oh soo that light will be high? I want to aim around 30w. And i will probaly buy some flourish excel
Couple plant questions and plants for a 10g
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Check out Glossostigma for a carpet plant. It's not nearly as demanding as HC, but looks just as nice in my opinion.
To clarify even further on the WPG issue - to simply state that you want 2-3 WPG is very broad. You could easily attain 2-3 WPG with the incandescent bulbs they used to pack with the 10 Gallons, but that wouldn't grow anything other than algae. Having 2-3 WPG of Compact Flourescent would give you planety of light to grow the plants you mention. However a T5(HO) fixture giving you the same wattage will enable you to do a bit more.
To clarify even further on the WPG issue - to simply state that you want 2-3 WPG is very broad. You could easily attain 2-3 WPG with the incandescent bulbs they used to pack with the 10 Gallons, but that wouldn't grow anything other than algae. Having 2-3 WPG of Compact Flourescent would give you planety of light to grow the plants you mention. However a T5(HO) fixture giving you the same wattage will enable you to do a bit more.
velanarris;3081890; said:
There is nothing wrong with using watts to compare lights or to figure out how much light you need. There are not many people who are going to go out and use special equipment or complicated formulas to figure out their lighting when there is already a simple common denominator listed on the outside of the box.
The watts per gallon rules loose at best, we all should know that by now. But the are based solidly on the actual light output of T12 fluorescent bulbs. If you want more percussion, there are tables that will give a comparison between the different types of bulbs. Example: 1 watt of T5 = 1.7 watts of T12. (that is just off the top of my head, it think it is about right though.)
That's inaccurate. The reason why the complex formulae are out there is because the simple ones don't work.yikesjason;3082197; said:
Comparisons of "like" bulbs at WPG work. But if you run 2 wpg of metal halide vs 2 wpg of t5 vs 2 wpg of cfl you'll have lux readings all over the place and realistically not get any sort of ideal setup parameters. WPG has to stop being referenced. Your real figure that's almost universal is Lux. The Lux of the light, given correct temperature, will have the most bearing on your plants.
t5 lux is incredibly high compared to most other bulb types, which is why t5 is recommended most frequently.
Sorry, it can be confusing.
With the lights you're suggesting you can grow jsut about anythign you want, I'd just shade the tank a bit from light of that strength.
With the lights you're suggesting you can grow jsut about anythign you want, I'd just shade the tank a bit from light of that strength.
yeah, but how many lights have you seen at the store that list the lux on the packaging.
Here is a link where you can see a table that will show you how 1 watt of mh will compare to 1 watt of T5 and so on.
I understand what you are talking about though. Many beginners think that the watt per gallon rule is gospel. There are other factors. If someone wants to get so precise as to trying to figure out all of the variables and try to calculate lux, par, lumens, foot-candles and everything else, I think that is great. For most people, a general wpg rule with an understanding of comparison between bulb types will get them on to the right light configuration. The precise adjustments to the light is going to come from how long the lights are on and placement of the lights. Those adjustments are going to be made according to the individual needs of the tank.
Here is a link where you can see a table that will show you how 1 watt of mh will compare to 1 watt of T5 and so on.
I understand what you are talking about though. Many beginners think that the watt per gallon rule is gospel. There are other factors. If someone wants to get so precise as to trying to figure out all of the variables and try to calculate lux, par, lumens, foot-candles and everything else, I think that is great. For most people, a general wpg rule with an understanding of comparison between bulb types will get them on to the right light configuration. The precise adjustments to the light is going to come from how long the lights are on and placement of the lights. Those adjustments are going to be made according to the individual needs of the tank.
All the ones worth buying. Every hagen light bulb comes with a lux scale, as do a lot of other manufacturers.yikesjason;3083474; said:
And you're right, but we're not beginners, and to reinforce the WPG rule when beginners are looking to us makes us intellectually dishonest. We gotta next level our game or the hobby suffers.
Well i am still stuck on this light thing. Today i went to lowes and found a two strip ballast thing. It is meant for T5 bulbs. So i went to look at the lights and found T5 bulbs that were meant for planted aquariums. They were 18w each for $7. They also had T8 and T12 bulbs but i heard that T8 were the best overall? My only concern with the T5 bulbs i found was i was not sure if they were HO especially at that price. so any concerns about this ^^?
