Arofanatics Fish Talk Forums  

Go Back   Arofanatics Fish Talk Forums > General Aquatic Forums > Planted Tanks & Aquascaping Forum > Aquascapers Equipment, DIY and Hardware

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 20-06-2006, 11:42 PM   #1
cheetf
Dragon
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,138
Default Watts Per Gallon

Hi all,
Just like to enquire, when the amount of light is rated watts per gallon, what is the standard depth? Is 3 WPG for a 2ft deep tank the same for a 1ft deep tank? Surely the effect must be different. Can I have some opinions please? I have a 2 ft X 2ft x 1ft (L X D X H) which I am planning to use for for a planted CRS tank. Planning to use 110W (2X55W) - too much? or is 72W (2X36W) enough?

Thanks.
cheetf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-06-2006, 11:56 PM   #2
|squee|
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Yes you're right, the effect is different. The bottom will receive less light if it's 2ft deep compared to a 1ft deep one.

It's too much for most people, unless you know planted tanks very well. 72W is enough already
  Reply With Quote
Old 21-06-2006, 11:22 AM   #3
elimmel
Senior Dragon
 
elimmel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,576
Default

3wpg is a guideline when using FL tubes. can be applied to PL too but when you use T5 or mh lights, not really relevant.
elimmel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-06-2006, 01:36 PM   #4
aqua doctor
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default watts per gallon

3 to 4 watts is a good start but you also need to keep in mind what type of plants you want to do. For example if you want to do "red" plants you might want to consider a actinic or "blue" light with a full spectrum daylight. Regardless your 1' height gives you many options without to much concern with wattage. EXAMPLE: I had a 4'x18"x12"tall with a 40watt. single tube and had almost no problem growing anything. GOOD LUCK!
  Reply With Quote
Old 21-06-2006, 01:37 PM   #5
cheetf
Dragon
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,138
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by |squee|
Yes you're right, the effect is different. The bottom will receive less light if it's 2ft deep compared to a 1ft deep one.

It's too much for most people, unless you know planted tanks very well. 72W is enough already
The reason that I was planning to use 110w is that I was told that with stronger lights, plants in cool water will not start shoot up to reach the tank surface. This is because that they do not have the need to do so. Instead they will spread out and grow sideways. Also I believe that the plants should grow slower in cool conditions.

On the other hand maybe 72w is enough because I am not planning to use CO2.

BTW any suggestions for the plants to suit the conditions?

Thanks in advance.
cheetf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +9. The time now is 03:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2000-2008 Arofanatics.com (Since 30th August 2000)