how important

[timleete]

how important is lighting

i want a 4 foot by 16 by 16 tank and was wondering what kind of lighting i would need

i went to one shop who recomended 250 dolars worth of t5s but thats out of my budgit

another shop recomended a 1 foot floro tube or something like that for 40 dollars, i like the price but would it be enogh considering i want some live plants and some fake ones probly

[firedragon92]

if the one foot tube was just a normal light tube like you might use in your kitchen then no you need a light that is made to promote plant growth like a power glo globe or aqua glo globe off the top of my head they are about $20 each and as to the light case thing that does not really matter and i think they can be bought for as cheep as $100

[Woodsy]

For a 4x16 I would definitely be going for the t5's (try the trading post if you have to). If you're set on t8's though, you'd want at least trips or quads to get any type of substantial growth with stem plants. 3-4 watts per gallon is idea in most cases, depending on plant species.

[cichlidboy]

seriously, t5's to me are only for people who want forests.
as far as a low budget option is concerned.
why not buy cheap reflector fixtures from bunnings, power-glo or plant gro tubes and ure done!
but yeah, if you want stem plants to grow and spread everywhere, definitely a stronger lighting fixture.
t5s to me seem too strong for a standard height tank.
won't there be TOO much light?

TJ

[wombat1100]

Too much light can always be controlled by turning them off and on for periods of time, under lighting can cause issues with plants, so in this case i would suggest going for T5s. you don't need to spend a million dollars on them, i bought mine from my LFS for $120 for a 4 footer and it works good, might not be as flash as the more expensive ones but it does the job!

[joz]

If you have any reflectors already,purchase some daylight tubes for about $6 each from your lighting store.

[GoGuppy]

Yep, 1 ft fluorescent tubes are way too short for a 4' tank, they should be 3' tubes, either two or three. I would suggest a mixture of a "daylight" cheapie from yr local lighting shop plus a power-glo tube and a plant gro tube from your LFS.
See if you can get a suitable reflector for three or four 3' tubes from Bunnies. Do you intend to build the reflector into a hood over the tank?

Cheers

[domsriltz123]

If you have any reflectors already,purchase some daylight tubes for about $6 each from your lighting store.