4 FT TANKS

[Rich]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this website and need some expert advice on fish tank.

Would you recommend 4'L x 1.5'W x 2'H or 1.5'H ? Which
type better ? I've a choice of these two.
I bought also $88 silver casing light w 2 tubes, is it good
enough for the plant in the tank ? Is it a must to have
CO2 ?
It might sound ignorance but i really don't know.

Thanks
[]

[Vican]

If you have the space and budget, best to get a 4x2x2.
After planting, you'd realise that you need quite a bit of width to put in different plants. You'd need a tall tank because some plants are quite tall too.

I think your lights is definitely not enough. You'd need at least 3 of your current lights for your 4'(total 6-7 tubes). I'm assuming that your tubes are 36W each.

It's best to have CO2. Some more exotic plants just can't survive without CO2 injection, so this depends on what kind of plants you want to keep

[vinz]

Firstly, welcome to AQ...

A 2'H is better for a planted tank as you'll have a more choices for tall plants, and more space for the plants to grow before you have to trim them.

Lights... a planted tank needs about 2Watts/US Gallon for low light plants and 3W/G for high light plants. A 4x2x2 tank will be about 110 US gallons which will require about 330W for high light plants. If you use 36W PLs, you'll need 10. For large tanks like yours, I've read you can get away with under 3W/G for most high light plants except the more light demanding ones. So 8 tubes should do, if you're concern about costs, bills, heat and space. There are also many plants that do well in a moderately lighted tank.

CO2 is not a 'die die' must have, but w/o CO2, your plant growth will be slower (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and your plant choices will be limited.

[AnA]

For planted tank, go for 4x2x2 ft. You will never regret.[]