jc360 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Looking for help. I have an Ar980 tank that is heavily planted, it occasionally has diy Co2, as well as a sera 30 watt bulb and 2x 30 watt power glo bulbs, will this be sufficient lighting to help plants such as Glosso grow beautifully? Or would you recommend something additional? Have struggled to grow Needle pine, Hair grass in this set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 In a tank that is heavily planted, the problem could be that the taller, faster-growing plants block out some of the light so low-growing plants are effectively growing in the shade. No matter how much light you have on the tank if it doesn't reach the bottom then it won't do any good! I'm not familiar with an Ar980 tank. What are its dimensions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 then glosso wont grow there. it needs v v. high light. refer the topic "18000K tubes" in the tech section. that is the spectrum emitted by the power glo's. only difference is that t5's produce more light than the t8's. same type of light though. dwarf val. should grow beautifully! AR 980 is 980mm long... (forgotten other dimensions) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc360 Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 The specs are 99x47x60cm, this is an Aqua One product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 So it's 60cm high? That means the light has a lot of water to get through before it reaches the bottom of the tank - meaning you'll need extra v v. high light to grow glosso. I'm with the dwarf val! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 If it wont grow the plants you mention it wont grow glosso. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc360 Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Yeah the tank has three fixed 30watt lights in the hood, which a retailer has told me you can't do much about apart from using the best bulbs available, or going with my current lighting fixtures. Did notice that the light cover is grubby so im gona give it a good clean this avo but don't think that its going to do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Yeah the tank has three fixed 30watt lights in the hood, which a retailer has told me you can't do much about apart from using the best bulbs available, or going with my current lighting fixtures. Did notice that the light cover is grubby so im gona give it a good clean this avo but don't think that its going to do the trick. Yeah it sounds like once you've cleaned the glass, got the best & newest tubes and installed reflectors (if it doesn't already have them) you might have maximised your lighting ability. I'm afraid it doesn't sound like an ideal glosso tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 ive found some of the reflectors in shops can be quite expensive. so in a 980, you can take off the plastic bit that covers the tubes, remove the tubes and then cut a cheap warehouse mirror to size, and silicone it to the back. put your tubes back on, and voila! reflector made. or you can use tin foil, stick it there, and then use a cloth to smooth it down - but that isn't half as cool as the mirror method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc360 Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 yeah might head down and have a talksee to the guys at the local Switched on Gardner about the reflector and reconfigure the bulbs i think the Sera bulb should probably go in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 At switched on gardener you can buy rolls of mylar, which is fairly cheap and easy to fit into tank hood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silva Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 ive found some of the reflectors in shops can be quite expensive. so in a 980, you can take off the plastic bit that covers the tubes, remove the tubes and then cut a cheap warehouse mirror to size, and silicone it to the back. put your tubes back on, and voila! reflector made. or you can use tin foil, stick it there, and then use a cloth to smooth it down - but that isn't half as cool as the mirror method. dont mirrors absorb a lot of light? silva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 if they absorbed light you would not see a reflection now would you? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 Another option is growing the glosso in a pot. Raised 300mm high. If you have other plants in front you won't see the pots. It depends on how much you really want to have glosso growing in this tank.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silva Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 if they absorbed light you would not see a reflection now would you? :lol: ok,just a herb grower told me even tho they reflect light they absorb a lot too? maybe it was the herb talking aye :lol: Can mylar be placed directly on a fluro tube? silva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 Can mylar be placed directly on a fluro tube? Why would you want to place it on the tube? Is not the idea to reflect the light by placing the reflector above the tube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silva Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 i read somewhere to put 'silver tape' along the top of the fluro tube, was wondering if it could be done using mylar instead. Couldnt find the page but now i have and it says you can:"When you use this style reflector the light never leaves the top the bulb, instead its reflected back through the bulbs and sent out the front. If you doubt this works check with any aquarium shop and ask them." http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/1475.htm (tried to hyperlink,is this right? - http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/1475.htm]here ) silva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 i read somewhere to put 'silver tape' along the top of the fluro tube, was wondering if it could be done using mylar instead. Couldnt find the page but now i have and it says you can:"When you use this style reflector the light never leaves the top the bulb, instead its reflected back through the bulbs and sent out the front. If you doubt this works check with any aquarium shop and ask them." http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/1475.htm (tried to hyperlink,is this right? - http://www.drugs-forum.com/growfaq/1475.htm]here ) silva This is correct, you can buy commercially available lamps with a reflective section inside the tube for just this reason. ref: Philips master TL-D Reflex. They are typically used in reflectorless light fitting, pricey tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silva Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 now the question is how to sticky the mylar to the bulb safely, as the fluros i got are a reflectorless unit.( sorry for the thread hijak) silva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc360 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 lol. Its all good, interesting too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 A tube radiates light in all directions and if you put the reflector too close to the tube you will be reflecting the light back through the tube and most will be lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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