Nutter

I have a 6x2x2ft tank with no hood that I want to do as either a planted community or planted american cichlid tank. Either way I want the tank reasonably heavily planted.

I don't want to be restricted to just low light plants but budget is the primary concern. Eventually I want to run co2 injection but I can get good results from DIY co2 for the time being. Ordering from the internet is out of the question as I don't have a credit card nor do I want one. I also need design ideas for a way to support the lights over the top of it without me having to move the tank & stand. Again, being cheap is important, so is easy access for maintainance. I do have a 400w HPS light fitting & ballast that I can get a retro-fit MH globe for but hanging it is a problem as are the high running costs. I imagine coverage of the whole tank would be difficult with just the one light source to. I can't drill holes or anything in the walls as I only rent the house. I don't want to have to move the tank if I can avoid it so I have included pics of it's positioning & the stand it is on. Ignore the keyhole, it was only there to make sure I cleaned the tank out properly, (no contaminents), & the tank is now dry again. I'm prety good with tools so diy stuff is no problem & in fact preferred.

Any thoughts, ideas & advice are very welcome.

Nutter

OK. Got the pics to upload so here they are.

Attached Images

	001.JPG (42.1 KB, 20 views)
	002.JPG (42.4 KB, 20 views)
	003.JPG (50.5 KB, 20 views)
	004.JPG (47.4 KB, 22 views)

suemvb

I have no ideas on your lighting issues but I've come across a few of your threads and it seems like you really know your stuff when it comes to planted tanks. The tank in your pics is awesome! I like the glass tops and it looks rimless on the top. Whatever lighting you choose will have no trouble finding its way into your tank.

Welcome to fishLore! Glad to have you.

Nutter

Thank you suemvb. It's always nice to recieve a compliment.
I've spent today running around trying to find lights that will suit my puposes but have only come up with 48" T5 HO fittings which are fine but I'm going to need a fair few of them to get to the min 2.5wpg that I'm aiming for. That would make access rather difficult for me when it comes to water change time as I don't like the shop bought style of hood where only a small flap at the front opens. I want to have the front half easily accessable either by not having lights over that section, having them mounted high enough not to be in the way or by having them mounted on a hinged section of hood/cover so that they lift up when I open the top up. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should just put the HPS fitting I have up over it with a retrofit metal-haldide globe. I'm thinking that I might be able to make large triangular reflector for the fitting that would sit over the tanks 2 top braces. If I add a hinged front flap to the reflector it should give me fairly decent access. It would sit on the top edges of the front & back glass with retainers at each end so that it couldn't slide off the front or back. I might just have to modify my planting plans & have lower light plants towards the sides. Using mylar film inside the reflector will help minimise lose of light towards each side of the tank. I haven't worked out the details yet but I have a picture of it in my head. When I do work out my plan I will post it in the DIY section to see what people think.
I might start that plan right now actually. Thanks for the reply.