Enough lights ??????????

[Hawkshot]

I have a 30 X 15 X 18 inches planted tank.

Just to check if 2 X 36w pl lighting enough.

Please advice & many thanks

[blurrblurr]

Ppl here will answer this way

go check yourself
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/aq_calculator/index.php
Ideal lighting 2-3watts/gallon

[chua]

To add, you must use daylight tube.

[Aeon]

Use 2x40W.
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/aq_calculator/index.php

Also depends on what plants you gonna grow.

[lorba]

[quote:75343331c2="Hawkshot"]I have a 30 X 15 X 18 inches planted tank.

Just to check if 2 X 36w pl lighting enough.

Please advice & many thanks [/quote:75343331c2]

What kind of set up and plant choice do you have in mind? Take a look at the FAQ forum and read up to get a better idea.

Read this too
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/phpBB...c.php?p=131987

[kc]

[quote:8841e3f939="Hawkshot"]I have a 30 X 15 X 18 inches planted tank.

Just to check if 2 X 36w pl lighting enough.

Please advice & many thanks [/quote:8841e3f939]

Hawshot, 2 x36 is not enough. You will end up with the problem that these plants cannot grew well and that plants only go straight up. When you come across beautiful plants, you probably cannot buy them.
Don't be like me. Ending up with changing lights few times. Go for the maximum that anyone here suggest and than you can reduce from there later.

[vinz]

IMO, it's enough BUT it depends on the light tube arrangment and you need to get smart with how you aquascape.

Ideally, the light tubes should be parallel and completely side by side. All the light demanding plants must be below the side by side portions. The peripheral areas will require plants that do well in moderate to low lighting.

If your lights are configured such that only part of them are side by side, then only those parts can support light demanding plants.

Even then the light is not very high, so the light-loving stem plants will loose most of their leaves at the bottom. Scape such that the bottoms of the stem plants are concealed.

If you want sufficient light, with good coverage, then 2x55W PLs will be quite suitable.

[af2373]

guys, i hv this question on lighting tat's bugging me for some time....when we calculate the WPG. do we take away the space on the top of the tank and the gravel/ substrate, ie only the water portion of the tank?

[Hawkshot]

But where can i buy 40w pl light ?????

[budak]

you can use any PL tube you can find, as long as the total number adds up to the recommended 2.5-3 wpg. for your tank, i'd say 4x36W is good enough.

[stocker]

Here's an article describing an alternative to the WPG (not saying it's totally wrong or anything at all... :P )

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Tech/Lighting/

[vinz]

[quote:b0eef9d3db="af2373"]guys, i hv this question on lighting tat's bugging me for some time....when we calculate the WPG. do we take away the space on the top of the tank and the gravel/ substrate, ie only the water portion of the tank?[/quote:b0eef9d3db]

I don't anymore.