si_sphinx Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I need to know what to sort of light i need when i go into the shop to buy one so i don't look like i don't know what im talking about :lol: I need lighting for a 4ft cichlid tank, 600mm deep good enough for growing val, dwarf sag and java fern. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 There's really not too much to know, 600m is quite deep so you might want to look at T5 lights rather than the older less bright T8's, although the T8's are usually a bit cheaper. You can tell the difference because the T5's are a lot skinnier. Also a fitting with two or more tubes again because of the depth. You can get lights that just have the caps that attach to the ends of tubes rather than actual fittings with reflectors etc all build in, if you go down this path make sure you buy reflectors for the tubes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 What he said :lol: it's all spot on. With t5's you have 2 options - t5's and t5 HO's. the HO stands for High output - these are really bright, and if you get a hood that matches the length of your tank, and will provide sufficient light for a tank of that depth. Be warned though - they are usually pretty expensive, and your plants will grow really well. If your concern is plant growth think about JBL balls in the substrate too. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Ok i dont think i have enough money for any T5s. I might just get some T8s. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I need to know what to sort of light i need when i go into the shop to buy one so i don't look like i don't know what im talking about :lol: I need lighting for a 4ft cichlid tank, 600mm deep good enough for growing val, dwarf sag and java fern. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks a good combination of tubes i have found for cichlid tanks is 1 philips graphica tube and 1 narva industrial blue they are cheap to buy wholesale(compared to lfs) the graphica has a 95% colour rendition index this means it puts out light in 95% of the colours across the spectrum(to see and brighten a colour you need to have that colour in your light) its a bit yellowy on its own but turns into a much whiter light when the narva blue is on the narva industrial blue is just a general purpose blue t8 tube like you would see on shops around town at nite(not the neon tubes tho) its not as intense as a marine blue tube(which tends to overly saturate the tank with a purply blue) but it highlights the blues on cichlids really well . looking at a spectrum graph its similar to a marine blue but shifted more from the uv end into visible blue uv is not useful for a cichlid tank aneway and its half the price im using this combination with 2ft tubes atm they cost $15ea i would be looking at closer to 50ea at the lfs for something similar hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Blue light tends to make the plants flower and grow compact while red tends to make them taller and skinnier. Plants need both and red does not penetrate water as well as blue. The growlux type tubes are designed for plant growth and produce both or you can use a lot of different combinations to get what you want. The T8s are cheaper and even cheaper still from an electrical wholesaler than a pet shop. You can buy 2nd hand but you will be better buying new tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted June 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 a good combination of tubes i have found for cichlid tanks is 1 philips graphica tube and 1 narva industrial blue they are cheap to buy wholesale(compared to lfs) the graphica has a 95% colour rendition index this means it puts out light in 95% of the colours across the spectrum(to see and brighten a colour you need to have that colour in your light) its a bit yellowy on its own but turns into a much whiter light when the narva blue is on the narva industrial blue is just a general purpose blue t8 tube like you would see on shops around town at nite(not the neon tubes tho) its not as intense as a marine blue tube(which tends to overly saturate the tank with a purply blue) but it highlights the blues on cichlids really well . looking at a spectrum graph its similar to a marine blue but shifted more from the uv end into visible blue uv is not useful for a cichlid tank aneway and its half the price im using this combination with 2ft tubes atm they cost $15ea i would be looking at closer to 50ea at the lfs for something similar hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneh Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 We use T5's on our 600mm deep tank, 4 x double tube 3ft (900mm) ones we got off that auction site. Very nice slim design, alloy units. I would highly recommend them as they are cheap, and work very well for us. Tank is heavily planted with co2 and needs weeding about every other week, tanks is 6ft long so we use two end to end to cover length of tank. The 3ft units only have 2ft tubes inside, but still put out a lot of light. Look for boxturtle on 'that' site. Cheers Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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