# New tank



## shedoc (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi, I have just upgraded from a 40 gallon eclipse tank to an 80 gallon with stand and canopy. I am considering putting in live plants but an thinking I may need to upgrade the lighting. The canopy is currently fitted for 4 regular flourescent bulbs with a ballast. Im wondering if I switched to a 4 bulb retrofit T5 sytem, would it give me enough light to grow plants. The system also has a UV sterilizer for algae.
Thanks!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

How many watts would your lights total up to?


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*As long as the bulbs give off the right spectrum 6000K-10,000K, and the watts are adequate you should be fine. 1wpg, 2wpg, 3wpg, and 4wpg determines what you can grow. Some require low light only, some require high light only. *


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## Zook (Oct 3, 2010)

That would give you 1.95 watts per gal.
If they are 3' ...39 watt lights,I would say that is medium lighting...


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## shedoc (Oct 26, 2010)

I just checked the canopy and it actually has 4 compact flourescent bulb slots. It has 2 6700k bulbs at 65watts. I will be needing 2 more bulbs. I figure I should have enough wattage now. Any recommendations on types of bulbs? Ive seen 6700k, 10,000k, 50/50 and actinic bulbs advertised but I dont know the difference. Will this give me enough wattage for most plants?


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

shedoc said:


> I just checked the canopy and it actually has 4 compact flourescent bulb slots. It has 2 6700k bulbs at 65watts. I will be needing 2 more bulbs. I figure I should have enough wattage now. Any recommendations on types of bulbs? Ive seen 6700k, 10,000k, 50/50 and actinic bulbs advertised but I dont know the difference. Will this give me enough wattage for most plants?


*
6700K is the perfect spectrum for a planted tank. Is it over an 80g tank? If it is then it looks sufficient to grow plants. But if you are looking into the moderate and more difficulty type plants you will need more watts.*


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## Zook (Oct 3, 2010)

That's what I'm using in my 80, that gives you 3.4 watts per gal....
actually it's a 90 but I figure with all of the substrate and all it is 
an 80...
And like the nurse said 6700k are good,I believe the 10000k are mostly for a certain look,they are a whiter light than the 6700k...


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## shedoc (Oct 26, 2010)

Thanks Nurse Platy and Zook! I was told by the previous owner that the tank is 80 gallons. Ill get two more of the 6700k bulbs so that I have a total of 4. Will I need any sort of fans for it? One other question... there is no glass or plastic cover for the tank itself, just the canopy. Will I need one and if so, any recommendations on how to find one? Can I just go to Home Depot and get a piece of plastic cut?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Home Depot/Lowes is a place you can go. However, if your tank is a standard sized tank, you may want to look on the internet for glass canopies. Reason: I have a 29gal that came with a hood/light combo. When I built the light for it so it could accomodate plants better, the whole hood thing just didn't work. I went to Lowes to get a piece of plexiglass cut and because of the size it was going to be $45. I found a standard glass-hinged (was going to hinge the plexiglass) canopy made for my sized tank for $20 at foster and smith's.


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## Zook (Oct 3, 2010)

Your Welcome,Tank size;multiply the three measurements in inches and divide by 231 that will give you gallons. not sure about metric conversion!
Plexiglass is about triple the cost!


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## shedoc (Oct 26, 2010)

I will measure the dimensions of the tank. Thanks again for all the help. I had another question about Substrate. I was planning on putting some live plants in the tank (not sure which kind yet) but I want to make sure Im ready for whatever I want. I found the eco complete at petco for $16 for a 20 pound bag. I read that to put 2 inches of substrate you need about 2 lbs per gallon which would mean 160 lbs for an 80 gallon tank. So, I would need 8 bads which costs about $128. I also read somewhere that you might be able to mix that half and half with regular gravel. What are your thoughts?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You could mix. I also don't think you'll need that much. I put 160lbs in my 125 just last night. It was an easy 2+".


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