How much Lighting

Well, as most of you know from my previous post, i am very new to planted tanks...... I have read allot on lighting, and see soooooo many different opinions....... I have right now only 36watts in a 55gallon now.... but plan on gettin 108watts..... or should I do 216watts?????? how long you think my plants will survive in the lighting they are currently in? will they just not grow? I leave the lights on 24hrs a day cause the watts are soo low.

depending on the plants, most of them will die, but ones with large leaves like swords will live. dont leave the lights on all the time, its bad for the aquarium because some stuff comes out at night and plants need a time to cool down. if the 156watt is cheaper i would go with that, but you understand that withought Co2 you can keep almost anything you can under a 216watt. although if your going high tech (Co2) i would go for the 216watt simply because with Co2 a lot of plants need around 4wpg + Co2 and those are mostly the plants that are rarer and tend to look a lot brighter and more colorful. Co2 also will help them produce bubbles.

dont get me wrong, Co2 is definatly not necesary, i dont use any on my 55 gallon and i have 110watts over it, although it has 4 bulbs that i can put 55 watts in each, two are broken and i dont need that much light. withought co2 you wont get the plant selection you see in amano tanks or iwugami.

so simply:
No Co2, go for the 156watts
Co2 go for the 216watts

216watts.... isnt that overkill.... i will get a crazy alge bloom.... the tank is only like a ffoot and a half tall.... will it cook the hell out of my plants????? thats allot of watts for a freshwater... like 4 watts a gallon..... thought it was suppost to be between 1.5 and 2???? and arent you suppost to run lights 24hrs for starting plants???? itleast thats what it was when I grew indoor vegetable garden.... ive read sooo much stuff, my mind is gonna explode!

So, anyone else have any opinions.... oh... and I already have a c02 ladder in there.

sandnuka wrote:216watts.... isnt that overkill.... i will get a crazy alge bloom.... the tank is only like a ffoot and a half tall.... will it cook the hell out of my plants????? thats allot of watts for a freshwater... like 4 watts a gallon..... thought it was suppost to be between 1.5 and 2???? and arent you suppost to run lights 24hrs for starting plants???? itleast thats what it was when I grew indoor vegetable garden.... ive read sooo much stuff, my mind is gonna explode!

So, anyone else have any opinions.... oh... and I already have a c02 ladder in there.

The thing with live plants is that it actually helps out with your algae problem because the algae and plants compete for the same nutrients. Adding CO2 is really only necessary when you have a tank super full of plants or don't plan on keeping a few fish on there. As for lighting, just make sure you are using a tube that is made for plants. It will create UVA and UVB rays similar to that of the sun's and will let your plants photosynthesize and such. There are many arguments as to what wattage should be used per gallon (wpg). Here is a great article to read up on and decide for yourself on what you should use.

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sandnuka wrote:Well, as most of you know from my previous post, i am very new to planted tanks...... I have read allot on lighting, and see soooooo many different opinions....... I have right now only 36watts in a 55gallon now.... but plan on gettin 108watts..... or should I do 216watts?????? how long you think my plants will survive in the lighting they are currently in? will they just not grow? I leave the lights on 24hrs a day cause the watts are soo low.

I have read a number of articles on planted tanks, and the best information that I have run across was from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] The four part series by Byron on TFK.com has all the information one would need to start their planted tank. Basically all you need for a 55gal set up is two 48" T8 bulbs. I would run a combination of one full spectrum and one cool blue bulb. You also shouldn’t worry about the number of Watts, but more on the number of Kelvin’s. Also if you are running your lights for more than 12hr a day you are just wasting electricity. Plants need the total darkness to complete their cycles.


A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium—Part Four

Having discussed nutrients, substrate and water parameters in Parts One and Two, and filtration in Part Three, we come now to the light and on-going maintenance.

Light is the single most important aspect of a planted tank, and fluorescent lighting is the most efficient for the type of planted aquarium under discussion; it is low in heat production, relatively inexpensive to operate, and there are a number of different types.

The colour temperature of light (which has nothing to do with intensity) is expressed in Kelvin. The sun at mid-day has a rating of approximately 5778K. Full spectrum around 6500K closely replicates the mid-day sun in colour. The lower the kelvin number, the warmer (appears more reddish) the light, and the higher the kelvin number, the cooler (appears more bluish) the light.

Plants grow by photosynthesizing, and to do this they are most proficient using light in the blue and red colours of the spectrum; not surprisingly, blue light also penetrates water better than other colours. Many of the so-called “plant” tubes provide light mainly in the blue and red range, but this will create a purplish hue to the aquarium, and plant and fish colours will not be natural. Full spectrum light, around 6500K, includes peaks in the blue, red and green colours; the green balances, allowing the colours of the plants and fish to appear natural. Another benefit is that some red and brown-leaf plants are able to use more of the green light in photosynthesis.

Studies have demonstrated that aquarium plants grew strongest under a combination of full spectrum and cool blue.[1] With two tubes in the fixture over the tank, it is possible to use one full spectrum rated around 6500K and one cool blue having a slightly higher Kelvin rating. However, different manufacturers can alter the colour of the light through the phosphors coating the inside of the tube, so the light may be slightly more "cool" or blue even though the kelvin rating has not changed.

Light has to be adequate in terms of its intensity and duration. Submerged plants in nature are basically shade plants, growing not in direct sunlight but in diffused light caused by overhanging vegetation. Most of the fish kept in planted aquaria are forest fish that come from dimly-lit waters and appreciate less intense light. The intensity of light should thus be minimal, just enough to provide adequate light for the plants. Another advantage is that less light means less CO2 and nutrients are required by the plants to balance.

The vast majority of aquarium plants will grow very well under less light, around one watt per gallon. This formula works with regular fluorescent lighting, the T8 and T12 tubes. T5 HO tubes produce considerably more intense light, about one and a half times more light than the same length and colour type T8 tube regardless of wattage, so this must be recognized when choosing T5 HO fixtures. Over a 4-foot 55 gallon aquarium as an example, one could choose a regular fixture with two T8 tubes, or a T5 fixture with one T5 HO tube. The advantage with two T8 tubes is being able to mix full spectrum and cool white.

In their natural habitats aquatic plants receive 10 hours of daylight and 10 hours of total darkness, with dusk and dawn being the remaining 4 hours. Using a timer is the best way to provide a duration of 10 to 12 hours of tank light each day. Ensure that the room allows for a minimum of 10 hours of complete darkness each day. Referring back to the issue of balance, the light duration must balance the nutrients available, including CO2. During the first few weeks after setting up a new planted aquarium, monitor plant growth carefully, and be prepared to increase or reduce the duration of light accordingly.

Putting It Together—the Balanced Planted Aquarium

As Karen Randall has noted,[2] there are two overlapping balancing acts that must go on at the same time in order to achieve a healthy aquarium. The first consists of light, CO2 and other nutrients. The second, which is closely related to the first, is the stocking level and tank maintenance.

Maintenance in the form of a partial water change depends upon the fish load in the aquarium in relation to the water volume and plants. In a truly balanced system, the fish stocking would be in balance with the volume of water and number of plants with little need for intervention by the aquarist aside from feeding the fish and the occasional partial water change. But most of us have more fish than can possibly balance the plants and water volume, so the weekly partial water change is an essential part of regular maintenance. The reason is simple: pollution from fish waste. The solid will be broken down by bacteria into liquid, but this liquid as well as the urine remains in the tank until you remove it. You can rinse the filter often to remove the solid trapped there before it breaks down, and likewise vacuum the substrate for the same reason. But the urine still remains. Unless you have a filter hooked up to fresh water and a drain, all filters simply circulate the water over and over, and this pollution remains. Plants can remove it, but slowly and not enough to sustain the average aquarium. The only way to remove it is the regular partial water change.

Fish produce a sizeable quantity of waste; we see some of the solid, but not the urine. An average tetra will eliminate its body weight in urine alone every 3-4 days. This builds up, day by day. Scientific studies have concluded that performing larger water changes weekly significantly improves water quality.[3] Water stability is usually cited as the reason for regular but smaller water changes. This may be true for water parameters like pH and nitrates in non-planted aquaria, but there is no logic in maintaining more stable pollution in a tank. No one can logically dispute that reducing pollution is a benefit and the more the better; in nature our fish live in water that is constantly changing, and only through partial water changes can we begin to approach that preferred--but in the aquarium unattainable--state. At the same time, a significant weekly water change will actually work to maintain more stability long term in the water parameters.


[1] K. Richards, “The Effects of Different Spectrum Fluorescent Bulbs on the Photosynthesis of Aquatic Plants,” Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, July 1987, pp. 16-20. Also Diana Walstad, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium, second edition 2003, pp. 180-181.

[2] Karen Randall, “Equilibrium in Planted Aquaria,” Aquarium USA 1998, p. 28.

[3] David E. Boruchowitz, “Time for a Change: A Mathematical Investigation of Water Changes,” Tropical Fish Hobbyist, November and December, 2009

sandnuka wrote:216watts.... isnt that overkill.... i will get a crazy alge bloom.... the tank is only like a ffoot and a half tall.... will it cook the hell out of my plants????? thats allot of watts for a freshwater... like 4 watts a gallon..... thought it was suppost to be between 1.5 and 2???? and arent you suppost to run lights 24hrs for starting plants???? itleast thats what it was when I grew indoor vegetable garden.... ive read sooo much stuff, my mind is gonna explode!

So, anyone else have any opinions.... oh... and I already have a c02 ladder in there.

Yeah right, What were you really growing? And yes you have to turn lights off or you will have algae bloom,
You must act like your lights are the sun to keep photosynthesis balanced.. Plants release gases when the lights are off it is neccessary for them to do this...

If you have a good deal on a 216 W fixture buy it. But with your actual set-up and choice of plants 108W is more than plenty so if you buy a 216W fixture use only half of the bulbsif is possible. Use full spectrum bulbs or at least 6500K bulbs(daylight).IMO a photoperiod of 10h/day is enough. I have 3x36W 6500K bulbs over my 75 gal tank and the plants are doing great(I use a pressurized CO2 system and I use macro and mico fertilizers). Later you may need to add some fertilizers.

lol@ "what you were really growin" ...... .... great information guys! loved it.... well I ended up buyin HT5 108watts freshwater system with a pink light? lol..... it was too cheap, and i am too broke.... lol. so, this hopefully will be enough juice, and i will keep the co2 ladder going.... turn lights 12 on 12 off... I also got some fertilizer, but use it sparingly, unless anyone else has some different technique, I would love to hear more!