# Lighting for 20 gallon long (20L) questions



## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I need to get some lighting for my new 20 long, and I'm hoping to keep it in the 4wpg range. One of my choices is the AH Supply 1x55 kit. I know that barely puts it at 3wpg, but everyone raves about their reflectors being extremely efficient, so I was wondering if it will be _equivalent_ to 4 wpg or so using a Nova or a Satellite, etc.

Or should I go with some 30" fixture by Current, or Coralife or whatever? How about a 2x36 kit, with the reflectors staggered under the canopy, for more even coverage?

Thoughts?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

i would recommend wat i use. the coralife double t-5 strip lights (30 inchs)

just watch out man, there are no mounting legs, so you have to be careful, the ones that come with it get too close to the surface and can burn floating plants (been there done that), if you can, bend the legs to be at a higher position, like i did.

and finally, is this 20 long to replace ur 10 or just for the heck of it?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

To replace my 10. I figured since I had to start all over again anyway, it was time to get an aquarium that fits the space better. I'm gonna set a 10 gallon up again, but it's going to be out in the kitchen. This one is going in my bedroom, where the 10 gallon was.

Thanks for your suggestion. I just saw those today at the LFS, and was inches away from buying them. I just wanted to wait and research it just a bit further. Do you use the 6500 and colormax tubes that come with the fixture? Or did you replace them with something else altogether?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

nope, great combo that bring out the color of plants. are you going to use AS?

the color just jump out at you. 

also, get a lot of driftwood. its harder to scape a 20 long because you need long pieces of wood to cover a larger distance

heres a pic of my stargrass and cabomba with the bulbs (i use 2 of these fixtures [72watts]):










trust me, if u get this light, u will LOVE the lights. but the problem is, not many temperatures are available in T5


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Get the T-5. It penetrates the water deeper, plus it has reflectors to reflect even more light than the AH Supply.


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

I'd get a 30" All-Glass Black or Oak color Pine Canopy. There are three 3" slabs on top. The front two slabs flip up together as one piece and the other slab is stationary.

Then I'd install a 24" 2x24w *Ready Fit™ T5 DIY Kit* or a 24" 2x24w *T5 Retro-Fit Kit*.

Then I'd purchase either:
2 24" 24w *T5 Midday 6000K Powerchrome Bulbs* or
1 24" 24w *T5 Midday 6000K Powerchrome Bulb* and 1 24" 24w *T5 Aquaflora Powerchrome Bulb*


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Wow, thanks guys, for all the great helpful advice! Left C, I checked out all of your detailed links, and that is just too much money for me. I can see that those retrofit kits are of the highest quality, but I'm on a shoestring here...

I'm thinking then the coralife is the way to go. I'll get two of those double fixtures, for 72w. I'm still feeling like there aren't too many bulb choices, though. Does anyone make a 18w t-5 in the 10,000k range?


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

wat color are 10000k bulbs?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Church, I have one of those fixtures on my 20L, and I like it very much. I'm wanting to switch my 20L for a 29 (have the tank on the floor), and when I do, I'm going to get a second fixture to raise the wattage.

Have you bought your 20L tank yet? If not, I strongly suggest getting a 29g instead. Same footprint, but taller which gives more room for the plants and fish. 20L is a good size, but scaping is tough with such a short, but long tank. It's also so short that any kind of canopy would swallow it up.


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

Church said:


> Wow, thanks guys, for all the great helpful advice! Left C, I checked out all of your detailed links, and that is just too much money for me. I can see that those retrofit kits are of the highest quality, but I'm on a shoestring here...


I know what you mean. It is pricey, but it would be very nice.

For ~ $100, here’s something that I really like.

You can get a 30” 1x65w Freshwater Coralife Aqualight. Replace the stock 6700K bulb with the 55w 9325K bulb. Also order the Coralife adjustable (flip-up) legs. These legs mount firmly to the fixture and the aquarium and allow you to flip the lights straight up a little past 90° so that you can easily work in the aquarium. I have this exact same setup on a 24” aquarium and I love it. 

That 9325K bulb really brings out the colors in the aquarium. It grows plants very well. It doesn’t seem to lead to algae issues either. It’s a terrific bulb!

Here’s a picture of what the fixture and legs look like.










Here’s the $60 30” Freshwater Aqualight: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...oralifefreshwateraqualightdeluxesingle30strip

$13.50 Adjustable (flip-up) legs: http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...nc3684-def-USD-18362##0##4&query=legs&offset=

$14.20 55w 9325K bulb: http://lightbulbsdirect.com/Merchan...=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=F55BX-AR-FS


That’s $87.70 plus shipping!


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

I'm gonna chime in here with another recommendation for the 2x18w Coralife T5. Nice, inexpensive fixture with _plenty_ of light output. Check my 20L thread for pics...

10,000K bulbs are available here: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18371/si1379093/cl0/coralifet510000klamp30

Bummer about your 10...
...Can't wait to see what you do with your 20L!


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Dang, Left C, THAT is what I'm talking about!!! That is perfectly within my budget, and I would get 65w in one fixture, instead of using two of the double 36w fixtures.

My question now is, knowing that the 9325k lights look good in conjunction with other bulbs, do they really look good all by themselves? And the other "issue" I might have with this fixture is, the light wouldn't cover the whole length of the aqaurium, so mightn't it be a better idea to go with the 30" bulbs? This thread is extremely helpful! It's already down to the double 36w fixtures or this one that Left C mentioned. I want to order today, so I gotta draw conclusions here...


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

i dunno man, left c's is pretty darn good. the one i gave doesnt wrk with aqualight mounts, even tho it is an aqualight.

but with the t5 you have more power and light/penetration thru the water.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Complexity said:


> Have you bought your 20L tank yet? If not, I strongly suggest getting a 29g instead. Same footprint, but taller which gives more room for the plants and fish. 20L is a good size, but scaping is tough with such a short, but long tank. It's also so short that any kind of canopy would swallow it up.


I almost missed this question... sorry Vicki. Yes, I did already buy it. I'm impulsive like that. But believe me, I'm aware that the 29G is the same footprint. It's just that I've been _wanting_ a long, low, rectangular shaped tank for quite some time. Remember my quit-smoking thread? Where you suggested I setup another tank, and I told you I've always wanted a long Iwagumi type tank? Well, guess what-- this is going to be that tank! :smile:

So this is going to purposefully be a long and low tank, with no tall plants in it. I find nicely done iwagumi tanks to be the epitome of peaceful, and the 20L has always jumped out at me as being the perfect Iwagumi dimensions.

I've already laid out my rockscape, and pictures are coming very soon, so stay tuned...


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

yay iwagumi!!! what type of rocks are you going to use?


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Get the T-5. It penetrates the water deeper, plus it has reflectors to reflect even more light than the AH Supply.


FYI - The reflector in the Coralife T5 unit is a basic flat panel (i.e. non-parabolic, non-individual). Trust me (I have both), they are nothing close to the AH reflectors, which put out much more light. Also, the Coralife are NO, not HO. I have a 30" Coralife on my 20L and it is definitely low light - great for non-co2. You'd need 2x to be decent lighting. I'd estimate that 2x of these is about equal in light output to an AHS 55w kit. 

The bulb combination in the Coralife (freshwater) is great. No reason to get others.

Do note that the AHS 55w bulb is only about 23', same with the coralife, so you won't get the best of coverage. 30" really is a PITA. However, if you use the mounting legs as *LeftC* mentioned, this will help give better spread. That said, don't expect to put high light stems in the corners, IMHO.

Also, keep in mind that the tank is only 12" deep, so not much depth to penetrate.


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## thefishmanlives (May 20, 2008)

im curious what the below quote even means? The AH supply has 5x better relectors then coralife. Im not even positive it penetrates deeper then the AHS one, I doubt it actually. Coralife reflectors generally suck, t5, PC whatever. And It only penetrates deep at because it has the reflectors. It doesnt penetrate deeper then the AHS one without the reflectors and then even more so with the reflectors. The reflectors arent optional to get all the light to the water, they are mandatory. This post was just way to general and awkwardly worded to even mean anything. No offense I just found it confusing.  



ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Get the T-5. It penetrates the water deeper, plus it has reflectors to reflect even more light than the AH Supply.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

fishman9809 said:


> yay iwagumi!!! what type of rocks are you going to use?


Zebra rock. I found some really nice pieces, so hopefully it will all come together the way I'm seeing it in my head.


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

i hope so to, so have you ordered the light yet?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

^ Not yet. I'm still not sure what I should do? I'm freaking out here! LOL

As far as light penetration goes, I'm not *too* concerned because it's only 12 inches deep (actually, that doesn't even take into account the thickness of substrate). I'm more concerned about complete coverage, and the idea of putting a 24" bulb in a 30" tank isn't too appealing to me. But I really want this to be a medium-high light tank, so I was originally considering going with 2 AHS kits and staggering them across the length of the tank, if you know what I mean.

So seriously here, is the concensus that I should be okay with two of those coralife 2x18 fixtures?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Church said:


> So seriously here, is the concensus that I should be okay with two of those coralife 2x18 fixtures?


This would be my suggestion, but let me explain why. I think all the reasons _*why*_ people recommend this or that is what will help you make a decision of what's right for you.

I personally like my 30" 2x18 T5 fixtures because it is very slimline, it is a full 30" (which I find works very nicely on my tank), and it is NOT HOT. I hate hot fixtures. I don't want my house heated nor do I want my tank heated. If I was going to mount the fixture up high enough to allow full circulation to the point the heat couldn't affect the water temperature, that might be different. But until I find a decent stand + canopy for my 20L (29g), I will set my lights directly on top of the glass lid. In fact, even after I get a canopy, I will probably still put my lights directly on the glass.

But it is the heat that keeps me using T5 lamps. Even when the light isn't the brightest. Even when the reflectors aren't the best. For me, the low heat trumps it all.

I've had good success with my one double lamp fixture, but I want to add a second one when I switch from my 20L to my 29g. However, I can see a good argument for having two fixtures for a 20L, as well. What I find is that the front/back light spread is hampered because I have the fixture directly on the glass lid so while I can get great lighting in the back, anything tall will shade the light in the front. And visa-versa. So for me, I think two fixtures will do the job.

Some go for the bulb. Some go for the reflectors. Some go for the mounting options. And some to for the heat. My #1 issue is that I do not like hot lights. Therefore, I recommend two double strip Coralife T5 2x18w fixtures. That is just my personal preference. 

Oh, and I almost forgot. Having low heat fixtures is what allows me to encase the lights in a canopy without having to worry about fans keeping things cooled off.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Church said:


> It's just that I've been _wanting_ a long, low, rectangular shaped tank for quite some time. Remember my quit-smoking thread? Where you suggested I setup another tank, and I told you I've always wanted a long Iwagumi type tank? Well, guess what-- this is going to be that tank! :smile:


You have absolutely made my day with this!  I have often wondered how you were doing, but I didn't want to risk embarrassing you by asking since I know how extremely difficult it is to quit smoking. I am SO happy for you! Not only that you are being successful in your desire to quit smoking, but to see you enjoy getting the tank you really want as a token of your great success!

Enjoy your 20L! It's so wonderful to hear you're getting exactly what you want. Congratulations!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Complexity said:


> But it is the heat that keeps me using T5 lamps. Even when the light isn't the brightest. Even when the reflectors aren't the best. For me, the low heat trumps it all.


x2 I won't ever own another PC fixture for this very reason.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

What I just did in my 75g is an excellent example of why the heat is just a major issue for me.

As I'm working to go from low light, low tech, silk plants to higher light, high tech and real plants, I find myself with my hands in the tank every day, many times several times a day. I just spent a few moments planting two plants that uprooted themselves, grabbing a bunch of floating hornwort to be anchored down, and removing leaves that are going bad. So I had my hands all over the tank.

I have my TEK 4x54 T5 light fixture burning 2 bulbs. If this was a PC fixture, the heat would have been very high. But with the T5 bulbs, I am able to move the fixture to the back to gain better access to the tank. I could put plants and tools, such as scissors, on top of the light fixture as if it were a shelf, and then use a towel to wipe up the few drops of water that got on the fixture. The whole thing was so cool, I could do all of this, directly touching the fixture with my hands and arms (while reaching into the tank), without feeling any discomfort at all. Anytime I want to move the fixture, I just move it with my bare hands. I really like this.

And, of course, now I have my canopy lid closed, knowing that the T5 bulbs can be encased inside a canopy without running too hot. I don't need any noisy fans to blow on the tank, fixture or inside the canopy. And, yet, the lighting is outstanding. I'm getting red growth with just 2 of the 4 bulbs running, giving me only 1.5wpg! I'm also getting lots of pearling. At this point, I don't even know if I'll ever need all 4 bulbs running at the same time. Even my riccia is growing like mad with just the 2 bulbs.

I used to have tanks way back when incandescent lighting was standard. I remember that heat. It was horrible. Then I tried a small PC fixture for my 2.5g tank. OMG. I could fry an egg on that thing! I ended up returning it because it was just too hot to work with.

If T5s couldn't produce good lighting, then maybe I'd consider something else. But since they can and do put out sufficient lighting for my needs, I see no reason to mess with a hot fixture.

I'm not trying to harp on the issue. It's just a thought that ran through my mind while I was working on my tank just now, and how there's no way I could do what I'm doing if I wasn't using T5 bulbs.

I respect that others have their preferences which differ from mine.


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

Church said:


> Dang, Left C, THAT is what I'm talking about!!! That is perfectly within my budget, and I would get 65w in one fixture, instead of using two of the double 36w fixtures.
> 
> My question now is, knowing that the 9325k lights look good in conjunction with other bulbs, do they really look good all by themselves? And the other "issue" I might have with this fixture is, the light wouldn't cover the whole length of the aqaurium, so mightn't it be a better idea to go with the 30" bulbs? This thread is extremely helpful! It's already down to the double 36w fixtures or this one that Left C mentioned. I want to order today, so I gotta draw conclusions here...


That fixture comes stock with a 6700K bulb which is usable. The 9325K bulbs are optional.

Check out post #6: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/science-aquatic-lighting/723-9325k-difference.html

I use Coralife's clip on Lunar Light on my Aqualight fixtures. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...alifeaqualight34wattlunarbluemoonglowledlight


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

So I've decided to go with a pair of the 30" dual-bulb t5 coralife fixtures as my final decision...

Now my question is, do any of the coralife mounting legs work on these fixtures? I kind of like the open-top look, so I think if the answer is no, I'm gonna have to design my own, and that scares me. I guess I could always buy a glass top, but I _really_ like the open top look.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Unfortunately, I can't answer that question. I don't like the open top idea (too much dust where I live). I'd also be concerned with mounting two fixtures taking up too much space on top.

A DIY mounting bracket would be best. I think you could get away with getting a regular mounting bracket and then adding a modification to mount the two fixtures, side by side. This is yet another advantage of the cool running lights. You won't have to worry much about keeping the fixtures apart or away from any plastic you use since you won't have much heat to worry about.

Actually, I'm liking the idea of mounting the two together. I'll be watching your ideas and steal some of them for my own setup. I want to get a second double strip for my 20L (29g), but I don't want the lights to take up the entire top of the glass lid, making it a pain to feed the fish (would have to always move the front fixture to open the glass lid). Finding a way to mount the two fixtures to create one 4 bulb fixture (in a sense) would be a good option for me, as well.


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

ok man, may scare you, it scares me, but the crappy low legs it comes with, if you bend them up, they do the job,but can be a little wiggly. the best thing to do is to either to DIY hang from ceiling or make DIY legs. i just realized, looks like ur gonna need to change ur signature church?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Dang. Yes, I do need to change my signature. I guess I'm keeping it the way it is right now for posterity's sake, but once I get the 20 up and running, I'll make necessary adjustments. I'm gonna get my 20L build thread going real soon. I already took some good pictures of my hardscape, which I am VERY proud of. It looks AWESOME!!! Much thanks goes to my love, Duncable, for her keen artistic eye (I love you baby!), because the way I positioned the rocks didn't really strike me as awesome until she "sculpted" the substrate around them. It's just really awesome, which I'm happy about, because 12 inches isn't all that much depth to work with. I must've repositioned the rocks about 42 times before staying with the way they are now, lol!

So stay tuned for my upcoming 20gallon thread!

I'm actually thinking about maybe coming up with a hanging fixture, like fishman is talking about above. I gotta wait until the fixtures get here so I can see what I'm working with first. If a hanging fixture will look too tacky, then I will definitely come up with a DIY mounting-leg getup.

Thanks for your help, everyone! This is why I love this place so much! :smile:


_edit: I just made a quick change to my signature, just for you fishman! _


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

thanks for the change, lol

i just thought about it, and hanging should be pretty easy. when you get your fixture you will understandwhy. they have a great cover to cover the bulbs. should be able to wrap a wire around each fixture (maybe) and hang it from the roof. or if you cant hang from roof, hang from stand. tank isnt rimless, is it? that would help with that "topless (lol)" look you wanted, and then hanging a fixture would give a more aesthetic feeling. any pics of that hardscape available?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

It's not rimless, unfortunately. And I'm afraid to pop the rim off of it, so I'll just leave it. It doesn't bother me that much. But what I was thinking was mounting a pair of poles to the back of the stand to hang the fixture from, like those ADA hanging fixtures. Something to that effect anyway. I'll play with it once the fixtures get here.

As far as the hardscape photos, yes I do already have some nice high res pics, but Duncable can't find the USB cable so I can upload them, lol. I'm working on it, I promise. Even if I have to go buy another cable I'll upload the pics in the next couple of days.


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

wow, you must be REALLY proud to buy a new cable 

that just builds the suspense 

cant wait!!!!

you only need 1 pole btw

did you buy a stand yet? if so, how tall is it? it seems to me, all short tanks look good on tall stands


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Yeah I bought a stand from PetSmart. I was going to build one, but when I was walking through PetSmart the day I bought the tank I noticed they had a 30" stand on display that was real nice, and on sale, but they didn't have any more in stock, so they let me buy the display model for an even further 20% discount. So the stand only cost me $80. It's not super tall, but it's not short either, and it looks good in my bedroom. Since I do most of my tank viewing while sitting on the edge of my bed, it's just the perfect height. Pictures coming soon, I promise.

(Actually, now I'm concerned that I'm over-hyping my hardscape, and maybe it's not as good as I think it is, but I'm not changing it anymore. You'll see it soon...)


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

lets hope you find that cable


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

*Lighting*

Keep an eye on EBay. 

I found a slightly used light fixture for saltwater tanks that has 2 dual lights for $50. It is a little shorter than the tank. I am not using it at present because the noise from the fans irritate nerve damage that I have which gives me a headache. 

Read 1 person prefers the shop lights over his tank.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Completely off-topic- Church is that your cat in the bowtie?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

*Lighting*

I have seen pictures of aquariums that have 2wpg and manage to grow many different plants, for they have Co2 injected. One whom has written a book is Takashi Amano. The book is titled Nature Aquarium World.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

lauraleellbp said:


> Completely off-topic- Church is that your cat in the bowtie?


Hey Laura. Yes, that is my boy cat. He's a cutie. He's our retarded kitty, because he came out of his mama backwards, and he got stuck for a few minutes and we think he was deprived of oxygen. But he's a good kitty, and we love him.

Here's the picture I made that avatar from:










And here's a few more:


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

doesnt look retarded at all!!!!

awesome cat!!!


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Thanks dude! He really is retarded. It's not a joke. You can't really tell by looks. In fact, the pet name we call him is "handsome boy," because he really is very handsome! But it's the way that he acts that you can tell he's "not all there," lol. But he is just an AWESOME kitty, so he's allowed to be screwy, and we don't hold it against him.

His mother, on the other hand, is perfectly normal, and we don't let her get away with NOTHING!!! When she's a bad kitty, SHE'S A BAD KITTY!!!  

:biggrin:


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

how does he act to be retarded?

never seen a retarded cat. seems like a sweet boy


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Cats. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths... even when they've got canary feathers sticking out the sides!! LOL (We've got 2...) He's gorgeous


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Thanks, guys! He really _is_ a sweet boy... it's kind of like he acts like a dog. He never gets enough attention, and he incessantly tries sitting on our laps and stretching his front paws out on our shoulders, so he can kiss our noses. I've never met a cat that kisses before. And he doesn't have the best balance in the world, so he frequently falls off the back of the couch when he sleeps. We can hear it when it happens because our bedroom is right on the other side of the wall that the couch is against. He also bangs into things sometimes, and he misjudges his leaps to the bed... He also licks himself repeatedly, in the same spots, obsessively, to the point where he has bald patches. I can't really think of anything else. But that's why I say he's retarded. He's just, a slow kitty. 

But it made him more affectionate, so in the big picture, he's a wonderful cat!


I should post a video of him jumping for the cat toy... Sometimes it seems like he forgets that the cat toy is even there and that it's the reason he's jumping in the first place... like he just loses himself in the moment of fun, like WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

lol


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Church said:


> ...he incessantly tries sitting on our laps and stretching his front paws out on our shoulders, so he can kiss our noses. I've never met a cat that kisses before.


We have a cat that does this. She's a burmese cat that is extremely smart. Her name is Hershey because she's a dark sable color and has an extremely sweet personality.

She has learned how to open doors (with round doorknobs!) by jumping up, grabbing the knob, and if she can get a good enough grip, she can turn it enough to get the door open.

She also knows exactly how to get held when she wants to. You can be standing somewhere, talking to a family member, and next thing you know, she literally JUMPS into your arms! She's done it so many times, it's a natural reflex to catch her even when you hadn't noticed she was about to jump. Once in your arms, she will lie very comfortably, crossing her front paws while purring loudly.

Anytime you put your face close enough to her, she will immediately lick your nose (kitty kisses!). She's so insistent on it that we sometimes have to push her away to make her stop.

She's my older daughter's cat. My daughter had to be away from the house for 1.5 years so when she came back, Hershey is always by her side. My daughter can't leave her door closed at night because Hershey will sit by her door, meowing to get in while jumping up to open the door. She makes such a fuss, eventually someone lets her in so she can sleep with my daughter.

Oh, to demonstrate her intelligence, this cat can really think things out. One day, she ran out of food when no one was paying attention. Hershey has a favorite hot pad holder that's now hers which she always places either right beside her food bowl or inside of it. One day, she's moved the hot pad holder onto the couch, next to my laptop. I thought nothing of it, thinking maybe she had been playing with it and just left it there. So I went about my day. A little while later, I find that she has now moved the hot pad holder ON TOP OF my closed laptop! Now I know for sure this is not normal! And then the whole thing hit me. Hershey knows I'm on my laptop a lot of the time and her hot pad holder normally goes next to her food. So if she puts the hot pad holder on top of my laptop, it will tell me to give her more food! So I go check, and sure enough, her food bowl was completely empty. I filled it up, and she never moved her hot pad holder away from the bowl again.

Now that is incredible intelligence for a cat!

Church, your sweetie looks very much like Hershey. I wonder if your sweetie is full or at least part Burmese. Retarded or not, he sounds absolutely adorable and has a warm, loving home. :smile:


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

That's a cute story! It's funny you posted that, because we came to find out through pictures recently that he must be part Burmese! His mom is some kind of tortoise-shell colored cat, but she doesn't look like pictures of Burmese. But Gorilla does! So yeah, I do believe he is predominately Burmese in looks and character!

Here's a a few pics of his mom:


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

His mom is beautiful! :smile:

We've had Burmese cats for as long as my husband and I have been married (23 years!). It's hard to find a breeder for them which I don't understand because they are such wonderful cats! And, yes, Burmese are known for being like a dog in personality.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Okay so after all this time of using the Coralife T5's... I've decided they don't provide as much light as I would prefer. I'm now going to go with a dual 65w CF fixture of some kind.

But one thing keeps confusing me. On Coralife's dual-bulb version of the 30" fixture, are the bulbs staggered along the entire 30 inches, or are they both all the way on one side? Because every time I see a picture on vendors' websites, it shows both configurations, and that makes no sense:










So I'm guessing I'll go with the Current Satellite. Can anyone tell me if the 30" Satellite's fixtures are either staggered or centered in the fixture?


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Bump?


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## fishsandwitch (Apr 20, 2008)

at the LFS I work in the aqualight we have on a display tank is 30 inches with staggered not same side bulbs


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Thanks for the response! Well, that's promising. That's what I was hoping for. I'm assuming that Coralife wouldn't make each one different, so do you think it's safe to assume that they are ALL that way?


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

I'll sell you that 30" 36w aqualight that I just bought, if you wanted to do two fixtures instead. You can alternate them at on/off time.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

That's really cool of you... but I already have two of them. I'm saying that _two_ of these fixtures is still not high-lighting enough for my liking. I actually thought about going with three, but I can't fit three of them on a glass top, and I don't want to remove the top.

But thanks, though, for real!


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## deleted_user_16 (Jan 20, 2008)

thats crazy talk, t5's are deep water penetrators and its 72 watts over a SHORT tank dude, that means its like 4 wpg, plenty. try changing blubs, the plants gro bulbs make it seem dimmer.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm using 6500k/10000k mix in each fixture, no colormax bulbs. Spectrum is not my problem. I reallize they are deepwater penetrators, but no matter how you look at it they are NO t5's. Maybe some HO t5's would be better, but all I can say is that these bulbs are not as bright as I would like it to be. And they create shadows because they are so close to the tank, since I can't raise the fixtures up off the top.

Don't get me wrong, using two of these fixtures makes a very nice medium-light tank, but I want high-light like I had in my 10 gallon. That was 8wpg. But I'm not paying much attention to wpg... I just know what's bright, and this ain't it.

I'm going to keep these fixtures and eventually setup a medium-light, no-CO2 29g. But for now I want bright bright bright.


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