55 gallon lighting?

[bb7551]

Would A 55 gallon planted tank do well with two 65 watt 6500K PC's over the top of the tank? Do I need more light? I want to keep a large variety of plants, and make it look full, I want to have 3 discus, a school of 10-15 cardnal tetras, and a few other fish for some diversity. Thank you! John

[ronrca]

I think it would be fine however lighting isnt the only factor to consider. Are you also planning on using C02 and fertilization?

[bb7551]

CO2, No, fertilizer... yes alot of it. I was at my friends house and he has a planted ten gallon, the best one I had ever seen. I asked what he did to make them look so good. He told me frequient pruning and RABBIT PELETS, yep, just puts them into the sand at the bottom and it keeps them growing like WILDFIRE, now do you think I will need any extra filtration? just a HOB powerfilter, and waterchanges for discus. Thanks! John ;D John

[chirohorn]

Rabbit pellets, huh? Anyone else use this?

[ronrca]

LOL! Rabbit pellets? Really! Does it give a break down of the composite of the pellets in the bag? Im really curious to know what's in them!

[bb7551]

well, I am not sure what is in them, I know oats, alfalfa, but he says it works, and he just pushes one down around the base of the plant it in the sand. I am not sure if it would cloud the water or not, I am pretty sure he uses pelets, mabey he meand pelets processed by rabbits? lol I would think either would work. John

[ChloroPhil]

bb,

2x 65w fixtures is plenty over a 55g aquarium. Anything between 2-3 watts/gallon is sufficient to grow just about anything provided enough light gets to the substrate and with 65w bulbs being PC you've got the penetration.

As for Carbon supplimentation and Fertilization, both are necessary, especially with over 2.0 w/g like you've got. You'll do nothing but invite terrible algae problems if you fertilize at all with that much light and have no Carbon supplimentation. CO2 gas is your very best option but Seachem Excel is a viable choice too. As a beginner I ***HIGHLY*** recommend using the entire line of Seachem products for the first few months until you get used to keeping plants and discus. Then go out and get a pressurized gas CO2 system and do it right.



Here's how I prioritize when setting up a new aquarium.

1a. Plant Selection/Temperature Control: Knowing which species do best at what temperatures and choosing appropriate species is important for long term happiness with a system. No R. wallichi in a Discus tank...

1b. Lighting: Choosing appropriate lighting for the overall system again is essential to overall success/happiness with an aquarium. There's no need to invite algae by using 3.5w/g over an anubias and crypt tank.

1c. Inhabitants: It's important to consider the type of inhabitants you're going to have and take any special needs or habits into account. While most fish can adapt to most conditions some have certain temperature and dietary needs or are incompatible with certain types of plants. I wouldn't want to keep a school of Rosy Barbs in a tank full of delicate stemplants.

2. Substrate: Probably the most stable and long-term part of any aquarium, making the right choice of substrates can go a long way in creating a successful aquascape over the long term. Conversely, a poor choice of substrate can cause any number of problems right from the start and will likely require serious measures to rectify.

3. Carbon Supplimentation: Making a well thought out choice on Carbon supplimentation from the beginning is important. Tank size, Lighting, Plant Selection, Inhabitants, Water Chemistry and Frequency of Maintenance are all things to take into consideration when thinking through Carbon supplimentation.

If I've got a tank full of broad leaf stemplants, crypts, anubias, and don't want to do weekly maintenance I would prefer Excel to CO2. Likewise if I were keeping a tank with high GH and KH where the amount of CO2 needed would be high I might choose Excel. However if I had a tank with a majority of stemplants and higher light pressurized CO2 would be the best choice. Also, any large tank, regardless of lighting and plant selection, makes a pressurized CO2 system more economical over the long term.

4. Nutrient Supplimentation: Is PMDD or a commercial line the best choice for you? Your choice of Carbon supplimentation is usually the best indicator here. PMDD and CO2 gas work best together just as most commercial lines are most effective when used as a whole rather than piecemeal. Regardless of what type of supplimentation is used it is a necessary addition to an aquarium. A well planned and implimented fertilization regimen can be the cornerstone of a successful planted aquarium just as a poorly thought out regimen will likely be the ruin of one.

5. Water Changes: They're an essential part of aquarium maintenance and must be done on a regular basis.

6. Water Chemistry : This is only really important when dealing with extremes and for monitoring of CO2 injection. For the most part Water Chemistry is more a factor in deciding which plants and fish will work best in a particular system. Here in Charlotte the water is really soft and is great for South American fish. If I lived in an area with hard water Rainbowfish and Livebearers would be a better choice of fish. Likewise for plants. Some can't tolerate hard, alkaline water where others may thrive.

7. Circulation/Water Flow: In most aquariums water flow is not an issue. As long as the plants are given access to a constant flow of water they will do fine. The real issue with circulation comes when the flow pattern isn't sufficient to allow filtration of particulate matter in the aquarium. While this is more an aesthetic problem it can be very frusterating for the aquarist.


Best,
Phil

[Sketchy]

...interestingly enough, in the William T. Innes Aquarium Atlas originally published in 1948, guinea pig and rabbit "lozenges" were recommended as fertilizer for plants. It is logical as both of these animals are vegetarians and consume high quantities of lettuce, carrots, and the commercially produced pellet chow. However, I prefer to use the Seachem Flourish Plant Fertilizer rather than animal waste.
... as for your lighting situation, you will definitely need to inject C02. Personally, I have two strip lights on my planted 55g - one 40w Chroma bulb and a duo tube with the Chroma's. I try to imitate a sunrise and sun set by turning on the single tube first and turning it off last. Total watts = 2.18 per gallon and everything is doing fantastic.
I also use the Seachem Fluorite substrate mixed with small natural gravel.

[angel12]

well my m8 uses Rabbit Poo otherwise known as rabbit pellets .. they work just fine I mean u put Horse S**T on your Garden dont u so why not put Rabbit Pellets in your substrate .. hes been using them for quite some time now in fact hes a memeber on here ....

Just my Two pence for what its worth ....

:)