I have a 240 gallon aquarium. I am going planted in the tank. What lighting ,on a budget, are some running?
Lighting advice
- Thread starter Preacher
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The height of your tank has great relevance to this question. Also if you intend to have plants that are planted in the substrate that don’t grow very tall.
Light spectrum and depth penetration are very important in aquatic plant growth.
Also are you planing CO2 injection or fertilizer tabs/liquids?
Light spectrum and depth penetration are very important in aquatic plant growth.
Also are you planing CO2 injection or fertilizer tabs/liquids?
Hello; Been growing plants for a few decades. has gotten to the point i keep few fish now days. Some things have worked for me over the years.
I went from the old style incandescent bulbs to fluorescent bulbs to currently LED. All have worked.
I happen to prefer the cooler range of bulbs (daylight) as that looks better to me. On a 55 gallon I currently have a 48 inch LED shop light. Been on the tank for several years. Just happened to fit in the space of an older hood. I likely have the specs. somewhere.
I use timers on my lights. Tru to find the older dial style. The newer digital types have proven a bother. The digital ones I have tried lose the settings when the power flicks off even briefly. The olde style will maintain the 24 hour cycle when they restart.
Depending on the sort of plants you will want to work out a light-dark cycle. I think I currently have my tanks on around 14/15hours on -9/10 hours off. This will need to be worked out for your tank, water type and such. Might be you get too much algae growth with my cycle. Some of that will depend on the intensity of the lights used.
Note - I see pictures of and offerings in shops of a new (to me) sort of tank lighting. The lights are suspended a few inches over the tank. I do not like the look and have no experience with them.
One last note- I like to use at least four inches of gravel substrate. Deeper in some tanks. I like a gravel from bb size to small pea size. I do not use fine sand. The color of the gravel does not matter to the plants but i like darker gravel as the fish show better.
I went from the old style incandescent bulbs to fluorescent bulbs to currently LED. All have worked.
I happen to prefer the cooler range of bulbs (daylight) as that looks better to me. On a 55 gallon I currently have a 48 inch LED shop light. Been on the tank for several years. Just happened to fit in the space of an older hood. I likely have the specs. somewhere.
I use timers on my lights. Tru to find the older dial style. The newer digital types have proven a bother. The digital ones I have tried lose the settings when the power flicks off even briefly. The olde style will maintain the 24 hour cycle when they restart.
Depending on the sort of plants you will want to work out a light-dark cycle. I think I currently have my tanks on around 14/15hours on -9/10 hours off. This will need to be worked out for your tank, water type and such. Might be you get too much algae growth with my cycle. Some of that will depend on the intensity of the lights used.
Note - I see pictures of and offerings in shops of a new (to me) sort of tank lighting. The lights are suspended a few inches over the tank. I do not like the look and have no experience with them.
One last note- I like to use at least four inches of gravel substrate. Deeper in some tanks. I like a gravel from bb size to small pea size. I do not use fine sand. The color of the gravel does not matter to the plants but i like darker gravel as the fish show better.
AI primes are great lights that provide high ranges on the color spectrum and give off a great "shimmer"
I'm not a big botanist, but the valsneria and swords grow extremely well in my planted 250
they are a little costly though, still highly recommend them
I'm not a big botanist, but the valsneria and swords grow extremely well in my planted 250
they are a little costly though, still highly recommend them
I use micmol air pros 7k, cheap China version. They seem ok so far, don’t get too hot, light temperature control.
I’ve never had any problems but I’ve not had expensive lights so I don’t know the difference.
I’ve never had any problems but I’ve not had expensive lights so I don’t know the difference.
Ryan that planted tank looks amazing. Great depth penetration on the lighting you’re using, and a great variety of plants clearly doing well under them. Do you CO2 inject the tank as well? Ferts, liquid &/or root tabs?
I havent had a full planted tank, but have heard, and you can correct me If I’m wrong, that red leaf plants can be a little tricky to grow. But yours seem to be doing wonderfully!
Very nice mate!
I havent had a full planted tank, but have heard, and you can correct me If I’m wrong, that red leaf plants can be a little tricky to grow. But yours seem to be doing wonderfully!
Very nice mate!
My rotala bloodii responds to low nitrogen well and go really red, it’s actually a lot less than my other tanks in variety and definitely a survival bias there. The Alternanthera Reineckii is more fickle in that tank but thrives in others. I turned down the blues to 70% and it seems to help with algae and regular trimming. I have a doser that really works, instead of dumping ferts that half convert to algae a slow trickle is awesome.
I have a C02 reactor and PH controller, my tap KH is at best 3.5 dKH so I’ve set PH at 6.65 and I have bags of limestone in the sump. I suffer from low calcium and KH.
Have a look at Finnex planted plus 24/7 lights. There are some basic models and also some high end completely adjustable, programmable models as well.
This was my first attempt a planted tank. I used Caribsea planted substrate and some root tabs, no ferts no co2.
Started with this.
3 Amazon Swords, 2 Stem plants and 7 Jungle Valls.
Each of the above are a few months apart.
This is around the one year mark
So I pulled all the plants removed all save the biggest vals replanted and started over.
This is all the plants that was in the tank.
I had 6 foot long vals
Right after replanting
And about 6 months later...
This was my first attempt a planted tank. I used Caribsea planted substrate and some root tabs, no ferts no co2.
Started with this.
3 Amazon Swords, 2 Stem plants and 7 Jungle Valls.
Each of the above are a few months apart.
This is around the one year mark
So I pulled all the plants removed all save the biggest vals replanted and started over.
This is all the plants that was in the tank.
I had 6 foot long vals
Right after replanting
And about 6 months later...