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good lighting for a discus tank

F

fastcarsnbigfishies

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
I've been having one HELL of a time finding the right lighting for my 180 gallon stingray/discus tank. I dont really feel like spending a crazy amount on some t5 HO lights or a fancy lighting set-up, I want to just stick with some regular old t8 or t12 bulbs. I have 4 single light 24" strips and 1 2light 48" strip. I've tried a 6700k bulb and I think it looks too yellow (especially since I have tannins still leaching from my driftwood) I like the color of a 16000k bulb but its not very bright. I tried 2 48" GE aquarium bulbs and they were also very yellow but I liked the brightness. I do plan on doing some plants, but all low light plants. So what are your opinions on a good light to use for my discus tank. Pictures of tanks w/ that lighting would also be nice so I can get an idea of the brightness/color as well. Thanks in advance.
 
hey would you have a problem spending 100$ on lighting? if so then you can get some really nice lighting
 
Mike fail;2653521; said:
hey would you have a problem spending 100$ on lighting? if so then you can get some really nice lighting
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Not really, I think thats what I've spent in bulbs in the past few days alone trying to figure this out:ROFL::(
 
Cheap would probably be metal halides. In your case something like 3/250w. But, thats a heck of a power bill. You could try 20K's. Those are bright suckers and could probably keep amazons and anubis alive. It'd help if you gave us the tanks dimensions and a cluse on how far($$$) your willing to go.
 
bulbs in the 6700k range look best imo
 
Westie;2653653; said:
Cheap would probably be metal halides. In your case something like 3/250w. But, thats a heck of a power bill. You could try 20K's. Those are bright suckers and could probably keep amazons and anubis alive. It'd help if you gave us the tanks dimensions and a cluse on how far($$$) your willing to go.
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sorry, tank is 6x2x2' I really dont plan on doing too many plants,maybe some attached to my driftwood which is only about 12-18" deep. in a year or so I plan on getting a discus only tank because I fear as my rays get bigger they may take a liking to late night discus treats:nilly:. My biggest concern right now is something that makes the discus look good and feel comfortable. the 6700k light I had was yellow, but really bright, and while it lit up the tank nicely the discus looked really colorless under it, and then the more blue lights made the discus look beautiful but it seemed like it only lit up the top 10" of the tank. 20k huh? Id like to stay under the 100-150$ range right now for lighting. I wanted to spend more but last night one of my canister sprung a leak and I had to invest in a fx5 unplanned.
 
two of the ones i linked would probably do you enough. your plant light 20k, and a 420 blue actinic or trichromatic to make your discus look nice
 
I don't think you would be happy with normal tubes on this tank. Tank is too big. Been there, done that. If you want really good lighting at a good price, go to www.ahsupply.com and get a 2x96 or a 4x96 watt kit. This is where I get all my lighting for tanks over 125 gals. I have a 4x96 kit on my 240gal. Works great. The kit has 2 ballasts so you can run 2 or all 4 lights. I used to run all 4 when it was planted, but since I ripped out the plants and stuffed it full of discus, I'm only using 2 now, and it still does a fine job lighting the tank, even though this tank is 31" deep. I also use the 2x96 watt kits on my 125s. Can't beat the quality for the price. They have 10k bulbs that would give you the hint of blue you're searching for as well.
 
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