Okay i dont want to steal Kats thread of her new tank, so i started this one, @shihr you say they work better.......longer.......and space saving. i have a 2ft and a 3ft, the 2ft will only be a Moss tank, and the 3ft will be a 50/50 plants and Moss so thats why i got myself some T5's, only one per tank, a 1ft T5 for the 2Ft tank, and a 2Ft for the 3Ft tank, both are 6700K.. and then adding Seachem Flourish Comprehensive ferts. hope thats right for plants?
so far my only experience with t5's vs t8's is the price,t8 being cheaper.the lighting issue is really complicated.im gonna go with t8s and try for 1watt per 2 litres or maybe a bit more.1 watt per litre i read is overkill
well look, depends on what plants u using and what equipment and ferts u using. what plants u using in your half half tank? IMO if u using co2, then min of 2 tubes rem to use ferts as well. moss tanks are pretty easy and strait forward. u can get away with 1 tube with no co2 (it does help though) but what most people forget is that with moss, you have to keep your tank cool for it to grow really well which means its not suitable for many fish.. in your half moss half plant tank i'd suggest 2 t5's..but also rem that most plants will grow in low light just much slower.. also, HUGE BRIGHT lights pose their own problems too.. as you can start to see, its really a balancing act.. with lower light tanks, you have time to correct problems.. with high tech tanks (high light, co2, high ferts, difficult plants) sometimes your tank can crash and burn within a day. dead fish and plants is defn what you dont want lots to take in and for everyone its different but the main thing i can recommend is, take it slow! learn step by step. if you find that you comfortable with one tube and the ferts u adding is working well you want to up the game and get faster better growth, add another tube.. then co2 maybe..also note that co2 is not necessary but it greatly acellerates plant growth..
i used to use t8's but since using t5's for the 1st time, i would never go back.. t5's kept cool can last as long as 1.5 yrs.. with t8's i was changing tubes every 4-5 months to keep the intensity.. 1 watt per liter(from what i read) is only relevant for t8's.. t5's dont need as much watts per liter as compared to t8's because if its light output and intensity..
thanks Shihr, i have a 2ft tank,and then a 3ft. 2ft will only have moss in, so i think a 1ft T5 + Ferts should be fine? and then the 3ft will have 2ft T5 + ferts for plants and moss, Plants= Java Ferns, anubias (spelling??), some grass and then the moss. or must i get two T5 2Ft tubes for the 3Ft tank? Thanks Vez
try out one tube for the 3ft.. abubias and the fern dont need high lights.. when u more comfortable maybe add another tube.. i wouldnt go higher than 2 tubes for those plants.. they pretty slow growing as well so if you increase the lights, they dont absorb nutrients as fast as other plants like hygrophilia. because of this, algae out compete the fern and abnubias thus leading to algae boom... if you do go for another tube try add some fast growers.. what tubes do u have? wattage wise?
yep, thats the plant.. its readily available at most lfs.. next time you want to buy some tubes, go to lamphouse at malboro and ask for day light tubes.. they rated at 6500k (correct spectrum for plants) and it cost R40ish for 54w tubes so im guessing it'll be even cheaper for u! give them a call b4 u go though..
thanks shihr o ja, will the one i have (14w) be good for plants? as its a 6700K? and will one work in my 3ft? or must i get 2?
look if it were me, co2 or not, i'd start with 2 tubes then u have much more options when choosing plants
okay cool , will get another one, if i may ask, where did you get the ballast for the T5? as the place i get my tubes, dont have any ballast for them, only a "fitting", dont really know what that means?haha,
pm sent. are u sure that u have t5's though? because most of the time those fitting ones are different..
The problem I found with cfls is that you need too many to get the equivalent lighting you get from a normal tube. The good ones (philips, osram) are like R40 each and if you replace them often it can cost a fair amount considering how many you need. For nanos they work well
was thinking of using it in a 2ft? will be running one T5 and then, maybe adding the CFL, should be good for the plants, got a place that will sell them for R25.00 6500K
