Lighting for 30 Gallon FW

[Uncle Albert]

I am considering upgrading the lighting for my tank. *DRUMMER*

Contents:

5 Black Phantom Tetra

2 Angelicus Botia Loach

3 Plastic Plants from AC Moore

I'm looking at getting the:

Nova Extreme T5HO X2 - Freshwater : 24 inch 2x24 Watt

Currently have a folding glass "canopy" on which sits your typical cheap pet store "black plastic" ballast with a 15 watt bulb.

Would appreciate any comments from more experienced hobbyists. *thumbsups

Light is on typically from 8 - 10:30 pm.

Thanks in advance,

UA

 

[unwritten law]

size of the tank? Anything is better than you light now... well almost anything.

 

[KyleBradley]

Is that 8 am to 10:30 pm?? If so, that's WAY too much light... Bacteria must me loving it!!! You want to mimic daylight hours...

 

[unwritten law]

daylight now is still like 5:30-8.....still I'd drop it to ten hours cause of algae. And since it's a thirty gallon, that lighting sounds good.

 

[OrangeCones]

I am considering upgrading the lighting for my tank.

Are you going to be growing live plants? If not, whatever light you want to use is fine. The fish don't need the light, its just for us to look at them.

Growing live plants is a different story. It would depend on what type of plants you want to grow. Light is one of three things you need, the other items being fertilizer and a CO2 source. You can keep things low-tech and use the fish waste as fertilizer and CO2 dissolved in the water by the fish respiring and surface aggitation with your filter.

 

[Uncle Albert]

Reply

it's a 30 gallon and I have the light on evenings only for about 3 hours

UA