lighting uggg

[Ozymandias]

righ so i'm still confused about the right amount of light i should use on my tank. the tank is this one that i'm setting up. the broblem is i'm so used to heavy wattage that i'm not sure how much i should use on this tank. the plants i was looking at where these ones so far.

HC or anubias maybe some cryps. also was looking at the plant over at black forest and likes these three (Begonia Foliosa, Peperomia angulata, and some type of bromeliads)

any help would be appreciated

[PeaJay]

I have the next size up Exo-terra (18x18x24) and am using the dual compact lamp fixture that they make for the tanks (I think it's Exo-terra #PT-2226). I have the repti-glo 5.0 and 2.0 bulbs on the tank now. I am keeping pepperomia, florida moss, pothos and some unknown tree looking thing just fine in the tank. In fact they are all sprouting new growth right now. the crypt, pothos, and anubias are all low light plants and with your tank being shorter my set-up may work for you as well. The 2.0 is a good full spectrum and the 5.0 is for good UVB output for the geckos. However, sometimes it just takes trial and error, what is working for me may not for you. The good thing with plants is they show some signs of 'unhappiness' before completly throwing in the towell so you have some time to correct if it is needed.

[HewesHort]

most moderate to high light requirement plants need 1500-2000 lumens/ sq. ft. low light plants can go as low as 800 lumens/ sq. ft. (zz plant, etc.) but a little more light is better. the most chlorophyll activity occurs between 5500-6500 kelvin. i hope this gives you what you need!

I copy and pasted that from a different thread. you have 2.25 sq. ft., so for high light plants you would need about 3400 lumens coming out of your lights.
light intensity decays by about half for every 18 in. you move away from the source. so... at 24 in from the light source (the bottom of your tank) you would have about 2500 lumens hitting the floor. your plants will be closer to the light and have more lumens available to them. just be mindful of the plants higher in the tank shading those that are below them. you should be able to achieve this with compact florescents. read the package to make sure the meet your requirements. 1 or 2 100w equivalent cfl should work.

[Ozymandias]

thanks that helps alot.

[gasteriaphile]

I do not have a cage like the Exo-Terra the first poster got for $25 (envy), but I completely agree with his sentiments when it comes to lights. I am totally confused. And, like him, I have had a tendency to go for more light because I am basically a plant person and I do not like for my plants to etiolate. In fact I hate it. So maybe I am over-doing the wattage thing.

I am trying to come up with a lighting "system" for a 29 gallon ex-aquarium glass tank. It is 30 inches long x 12 inches deep and 18 inches tall. I figure that with that much square footage I ought to be able to design a fairly nice terrarium-scape. But I need to know what kind of lighting to use for my plants and also have the requisite lighting to also allow me to keep about three anoles.

And, since the tank/vivariuim is so much shorter in height than it is long, I am leaning towards one of the "trunk-to-ground" type anole species, and since I am a beginner, I am leaning towards an inexpensive species as well - with those two conditions, it must be... Anolis sagrei!

So, I have been looking at ZooMed lights, and Exo-Terra lights, and some others I don't remember the names of, including some that are for aquaria, both salt and fresh water. I have been disappointed in the amount of wattage. They have these thin, low profile hoods, for example, that take ONE 24" long fluorescent bulb of 20 watts! I'd have to get two of them and place them side by side on top of my tank which is only 12 inches deep, just to get 40 measly watts! I can't imagine any plants growing in that dim an environment.

I have seen some with compact fluorescents that are a bit brighter but not by much. And often these come in 24" and 36" lengths, completely jumping over my 30" length. Some seem to have extendable supports but I can't tell with some if they do. Others have one fluorescent and one or two halogen things, which is brighter but still mainly incandescent.

So you see? I need help. I've been trying to "re-invent the wheel" here with this project, being the rugged individualist I am but now I think it is time to admit I am getting nowhere.

Initially my idea was to just use my 400w metal halide light and suspend it far enough above the top of the tank so that I don't bake any living creatures, both chlorophyll-based and hemoglobin-based [see attached photo] but in the last several hours I have begun to want to have this vivarium set up in my office rather than in my garage's plant room. If I go with an office setup I sure as heck don't want my metal halide! Those things are loud, too bright, ugly, etc. So that took me to this whole fluorescent question.

This tank came with a hood which houses ONE fluorescent 24" bulb rated at...you guessed it, 20 watts. Should I throw that hood away and simply put a screen framed top on it? And then put my fluorescent hood on top of the screen? Are there any hood fixtures for fluorescents that feature a decent amount of light?

I can't remember your names yet (sorry) but the next poster began to talk about lumens. But I didn't see him make a direct correlation between rated fluorescent bulb wattages and lumens. So X number of lumens per square foot for good plant growth is great info, except that it isn't translated into how most of these lights are described.

H-E-L-P !!!

[HewesHort]

generally speaking a 100w equivalent CFL is enough light for a 1 sq ft area one foot away from the bulb.