# looking for lighting advice



## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

I have a 37gallon setup, it was a kit setup from petsmart. It is a taller tank and came with a single flourescent marineland bulb. Not sure the wattage, but long story short i want something better. I want to have moonlights also. It has a clear glass canopy so i suppose i can install any lights that will fit over the top. I don't find much locally as i live in a small town. I hear a lot of talk about fixture types and such but would be helpful if someone could point me to some products that might fit it and give me some moonlight effect. I am somewhat of a nerd when it comes to electronics so i've considered building my own moonlights but i really don't want to spend the time. I can spend a few hundred if need be but don't want to waste it either.


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

This is what i have:

Top Fin® Aquarium Starter Kit - 37 Gallon - Fish - PetSmart


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You could start here: Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Lunar Aqualights Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights ....more the website to search for a light, not the link to the light it is on. You could get just a regular light and add LEDs to give you what you want, or even add those LEDs to what you already have.


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> You could start here: Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Lunar Aqualights Compact Fluorescent Strip Lights ....more the website to search for a light, not the link to the light it is on. You could get just a regular light and add LEDs to give you what you want, or even add those LEDs to what you already have.


looks decent, but i can't see a 30" wide model which i would need. do these setups usually require you to buy bulbs seperatley?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I'm guessing that with a 30" hood you may have a 30" or less tube. Less the 30 watts.

If you are thinking of doing live plants you should have more.

If you could find another 30" flourescent hood you might try that to increase the light.

my .02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

This place has 30" fixtures, 2 and 4 bulb... 30in 2Bulbs fixtures


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> This place has 30" fixtures, 2 and 4 bulb... 30in 2Bulbs fixtures


This looks like what i'm looking for*c/p*. 4 bulbs sounds like it could be better since i want more light and moonlight effects. If i did 3 white, and one blue is this too much light, is there such a thing? Also what color temp. should i get, i always assumed higher is better, is this wrong? I have anacharis, and java ferns currently, the java ferns aren't doing great but the anacharis is.

30in 4Bulbs fixtures


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Too much is a subjective thing...if you can't control the ill-effects from it, then it's too much. You don't want a 37g algae machine. I would think that would work. Not sure though if it has more than one switch to turn the blue light on by itself.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I would suggest several things:

1. Go with a T5HO single or dual bulb fixture. For a 30" tank, a fixture between 24" and 30" should work. Keep in mind most high-end fixtures have adjustable legs, hence the ability to post a 24" over your tank. I suggest a T5HO fixture because a) they are high output, high-quality bulbs for relatively cheap and b) the fixtures have great efficiency, again at a decent cost.
2. Select your bulbs carefully. If you're growing plants, bulbs in the red and blue color spectrum (400nm-500nm, or actinic, and 600nm-700nm or "GRO" lights, respectively) are the best for photosynthesis. If you're just raising fish, a daylight bulb or an actinic and a daylight.
3. Many fixtures come with built-in lunar LED lights. If you're interested in one of these, do research on fixtures that include them.
4. Get a surge protector and a light timer (available at your local grocery store). You know why I suggest these, naturally.


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## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

Try this, Odyssea 30" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus 
at Aqua Trader


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I've seen flexible, waterproof LED strips on E-Bay that are supposed to work as moonlights. You might be better to install them separately so the can be switched on on their own. As mentioned, if you get them as part of another fixture make sure it has a separate switch. 

Being a tall tank it will need slightly more light than a standard tank for it to penetrate the depth of water. As far as how much light, you have to decide what you are aiming for. High light tanks usually require CO2 injection and fertilizer dosing but plants will grow faster and you can grow some of the tricky plants that don't do well in a low tech setup. I prefer low-medium light setups because they are less work and I like many of the low light plants better anyway. I like getting the scape right and seeing it slowly mature rather than constantly having to prune things to keep them in shape. Some 'low' light plants are fine with high light but some don't like it and the leaves will burn.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

driftwood said:


> Try this, Odyssea 30" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus
> at Aqua Trader


Way too much...his tank will become a 37g algae machine.


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

So i have the option to do 14000k, 20000k, 67000k, or 10000k, what do you guys reccomend. From my knowledge of the kelvin scale 20000k sounds brighter, but does that equal better for anacharis, and java ferns?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I prefer 6700k (you have 1 too many zeroes). 6700k is the color of the sun at peak daylight. A lot brighter than 10000k, which is another popular light for plants.


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## fishman81 (Jan 12, 2011)

thanks guys, i went with the 4 light setup 24watts each 30" bulbs. It has two switches and plugs. I decided to do 2 blue and 2 white 10000k bulbs. I can get the 6700k ones at home depot here so i decided to try something slightly differerent. I'm thinking maybe even go buy a 6700k bulb and use one of the 10000k bulbs along with the two blues. Just bought a timer at home depot and hooked it up as i'm finding i'm growin algea already with leaving the light on from about 8 am until i go to bed around 11 pm. I decided 3 whites might create too much of an algea problem, but i'll have to experiment.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You'll have to experiment with your lighting times when you get the new light. Keeping on as long as your other could bring major algae problems.


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