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October 1st, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Planted 27 Gallon Hex Lighting
You will have to forgive me this is my first time using the forums.
I have recently acquired a 27 Gallon Hex tank. I have mainly low light plants but I am concerned the 24 inch height of the new tank will kill everything. The hood that came with it has the cutout for the filter in the wrong side, and it takes 15" fluorescent bulbs. The tank is only 18 inches across. I do not want to spend a lot of money (so no top of the line lighting systems for me). I was looking for a glass canopy but there doesn't seem to be one for this tank... and I don't know if there is a certain kind of light or bulb that will make sure it is enough to get to to the bottom. No matter what I have to replace the bulb, it is purple! Any suggestions?
Edit: Not getting any suggestions so I will change the question a little.
Would a Flora-Glo, Power-Glo, or Aqua-Glo light work in this tank to get regular low-light plants to grow or will I just be killing my plants if I don't upgrade? And if so which type of bulb?
Last edited by kcarmartinez; October 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 AM.
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October 5th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| Sorry no one has helped... I hope I can. I also have the same setup in one of my tanks. I have a glass top on mine. I agree with you, the factory light is not enough light for such a deep tank. I moved the light forward and added another mini compact florescent ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=11382). It seems to work well but stay with low light plants. You can go to my Profile under "not enough time" and you can see before and after pictures of my hex. Maybe I can find a camera and upload a picture of the top for you.
Oh... welcome to Fishlore!
Last edited by dvc_r; October 5th, 2009 at 10:17 PM.
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| Thank you for the suggestion. I like this idea, but where did you get your glass lid? They don't seem to make such a monster, or if they do i can't seem to find it. Also, do you use a special bulb in your fluorescent hood? I was looking at these Aqua-glo and Power-glo and I wasn't sure whether they would be helpful.
I love the planted tank look... I have dreams. Your tank makes me feel hopeful.
I am guessing no one had any ideas because these kind of tanks are not that popular. | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Hello, I really don't have much advice on Hex tanks, as I don't have them.
But, we'd all love to see pics of your tank when you get some!  | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| You can get a piece of plexi-glass and cut it, or go to a glass shop and have it cut for you - can't cost too much. You can get the hinge pieces seperately and make your lid.
If you're stuck with a hood, then the compact light is the way to go. | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| I got the tank with a "broken" glass top. But it was just the plastic hinge, I went to the fish store a bought a hinge (unfortunately it comes in 5 foot sections).
As for the lights, the fixture uses a 15" bulb, mine is just a standard "14 watt T8 8000K". The compact light does have two 9 watt, 6700°K. I could be wrong but I think the Power/Flora/Aqua-Glo lights start at 18 inches long. So It may be too big to sit on top of the tank.
As for using plexi-glass, it will never withstand the heat generated by that mini compact and it will bend/warp . It should have a "mini" fan to go along with it but it doesn't...it actually gets too hot to touch! | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| I am not a light expert, but I though the compacts didn't generate as much heat. If the lights were raised up on feet, so it wasn't resting directly on the top, would that make a difference? I was thinking about this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8&pcatid=11418 | |
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October 7th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| We have a new LFS in town (new, clean, not a chain, and the owner seemed very knowledgeable, Yeah!) that has 15 inch Aqua-flo and Power-flo. Of course the power-flo was more expensive and I was wondering if was worth the extra 8 dollars for my tank that is so tall compared to wide. Or is it really just marketing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=11418 and http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=11382
(I am not sure I am posting that properly) both seem to be similar. Am I correct that they are about the same light output except the one has a lunar light as well? Is either one better than the other for a deep planted tank? The price of the first is looking nicer. But buying plants becomes expensive so it is better to keep them alive and growing.
I also moved around some plants today and realize the other problem with a two foot deep tank is my arms are not long enough. LOL
So I need to find a local glass shop and a hinge, not sure if they will have that in the lfs or if I will have to get that online. I am wondering if they cut glass at ACMoore or Michaels... | |
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| They sell glass cutting tools at home depot.....
I would get the 12 inch marine lights - 36 watts. You can add one of the others too if that's not enough. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...=25151&catid=3
Last edited by Jaysee; October 8th, 2009 at 12:39 AM.
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello Kcar and Welcome to Fish Lore. 
Hope you enjoy the site. Some good tips above so there isn't much I can add.
Ken | |
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October 8th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by kcarmartinez  We have a new lfs in town (new, clean, not a chain, and the owner seemed very knowledgeable, Yeah!) that has 15 inch Aqua-flo and Power-flo. Of course the power-flo was more expensive and I was wondering if was worth the extra 8 dollars for my tank that is so tall compared to wide. Or is it really just marketing. | Assuming you mean Aqua-Glo and Power-Glo bulbs, the Aqua-Glo would be better for plants while the Power-Glo would likely appear brighter to you.
When you're limited to short bulbs and have a deep tank, effective lighting becomes more challenging, and the quality of any reflectors present becomes much more critical. If you choose not to upgrade the fixture itself, you might want to consider adding some kind of reflector to your current light strip... lots of DIY ideas have been discussed here, if you search for "reflector". | |
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October 21st, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| I went and got the Aqua-Glo and I am not happy with it. It seems purple. When we got the tank the bulb in it was very old and looked purple. So I am not sure if there is something wrong with the fixture?
Anyway, I have my hood from my 20G (24" long with some plant bulb in it) and this little fixture over top right now. I saw a coralife aqualight at a lfs (28W single not double) and was interested. I have 20" point to point and it is a 20" fixture... so I am wondering if this would work for me. Since it is a compact fluorescent I would need legs (I have .093 thick plexiglass over the tank right now) and I don't know how that would work with my tank frame angling in.
I still do need to figure out how to get that java moss to settle down the bottom. | |
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October 21st, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by kcarmartinez I went and got the Aqua-Glo and I am not happy with it. It seems purple. When we got the tank the bulb in it was very old and looked purple. So I am not sure if there is something wrong with the fixture? | The appearance of the light emitted is a function of the bulb, not the fixture, so a faulty fixture would not cause the bulbs to look purple.
Many plant-oriented bulbs look purple because the manufacturers focus on what the plants need, not what appears better to people. In general, most plants require lighting in the blue and red ranges for photosynthesis. If you combine red light and blue light, you get purple. | |
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