# Hagen Glo 48 inch double light system?



## sharkattack (Feb 28, 2011)

I was suggested by someone to look into buying the product mentioned in the title of this post. It runs anywhere from $130 to $175 online. Everything I read about it says how amazing it is. 

Anyone have any experience w/ this fixture?

Also, the person who suggested this mentioned something to me I had completely forgotten about when trying to break my way into live plants. CO2...

He asked if I pump in my own CO2, which i appeared dumbfounded at this question, as I hadn't even considered it yet (obviously forgotten, as i have only put in 3 live plants thus far).

I guess my question is, when should you be adding in CO2 to your tank? Other than the fish breathing in oxygen and releasing CO2, how else does CO2 even get into the tank? Are 15-19 fish in a 55 gallon tank enough to supply enough CO2 to 3 to 4 live plants? Or more?

Just any general thoughts or suggestions on all this would be great.

Thanks so much.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Shark,

You're looking at a T5HO fixture. In my opinion, a fixture is a fixture is a fixture - it's the bulbs you put in that make a difference. I'm running a 20" T5HO fixture I bought for $90 at my local fish store that is now selling for $60 or less online. However, the bulbs I dropped in were $25 a piece.

The Hagen system looks legit, but I believe you could get away with a much greater amount of light for much cheaper. Take, for example, SHO lighting. $35 for a bulb with integrated ballast (85 Watts), $50 for a spot reflector, maybe $10 for a switch socket, $10 for some egg crate to diffuse the lighting, and a timer and surge protector for $15. All available at your friendly local hardware store. For the same $120-$140, mind you. I'll be building myself a fixture this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes.

As for CO2, here's my take, and it's quite a rant, so be ready...

Background:
Plants need many things in three basic forms: Light, nutrients, and CO2. These three basic groups enable photosynthesis, by which plants make sugar that they metabolize at night for energy. Light comes to them in the visible spectrum, so putting a black light over your tank might look cool but your plants will hate you. Nutrients (nitrogen, iron, potassium, carbon, etc.) a plant steals from its root system and from the water through its leaves. Putting good nutrient-rich substrate in your tank and dosing chemicals directly into your water are ways to provide these nutrients to plants. CO2 is technically a nutrient, but falls under a whole other category.

CO2 is absorbed by a plant through its leaves, and CO2 is naturally introduced to the water via fish's respiration and from what is called gas exchange - interaction between the water surface and the air where CO2 is absorbed by the water or "gassed out" by the water, and oxygen is absorbed or removed in the same manner. The amount of plants, fish, etc. in your tank determines how much gas exchange goes on. Plants will consume CO2 in the water to the point that more must be introduced either by natural means mentioned above, aeration of the water using a bubbler, or by what most of us nerds use - CO2 injection using either an expensive pressurized setup or a do-it-yourself system using yeast fermentation of sugar to generate the CO2 and then inject it into the tank.

There are two ways to grow plants, generally. One way is "low-tech" - standard lights, regular gravel, natural CO2 generation, and very few if any added nutrients. Most aquarium plants are tough and can do fair to middling in such an environment, and most people enjoy the low-maintenance of a low-tech tank.

Then there's "high-tech" - high-powered lighting, injected CO2, special substrate, and dosed fertilizers. Plants explode to the point that you are ripping out handfuls of plant life each week in such an environment. The cost and amount of time and effort involved to run such a system are prohibitive as well, but us aquarium nerds make a hobby out of it.

There are many shades of gray here, but I would advise if you're going to get a high-powered light, consider building a DIY yeast fermentation CO2 system and look into some good substrate, otherwise the light will turn your tank into a giant algae vat.


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## sharkattack (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks a ton. Ya the guy who was telling me about it owns a live plant store online, so i figured he was more or less pushing me into something i probably dont need...OR, he is just so advance when it comes to live plants, its hard for him to even understand what a true beginner, entry level user wants or needs.

i think im definitely going to go w/ a cheaper fixture, and higher quality bulbs as you suggested. 

also, thanks so much for the plant tips. you definitely gave me a lot of information i hadn't even considered yet!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Not a problem. Let us know if you have other questions! Keep in mind different plants like different stuff, so plan wisely


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You can find 4-bulb T5HO fixtures for less than the Hagen 2-bulb, quite a bit less. You may not want that much light however. Even cheaper than a DIY SHO setup.

CO2 usually is needed once your lighting starts getting pretty high. I say that but I ran a 260W CFL fixture on my 75g without CO2 for months before I added it and didn't have a problem. Lighting is like the gas pedal for plant growth. If your light is driving them to grow really fast because it is so high, you will need to keep up on the nutrients or they will suffer.

I think as long as you went with a 2-bulb T5HO you'd be okay without. 2 of the lowest watt SHO bulbs could possibly drive a need for CO2, but you may need to experiment there a little. A 4-bulb T5HO would definitely drive the need. IMO, DIY systems are best suited for tanks in the 40 and below category. Not to say that you couldn't do it with a 55, but a one bottle mixture is not going to cut it. I have seen as much as 3 - 1 gallon jugs on a 29 gallon tank. A just bought a complete pressurized CO2 system (10lb tank, regulator, bubble counter, needle valve, and diffuser), all brand new parts, for $195....you can find good used stuff out there also. So could go even cheaper. For your setup and if you only wanted 3-4 plants as you mention, personally I wouldn't bother with CO2. Not worth the hassle. It's an easy road to go down though if you wanted more.


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## mk4gti (Jun 15, 2010)

I use a 48'' 4 strip T5 HO on my 90 gallon. I dont use any Co2 injection but i do dose Flourish and Flourish Excel. I plant my tank with easy stuff though, anubis, amazon swords, wysteria, java ferns, crypts and some red tiger lotus. All my plants seem to grow with no problem and no pressurized Co2. I also use eco complete and have my tank stocked with a lot of fish. I keep up with my water tests and changes, sometimes my plants get a llittle brown but i just trim them. Most important is that my fish are extreemly healthly and ive lost 1 tiger barb in the almsot 11 months my tank has been up.


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