lights

[ray]

got a question about lights?my lights are 20watt wide spectrum plant/aquar bulbs.plants are becomeing kinda leggy [long an skinney]an not as the should look.im useing 2 bulbs an there on 12-16 hrs per day.should i go to a diffrent buld or what?

[Tindomul1of9]

Try to keep the lights on no more than 14 hours, as the plants need some sleepy time too. You can also try pruning to "bush" them up a little.
I think you should aslo switch to at least a 40watt bulb, as this is what I use for shady lovers.

[ray]

thanks.but would that be standard [flour ]bulbs or what

[Tindomul1of9]

Well I use 40 watt Hagen Sun-Glo lights. These are flourescents. My plants do well with this.

[ray]

thanks.

[Landon]

what size tank is it Ray? not to discount what Tindo has stated, but depending on the length of the bulb, you may be limited to the 20 watts.

however, there are other options, and the 12-14 hour cycle may solve your problem.

[ray]

its 56gal im useing standard aqurim fixtures with 23in bulbs 20 watt each 3 of them

[Landon]

you might want to look into some of the spiral compacts. is that a 36" tank? if so three of those could get you around 90w. i think they put out a lot more lumens than the NO bulbs. i dont have any type of testing equipment, but i get a lot better growth out of them. they are also a lot cheaper than regular PC bulbs and readily available at Lowes and HD.

i just set up a canopy over a 45 gallon (36x12x24). i used the cheap plastic light sockets from Lowes and wired them up to a regular light switch and mounted it to the side of the canopy. i got the wood free from work, so the whole thing cost me under $30 with bulbs. the sockets are $1-2 ea, the bulbs $7-8, and the wiring and connectors cheap. i think the switch was like $2.50 or something, so it turned out pretty cheap and works great.

i have a ficus tree growing in this tank along with some aquatics and moss growing at the bottom. ive got java moss growing like crazy all over the waterfall which i take as a sign of good lighting.

[ray]

i went to lowes last night they had the sprial bulbs but were soft white.the only thing i found in the daylight type were GE daylight 24in bulbs 1025 lumens/6500k.im useing 3 bulbs hope this is enough light.

[Landon]

that may do it. i just think the spirals "punch" down into the tank better. you could check HD or even WalMart. the two brands that actually label the temperature are "Lights of America" and "Commercial Electric".