light for 35 gal planted tank

[kcormier]

Hi All. I have a 35 gallon breeder tank (36 in wide) that I've been rebuilding since I moved. I have new gravel and a few fish. Tank is fully cycled, but was too open. Fish were stressed and I lost a few. I've since planted the tank but have historically had light issues due to the depth. Now I'm looking to replace the hood & lamp with t5 ho lamps. I've been considering a 2 lamp system with an open hood. Something along the lines of this. Not sure if that's the best bang for my buck though. The tank is in my bedroom so it is important that it is quiet. I'd really love to find something that will let me control the 2 lamps independently (use the blue lamp longer and keep the high 10k lamp on for less time to help combat algae and help bring out the "dawn/dusk" effect of the blue lamp. I'm also interested in the moon lighting of some of the more expensive lamps. Is anything like that reasonable? I'm looking at the $150 price range, but could stretch up to $200 if it's really worth it.

Thanks all for the advice!

-Kevin

 

[kcormier]

bump. Just a summary

35 gallon tank, exactly 36 inches wide. Want to have plans and always have light problems. Looking at high output t5. Needs to be fanless as it is in a bedroom. I like the idea of having the 2 lamps independently controlled, and moon lighting if possible, but these are just nice to haves and can go without if out of budget. Budget is $150 ($200 max).

Thanks.

 

[kcormier]

So this comes in under budget and meets all the requirements, except for fan. Anyone have experience with finnex? Should I expect this unit to be noisy? Also, is there anything I should know about having t5 lighting. Do any t5 bulbs fit, or do I have to get specific bulbs? This comes with 2 10k and 2 actinic, which from what I understand is more useful in a salt water tank. Would I want to mix any roseate lighting in there?

I really want to get the effect of dawn/dusk on 1 set of lights, and get the strong full days sun on the other set. Any recommendations.

Amazon.com: Finnex XL-T3639: 36'' Aquarium Light T5 4x39 Watt Daylight & Blue Moonlight LED: Kitchen & Dining

Sorry for double posting, just they're two very different thoughts and didn't want to mix them up into one post. Thanks again for any help guys. I'm really kinda confused. I've never done any of this before (lighting) so I'd appreciate any advice anyone can give. Until then...I'm just gonna keep reading up!

 

[skjl47]

Hello: Read thru your posts again today. I do not know what t5 lights are, but I have converted some lights. I had an old stainless steel light for a 20 long or 29 gallon that originally used incandescent bulbs. I found some standard screw bulb sockets with suitable mounting brackets. I drilled new holes at each end and mounted the sockets. This gave me four sockets across the length. I wired them together and used the smallest CFL bulbs in 6500k that I could find. I wanted more uniform lighting. It worked well as long as I kept a vapor barrier between the light fixture and the tank water.
It occurred to me that a setup like this with four sockets could be modified to do something like what you seek. It would take three timers , three on/off switches and three separate set of wires. Say the socket on one end is wired to its own timer with a very dim (or filtered bulb) and set to come on first. (Many CFLs start out dim and then brighten up over a few minutes.) The sockets in the center could be fitted with brighter bulbs and wired to a second timer set to come on a while later. The last socket on the other end could be fitted with another dim bulb and wired to the third timer and set to come on around mid day. Timer #1 is first on and first off, say around mid afternoon. Timer #2 is second on and second off, say an hour or so before complete lights out. Timer #3 is last on and last off. By the way CFL bulbs at 6500k (daylight bulbs) will grow plants nicely and look good to me.

 

[aakaakaak]

The standard thin flourescent tubes are T5 lights.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Thanks for the info. I am using them now as two of the three tanks now set up are newer and came with full hoods and the 18 inch tubes. I replaced one bulb with an aquarium tube from wal mart that is doing well.

 

[OrangeCones]

So this comes in under budget and meets all the requirements, except for fan. Anyone have experience with finnex? Should I expect this unit to be noisy? Also, is there anything I should know about having t5 lighting. Do any t5 bulbs fit, or do I have to get specific bulbs? This comes with 2 10k and 2 actinic, which from what I understand is more useful in a salt water tank. Would I want to mix any roseate lighting in there?

I really want to get the effect of dawn/dusk on 1 set of lights, and get the strong full days sun on the other set. Any recommendations.

Amazon.com: Finnex XL-T3639: 36'' Aquarium Light T5 4x39 Watt Daylight & Blue Moonlight LED: Kitchen & Dining

Sorry for double posting, just they're two very different thoughts and didn't want to mix them up into one post. Thanks again for any help guys. I'm really kinda confused. I've never done any of this before (lighting) so I'd appreciate any advice anyone can give. Until then...I'm just gonna keep reading up!

With 4 lights in one hood, a fan is a must to prevent overheating. The unit itself is very quiet, but as-is, it is geared toward a reef set-up, not freshwater plants. You would not get much if any benefit from actinic bulbs.

Using 4 bulbs of the correct type for plants may pose a problem for you also, unless you plan on doing fertilizers and a source of carbon (CO2 or Excel at least). Higher light must be used with higher ferts and carbon or you will experience unwanted algae.

 

[jonmiilton]

35 gallons tank, is 36 inches wide. Want to have a plan, there is always light the problem. Looking at the high output T5. Must be free of the fan, because it is in a bedroom. I like the idea has two independent control of lights, lighting and the moon, if possible, but these are very pleased to no rich or poor, if more than the budget.