akamel

I just got a used 75g tank and the lighting setup looks very,very old and am a little scared to use it. The dementions are : 4' 1 1/3 long & 13" wide. I am also wanted to have a planted tank but low tech. Anybody have any thoughts on what I should get ? I need something inexpensive but not "cheap"

CHoffman

I have a low tech planted tank too. It's my 120. You will want to get between 1 and 2 WPG (Watts per gallon). Anything over 2wpg and you'll need to use co2. which isn't low tech.
This is a great link to read about low tech planted tanks
General Guide to Low-Light Planted Tanks

I came across this website and it seems to have good prices on lighting.
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/index.php?cPath=71. If you can get the hood (the piece that holds the light) you can buy the lights at Lowes or Home Depot for WAY WAY cheaper then you can at the LFS

akamel

ok thanks !!! I came across a site called the planted tank and I found another obsession !!

CHoffman

Planted tanks are my personal favorite!!. They are sooo beautiful. Good luck with it and take some pics. A 75 gallon is a great size. You can have all kinds of different fish and it will be fun to aquascape. Keep us posted and I'd love to see pics when you can.

mathas

In my opinion, two of the best choices for a low-tech 75g tank would be either a Catalina 3x54W Solar T5HO, or an AHSupply 2x55W Bright Kit.

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/prod...oducts_id=1638
http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

Between the two, I would choose the Catalina fixture. It has the potential to emit significantly more light than the AHSupply kit, which means you would probably have to experiment with your photoperiod (how long the lights are on each day) to prevent algae outbreaks, but having two power supplies gives you far more flexibility for the future than the single power supply in the AHSupply kit.

Speaking as someone who purchased a fixture, decided it wasn't enough and purchased a better one, then decided that one wasn't enough and is contemplating a third fixture... try not to do that, it stinks It's better to spend a bit more upfront for a fixture that is flexible enough to meet future needs.