correct me if im wrong though?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> Could you guys point me in the direction for a glass top? Are they all the same or are some different?


I got the *marineland* perfector top for my 29 at Drs Foster & Smith site, for I had a gift card. It is 11.5in wide. Got an aqueon *versa top* for 20G for it was on sale for $20 (including tax). It is .5 in short. 

I feel with the glass cover I get better light spread. If you are tight on money you could cut the hood up to the lid. Then put a steel bar (Home Depot) on top of the edge and a piece of glass on top. The glass you can get cut at ACE Hardware for about $7. Just make it shorter than the tank for heater lines etc. That is how I started. 

Another thing you can do to save you money is to not to have a heater. Depending on the type of fish you get you can do without a heater. Afterall in nature the temp changes throughtout the day. For example in my 29G I have no heater for the fish are cheap and easy to replace (Pet Smart Tetra). The 20G I will be putting a heater in it for I have 1 fish that is difficult to replace.


TECKSPEED said:


> I also believe the Coralife T5NO burns out very fast and has problems with that type of thing? correct me if im wrong though?


T5NO Coralife gives about the same PAR as a single PC bulb. Going on 2 years I think with my 46gal, going one one year with my 29gal.
Lauraleellbp 

I had mine 2yrs before I bought new bulbs. Don't know why it got a bad review on amazon. Assuming there a few lemons out there.


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## Dolfan (Apr 8, 2005)

I was just suggesting a hood as that is what OP was asking about in original thread. 

I would go with the lights they suggested if you want a glass top, they are good lights, the finnex is highly recommended by many. As for where to get the glass top, you could find it at petsmart or petco, etc. 

Here is a link to a 24inch one that you would need for your 20gallon...
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11252588


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Dolfan, thank you for your input and advice. and thank you for your link.

Ive been looking at medium-ish lighting for my 20 gallon and have come across the Finnex FugeRay LED lighting,






There is the link if you guys could check it out and let me know what you think and also if you have ever used it or know someone who has and give me a little info on how good of a product it really is? 

Also, will that give me medium-ish lighting and allow my plants to grow GOOD with the help of diy co2 and some excel.

Thanks to everyone for their input.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> Ive been looking at medium-ish lighting for my 20 gallon and have come across the Finnex FugeRay LED lighting,
> 
> Also, will that give me medium-ish lighting and allow my plants to grow GOOD with the help of diy co2 and some excel.


Finnex FugeRay LED lighting may give you more options as to what type of plants you can grow. I googled it at this forum and read something about the light not being very bright. Some use 2 types of LED's to create a light that is appealling to their eyes.

The I don't think you need excel since you are injecting Co2. A good overall dry fert is by select aquatics. I just added iron sulfate to it since I have some reddish plants.

Two good sites to buy from that have resonable prices are Drs. Foster & Smith and Pet Solutions


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Hilde said:


> Finnex FugeRay LED lighting may give you more options as to what type of plants you can grow. I googled it at this forum and read something about the light not being very bright. Some use 2 types of LED's to create a light that is appealling to their eyes.
> 
> The I don't think you need excel since you are injecting Co2. A good overall dry fert is by select aquatics. I just added iron sulfate to it since I have some reddish plants.


Would you lean away from the finnex light or is it still reputable?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> Would you lean away from the finnex light or is it still reputable?


I don't know much about the finnex light. Many whom inject Co2 use it. I love the Coralife T5NO for with it I don't need to inject Co2. Ironically I am now thinking of doing DIY Co2, for found a recipe for it that I like.

If I new what I know now I would have gone with an LED light fixture for they use a lot less electricity. Read that LED's are still be studied. The Marineland LED is the only 1 I have heard bad news about. 

What light you choose really depends on what appeals to your eyes. So many variations in colors from the bulbs. 

I have a 24 in beamworks single bright. It is just enough light for ferns and moss in a 10G


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Hilde said:


> I don't know much about the finnex light. Many whom inject Co2 use it. I love the Coralife T5NO for with it I don't need to inject Co2. Ironically I am now thinking of doing DIY Co2, for found a recipe for it that I like.
> 
> If I new what I know now I would have gone with an LED light fixture for they use a lot less electricity. Read that LED's are still be studied. The Marineland LED is the only 1 I have heard bad news about.
> 
> ...


I have more than ferns and mosses in my tank lol I've got some ludwigia and other plants that need id


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> I have more than ferns and mosses in my tank lol I've got some ludwigia and other plants that need id


Can't wait to see the end result.

I have ludwiga too in my 29G. Trying to get it to show red by trying different bulbs. Now have the dual Coralife fixture and T8 daylight bulb 6500 kelvin on top. From what I have seen the 20G long tanks are the easiest to acquire the proper light to grow plants red.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

Hilde said:


> Can't wait to see the end result.
> 
> I have ludwiga too in my 29G. Trying to get it to show red by trying different bulbs. Now have the dual Coralife fixture and T8 daylight bulb 6500 kelvin on top. From what I have seen the 20G long tanks are the easiest to acquire the proper light to grow plants red.


You think the finnex would be okay to grow ludwigia and some other plants of that sort? The red comes from iron I believe the more iron in the water the redder ludwigia gets?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

TECKSPEED said:


> You think the finnex would be okay to grow ludwigia and some other plants of that sort?


From what I have read it seems a good light. Read that it is only gives low medium light. Just even though it is a good light for plants it may not appeal to your eye. Search here for it and see if it is what you would like. 

What about a Finnex Ray2, since you are injecting Co2?

Here is a PAR graph on different type of LED lights by Hoppy.


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

Look in the Finnex section of the forum for any info you might want about their lights. There is PAR data so you can decide between the Fugeray or the Ray 2. I honestly don't remember ever hearing a bad comment about Finnex lights, other than the short power cord. I have a fugeray over my 10 gallon and I love it.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

creekbottom said:


> Look in the Finnex section of the forum for any info. I have a fugeray over my 10 gallon and I love it.


Finnex RAY II & FugeRAY PAR Data

Got a link to the tank?


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## blueshark (Mar 9, 2013)

If you're on a budget, take a look at the Odyssea 24"dual t5ho fixture, which you can find here: http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-2x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52121p.htm. 

It's $40 shipped with two stock bulbs included. Two bulbs might be a bit much for you considering the plants you're growing, but you can easily disconnect one of them. I'm running one bulb on a 20 gallon tall and my plants (sword plants, dwarf sag, ludwigia, rotala, etc.) have been growing very well. If I decide to grow plants with higher light needs, I can always reconnect the other one. I was also considering the Finnex when I was in the market for lighting, but it's a bit pricier. The longevity of LED lights is sweet though, so in the long run the LED's might be cheaper, who knows?


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

Hilde said:


> Got a link to the tank?




I'm using floaters on top.

I'm also using an Odyssea T5HO light over a 20 tall. It's a good light, I think. Decently priced. They fixed the shorting issue.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> I'm using floaters on top.
> 
> I'm also using an Odyssea T5HO light over a 20 tall. It's a good light, I think. Decently priced. They fixed the shorting issue.


Could you show me a pic of the 20 gallon tall? with a standard shot and a top shot of the tank?


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

Here's the 20 tall: 



I had to start running CO2. I didn't try taking out one of the bulbs, that may have been a solution as well. I was planning on CO2 anyway. The Ludwigia gets a nice bronzey color to it. 

Here's the top:



I like open tanks but at one point I did have a glass top that I got a glass shop to cut and put my own knob on it. It sat on the inner rim so it didn't interfere with the legs.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> Here's the 20 tall:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was gonna ask you if you had a top lol, do you have any fish in the tank? I will be putting fish in mine and I worry about jumpers and such


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

All of my tanks (4) are topless and there are fish in all of them. I have otto's and silvertip tetras in this tank, haven't lost any. I used to have black neon tetras, lost a couple of those. I know any fish will jump, but I'm tall and I look at the top of the tank all the time. I got rid of the jumpy species, even my betta has never taken a leap.

I am starting a killifish tank and I'm making a screen top for that though


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## snakeman1989 (Jul 22, 2010)

TECKSPEED said:


> I also believe the Coralife T5NO burns out very fast and has problems with that type of thing? correct me if im wrong though?


Correct! I've had two of those coralife fixtures for a few years now. One decided to blow a bulb and crack my glass top, which then dropped right into the tank! The contact is loose so the bulb doesn't sit tightly anymore and it's only a couple years old now. The other one is a 36" that is fine, but blows the bulbs once in a while too.

Save some $$ and try the finnex fixture. I bought one and love the light output when compared to my t5no fixtures! It seems to do well with plants too.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

So you guys would lean towards the finnex line? Ive got a standard 20 gallon tank which fixture would you guys get? the 24 inch? I am going to get rid of my hood as well, to me its a giant eye sore once i get my plants looking respectable.


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## snakeman1989 (Jul 22, 2010)

TECKSPEED said:


> So you guys would lean towards the finnex line? Ive got a standard 20 gallon tank which fixture would you guys get? the 24 inch? I am going to get rid of my hood as well, to me its a giant eye sore once i get my plants looking respectable.


If you want to get a finnex fixture, the 24" one should fit the width of your tank. Any of the larger fixtures should fit too since they have sliding supports. However something like a 30" fixture would have some light falloff the edges.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

cool, I will probably go with the 24" fixture, this will enable me to grow plants like ludwigia and rotala and some others with no problems correct?

Ive got diy co2 and i am going to dose excel.


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

Take a look at the PAR charts so you can decide between the RAY 2 and the Fugeray. A Ray 2 might be way too much light.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> Take a look at the PAR charts so you can decide between the RAY 2 and the Fugeray. A Ray 2 might be way too much light.


I have taken a look at the charts and the Ray II seems to be high light, which if i wererunning pressurized co2 and dosing excel i could get away with? and the fugeray seems to be more of a medium-ish light so I would be okay running diy co2 and dosing excel.

correct me if im wrong though.


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

I might be wrong too, so maybe someone else will jump in if this is preposterous lol. I think the fugeray will not be enough light at the bottom of the tank and I would probably go with the ray 2. You'll need pressurized CO2 and dosing though. This all depends on what you want to grow though, and I'm too lazy to look back through the thread on my phone lol.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> I might be wrong too, so maybe someone else will jump in if this is preposterous lol. I think the fugeray will not be enough light at the bottom of the tank and I would probably go with the ray 2. You'll need pressurized CO2 and dosing though. This all depends on what you want to grow though, and I'm too lazy to look back through the thread on my phone lol.


I'm on a tight budget so pressurized co2 is out of the question. 

I've got some moneywort ludwigia rotala java fern amazon swords and a few other plants lol

Based on that what would you recommend?


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

If you're on a budget then something like an Odyssea T5HO would be cheaper... but... the bulbs will have to be replaced every 18 months or so and they are generally more expensive to run than an LED light. 

I would probably still go with an LED light, I think you could still go with a RAY 2 you would just have to do things to lessen the intensity; floaters, window screen, broken photo period, hanging the light. You can always get less light from a fixture but you can't get more. 

Or wander through the lighting aisles of a big box store and look at T8 or T12 fixtures, or even CFL and PC lights.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> If you're on a budget then something like an Odyssea T5HO would be cheaper... but... the bulbs will have to be replaced every 18 months or so and they are generally more expensive to run than an LED light.
> 
> I would probably still go with an LED light, I think you could still go with a RAY 2 you would just have to do things to lessen the intensity; floaters, window screen, broken photo period, hanging the light. You can always get less light from a fixture but you can't get more.
> 
> Or wander through the lighting aisles of a big box store and look at T8 or T12 fixtures, or even CFL and PC lights.


I like the idea of using floaters, duckweed... 0.o ...is the only floater that come to my mind and by window screen you mean what? I'm unaware of what your referencing never heard of using window screen for anything?


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

You don't have to use duckweed, it's too hard to get rid of. Salvinia, red root floater, water lettuce, there are others. 

You can cover your tank with window screen, one layer cuts out an amazing amount of light and you can double layer if you need to. I went open top so I managed to jam some window screen into the leg supports on the light and attached it directly under the light. I also use salvinia. You can search for window screen on the forum and some useful results will come up, or google.


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## TECKSPEED (Jan 2, 2013)

creekbottom said:


> You don't have to use duckweed, it's too hard to get rid of. Salvinia, red root floater, water lettuce, there are others.
> 
> You can cover your tank with window screen, one layer cuts out an amazing amount of light and you can double layer if you need to. I went open top so I managed to jam some window screen into the leg supports on the light and attached it directly under the light. I also use salvinia. You can search for window screen on the forum and some useful results will come up, or google.


Cool I will go with the Ray II then that way I'm sure I have enough light, I'll just separate my lighting time into two different times and use some floaters and window screen if necessary


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## etk300ex (May 1, 2013)

I got the same "kit" or whatever you want to call it but 29 gal. I gave it a good 3 month try with that stock light and plants were dying a slow death, anubias was turning into dust. Shame cause its a real nice looking top. I ended up getting a zoo med dual T5ho. Plants perked up within a couple days. Its a lot of light, I ended up raiseing it up about a foot above the tank. If I were to redo I'd just go with a single T5no or lower power LED.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

etk300ex said:


> I got the same "kit" or whatever you want to call it but 29 gal. I gave it a good 3 month try with that stock light and plants were dying a slow death, anubias was turning into dust. I ended up getting a zoo med dual T5ho. Plants perked up within a couple days.


Wish you had a thread on the tank.


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## etk300ex (May 1, 2013)

I will prob start on soon. I did not take any pics when it was looking like poo though haha.


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