tank question

I tried to find some PAR reading for your light, but I couldn't find anything. Without PAR you are left with the old 1 watt/gallon rule. Assuming the aquarium size calculator that I used it right your tank it 50 gallons and that makes your light is a little weak with .74 watt/gallon. I'm not a light expert, but I don't think 12k is the best for plants either. I use a 6,700 in my 30 gal tank. Again, not a lighting expert so I don't know how much it matters.

As for plants without CO2 and low to medium light. Anubias will grow well, as will java ferns. Mosses are easy to grow in those situations, but growth will be slow. I used to grow ludwigia under medium light with no CO2, so I know they will work as well. Most of the nice carpet plants will need CO2 and possibly higher light.

CO2 is not essential for a planted tank, but it does make things easier. Not only does it improve plant growth, but it helps reduce algae. There are three major ways to get CO2 for a tank.

DIY CO2 involves making a sugar and yeast mix to make the CO2. As the yeast eat up the sugar they produce some CO2. The more yeast you have in the mix the more CO2 it will produce, but you will have to replace it more often. I used to have a pair of gallon jugs that made about 1 bubble per second for my 30 gal tank. I replaced one jug a week so that they never got over fourteen days old. This method is cheap upfront, but sugar gets expensive over time.

The paintball setup is a little more expensive, but has more consistent results. You will need a paintball CO2 canister and a place in your area that does refills. You can usually find pre made set ups online for $50 and the refills are $4 in my area.

The top end system would cost the most, but deliver the best results. That would involve a 5-10 lb CO2 bottle and a regulator, solenoid and needle valve. Those set ups can be found for a little over a hundred, but good ones can get quite expensive.


I ended up bouncing around a bit with this reply, but it should give you some ideas for things to research.

your bulbs are the wrong K spectrum
is it a T8 or T5 system though?

co2 is only needed when you hit a certain amount of PAR, in which case you need co2 so that the plants can outcompete the algae

What's an OHF? What kind of shrimp are you wanting?

Doing a real regulator and co2 system is worth it, but, its not cheap.

your tank is 1.5 feet tall? with two t5ho bulbs? the watt of the bulb will be the same, don't concern yourself with that. You should have upper end medium light.

skip the DIY co2 thing, its not worth it on a larger tank. PAR is how many light particles are hitting the bottom of the tank (essentially) and cannot be calculated unless you have a PAR meter. But there is a good guide to lighting a planted tank with par if you google "How to light a planted tank with PAR"

Two t5ho bulbs would be a little high-ish, but if you had floating plants or something to lower the light intensity a bit you'd be fine, it's do-able.
I would stick to either glosso or hairgrass though, not both, as they will grow into each other and become a pain in the ass. Both grow alright without co2 but if you want it super lush like you see in professional scapes, a full pressurized co2 system will be needed, and there is no way around that. But its not needed to just have a nice planted tank. Ferns and mosses will be fine. I might suggest to you as well that you get hygrophilia species and lotus species and crypts and swords as well.