Best types of Lights??

[Baltazar]

Hi,
I was just wondering what are the best types of lights to use for Discus.
I just got my fixtures and am using the T8 size, and havent really seen alot of post on this subject. And how many lights should one use? I have 2 48
inch lights atm and wonder if adding another would be overkill?
THanks in advance
Bob

[ronrca]

Depends on how much space you are lighting! I have a 2x 4' fixture on top of my 33G! Way too much light in one way! I wipe the tank daily for algae.

Really, I would only need 1x 2' but I do like the brightness for watching the discus. Great Breeders, such as Cary, only use room light so I have heard!

O and T8's are fine! I prefer them over T12!

[Carol_Roberts]

Generally two 48 inch lights are more than adequate for viewing discus in a 55 gallon tank

[Baltazar]

Thanks for the info!!
Bob

[Don_Lee]

If you are only concerned with the appearance the lights give to your fish, and not worrying about plants, I would tend to gt with a bulb in the 6700K and up range. It is all about the appearance you like, the 6700 range is a good compromise and gives a nice blue/white appearance. 2 48" bulbs will be plenty. I would experiment with different types and see what you like, stay away from the plant bulbs unless you like red/yellow type of light.

HTH,

Don ;D

[BlueTurquoise]

Hi there,

I thought I'd input something here, I have a 4 ft 55gal and I have a 40W, 10000k single bar 48 inch light which is not enough in my opinion. It gives a good blue mood which is hard to get used to at first, but it's nice once you are used to it, but I think it is too dim for plants. Also it maked reds look purple or maroon colour. If I had reds or orange fish I would look for dailight bulbs (which I am thinking hard about now...)

Chong

I decided I'd rather save the $300 and spend it on more fish, so I have 2 4' commercial lights from Home Depot above my 125. They're actually so bright I leave one off most of the time, and if i leave them on overnight...algae overtakes the sides of the tank. I build my own fixture out of wood to hold them and I am quite pleased with the result...all for about $30. I think 1 4' light would more than suffice for a 55.

[Jameson]

I have 130watts of power compact flourescent lighting above my plant tank with nine 3-4" discus 55 gallons. the plants control the algae. i wipe the glass with a magnet every other day before water change, my discus seem to thrive in the light, they all beg for food even after a big feeding with full bellies. maybe they just like me???

jc

[Luca]

I have two 4' bulbs from a retail shop (tri-phosphor) which are 36W each. I have a major algae problem and i don't know if it's the lights or a nutrient imbalance (i'm guessing it's the latter) but then it's a 70G tank, which means i have about 1W per gallon, which is REALLY low, which should mean i have no algae problem right?

thanks for any help..!

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Luca:
Clean the tank and only turn the lights on when you are home and want to view the fish. See if that clears up the algae.

[FishGuru]

Luca: Does the tank get irregular amounts of lighting? this can lead to algae problems, also, believe or not..but too little light has also been known to cause algae as well, you could try a SAE to clear up the tank, or you could put in some fast growing plants to absorb the nutrients. Hope this helps!

[ronrca]

Luca,
Algae grows in nearly any condition. Just add light and you will have algae growing. The important thing is to control the nutrients (water changes work well) and wiping the tank every second day. I have my lights on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only algae that I have in my tanks is where I cant get at.

So your question,

i don't know if it's the lights or a nutrient imbalance

? I would say both combined!

[Luca]

I feel really frustrated because i've already got a lot of things suggested here.

-I have a 24hr timer so the lights are on approx 8 hrs / day (will reduce it as per carol's advice and see what happens)

-I have fast growing plants (ambulia) , and i have HEAPS of it, but nothing's changed.

-I have been doing gravel cleans every 2nd or 3rd day to remove the algae build up but it just returns, i would've thought the excess nutrients would have removed now.

Strangely the ambulia is the one that grows the best, the others dwindle, get covered in algae and die. The thing is, i don't want to increase the lighting wattage if it's only gonna make it worse.

[Carol_Roberts]

Carol knows nothing about plants and planted tanks. I only know how to get rid of algae in bare tanks. Listen to the folks who have planted tanks. My advice will probably kill your plants :-\

[Simple2]

I can only tell you what I read in an aquarium plant book. It stated to put your lights on a timer and have it turn off for at least 2 hours in the middle of the day. It states that your plants won't mind the time without the lights but your algae won't like it. I just read this yesterday...so I haven't had a chance to try it myself yet. Let me know if your try it and h
ow it works.

simple2