inari

Hey guys,

I need to know what kind of bulb i should use for a 5 gallon hex with amazon swords. I'm thinking that they need a bit more I'm also looking for the red iron substrate let me know thanks,

Inari

pepetj

Upgrading lighting in hexagonal tanks can be a real pain. If you can fit in a Compact Fluorescent rated as high as your plastic lamp cover can take safely, it should work fine.

That said, I recently read an article stating that the WPG guideline works only for tanks over 20 gallons. They recommended 72W (out of T-8 lamps) for 10 gallons rectangular tanks.

If you stick to the low end low-light plants, even a 11W Compact Fluorescent rated at 5,000 to 6,500K would suffice. I am growing (slowly but healthy) Anubias barteri species, a native yet to id plant, and Dwarf Sagitaria in a standard 5.5gal with a 11W CF at 6,500K.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

inari

like i said i've got swords and a stalk of bamboo i think the swords are low light right?

eiginh

Where can I get that type of fixture for my 10gallon?

inari

for the special bulbs I usually had to go a smaller mom and pop LFS, sometimes the big chains will carry them but usually big chains only carry the lower grade stuff since it's cheaper and they'll sell more. things like the t-8 lamps can get pretty pricey. best of luck to ya,

Inari

MissMTS

I just got a great light for my new 5 gallon planted tank. Its a Vivaria Lumino DX 24 watt compact light fixture that I found at my LFS. So far I really like it, but I've only had it for a week.

Just a note about the swords... with sufficient light they will quickly out grow your 5 gallon tank. Have you thought of trying some smaller species of plants?

inari

Well the swords are getting plenty of light but like i said i believe they are argentina swords not amazon swords. They to my knowledge are a smaller species. The only things i don't understand is how the heck u tell the difference they look the same to me....anyway. My tank sits next to my window (which if i'm not too directionally confused atm is south facing...i think), and I just replaced the compact bulb and with the sunlight it seems to be working well and really causing my plants to take off plus i use a fertilizer but I am getting green algea but that's the one type i don't mind, at the moment my tank is an empty tank that i'm just feeding the cycle but over all everything is looking good. I'm happy with it, and sometime after the new yr i think i'm going to pick up another betta....and maybe a bamboo shrimp don't know about the shrimp yet tho
thanx for the advise

Inari