So I'm sitting here reading all these threads about people who spend tons of money on lighting and I'm really jealous. Problem is, I'm on a budget! (college student) I'm not looking for a solidly planted tank or anything intense, but I would like to keep 4-5 live plants in a 55g aquarium. I currently have just standard aqua-glo fluorescent lighting on my tank. I was wondering if I switched to the nice coralife actinic or the 10,000k that fit in the standard fluorescent fixture if this would be enough to get some growth along with some fertilizer?
cheap lighting
- Thread starter badger126
- Start date
I remember having the same dilema when I was in college. I had some success using 2 of the 4' shop lights they sell at home depot. Get the ones that hold 2 bulbs each, I think they go for $10-$20 a piece. I splurged on two 4' fluorescent plants bulbs ($10 each) and used 2 cool white bulbs as the other two ($3-5 for two). I did supplement with a liquid fertilizer. Take a look around the lighting department at the hardware store. With a little creativity you can come up with a cheap, effective lighting system.
Here's the links to the lights that I am wondering about
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753937&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2811540&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753938&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753937&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2811540&lmdn=Brand
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753938&lmdn=Brand
badger126;3670713; said:
Actinic is only for saltwater corals. I've tried them all (except the actinic)& they all make the fish look great, but you won't see any real plant growth with any of them. Its just not enough light. Definitely skip the liquid fertilizers, too for now. They'll just cause an algae bloom if you don't have at least 2 or 3 watts per gallon of light. Trust me. Been there. Root tabs wouldn't hurt, though.
This is the model I have & it works great for a lightly planted tank like yours & mine. Not much more than you were already planning to spend either...http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...7/cl0/coralifefwt5aqualightdoublestriplight48
With this light & a cheapo wal-mart timer, you should see some good growth in the first few weeks. If you can spend another couple of bucks, check out the Nova Extreme T5HO. Thats my next light.
if you pick the right type of plants you wont even have to change your lighting. try switching out the bulbs to a regular 6500 or 10,000k light that you can get any home improvement or hydroponics store. cant get any cheaper than that 
ok here is the deal. if you dont want to spend the money stick to t8 at home depot. get the philips daylight deluxe bulbs 6500k. they will get you by with a plants like anubias java ferns and moss.