Murdocmason

I was thinking about running a DIY lighting system over my 29 gallon with T5HO bulbs just kinda curious how much light err... i mean WPG i want to have ideally for high light plants also if there is too much light already what are the signs of burning thx again
DOC

mathas

That's a really difficult question to answer, because there are far more variables involved than just how many watts of power the fixture uses and how many gallons the tank holds.

In general, the more light you provide, the more the plants try to photosynthesize. If they don't have enough carbon and nutrients to keep up with the light-driven photosynthetic demand, you start running into growth problems and algae outbreaks. What those growth problems may be will depend on which nutrient(s) is/are deficient and what plant you're talking about.

Do you plan to supplement carbon at all, either via a product like Flourish Excel or a pressurized CO2 setup? What about fertilization?

Murdocmason

okay heres my idea in a nutshell I want enough light to cultivate a farm in my aquarium lol but in the same sense i dont want to burn the babies or fish know what i mean =) but yea i am planning on going full board just getting all my info straight first pertaining to the ferts and so on but i still need alot more info before i just start adding stuff in =) amt im trying to scour the internet and forums for info about planted tanks and aquascaping them right i just love the look of a planted community. also am currently running DIY Co2 via yeast sugar ect.

mathas

Another factor to consider is the quality (or lack) of the reflectors in the fixture. Since you've said you're planning a DIY setup, it's going to be hard to suggest a wattage range without knowing what reflectors you're looking at.

That said, my future plans include 2.4WPG of well-reflected T5HO in a 24" tall tank, and that's enough light to grow just about anything with sufficient CO2 and fertilization. In a shallower tank like a 29g, you could probably get away with less, but you might want to wait for someone who has experience with smaller planted tanks to chime in.

Murdocmason

thx for the info will do im gonna go read some more forums see if i can find an article on this