Hagen light for 29gallon planted tank

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Bk828

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Nov 3, 2007
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Alright so it was suggested that i make a different thread and might get more answers. so here it goes..

I currently have a 29 gallon planted community tank.. so far have java fern, Ludwigia repens(water primrose) , some unknown plant ( Can be seen here ) and java moss which has been moved to another tank so it can grow fuller..

at the moment this is the bulb i have
I have no info at all on the light since i got the whole tank set for $50 and light was included.. I can say that the light is getting a bit duller (either that or my tank water is getting darker due to the tannis) I am thinking of switching to a better bulb which will provide better lighting and at the same time benefit the plants.. Today when i was at the LPS the manager showed me 2 different lights by Hagen. One was Aqua-Glo other was Power-Glo both were 18K (price $10 for aqua glo, $17 for Power-Glo) The manager said that the lights are about the same but power-glo is WAY brighter than the other and can be used in marine tanks 2.. Heres a link for that power-glo. Now my question is..

Is this light good enough for a simple planted tank without any CO2 injections?

What can I expect with the power-glo as to compared to the light i currently have?

Which Hagen light would be better for me, Aqua-glo or Power-glo?

What can I expect in regards to algae growth with the Power-glo?


Thanks in advance for the answers
 
Do not use either light. Only the Life-glo 2 will work well for planted tanks. I would recommend you look at the new Hagen HO T5 bulbs. Also, reading the stickies will help with a lot of your questions.
 
no. any light that works for marine (to grow corals) doesnt work for planted. get a new light i recommend hagens new range than use a bulb inbetwaeen 6700-8000 kelvin. and no t5's dont fit in t8, t10 or t12 units.
 
amehel0;1299825; said:
no. any light that works for marine (to grow corals) doesnt work for planted. get a new light i recommend hagens new range than use a bulb inbetwaeen 6700-8000 kelvin. and no t5's dont fit in t8, t10 or t12 units.
Click to expand...

:iagree:

any of the bulbs w/ high K rating, (blue color) 14,000K + is in the spectrum that is great for reef tanks, but not ideal for plants. You definately want to go with lower K.

You might be also consider checking online stores for some additional options, as to available bulbs used specifically for planted tanks.
 
Bk828;1299794;1299794 said:
well would the HO T5 bulbs fit into my current hood??

bDerick on the other thread said
"The T-5 will only work with a t-5 ballast and socket configuration"

I did read the stickies but still am confused
Click to expand...
HO T5 won't even work in a NO T5 fixture as the ballast won't fire the bulb. The planted tanks for beginners thread would be the one to read, particularly in the lighting section.
 
Bk828;1299376; said:
Is this light good enough for a simple planted tank without any CO2 injections?

What can I expect with the power-glo as to compared to the light i currently have?

Which Hagen light would be better for me, Aqua-glo or Power-glo?

What can I expect in regards to algae growth with the Power-glo?


Thanks in advance for the answers
Click to expand...


My first ever attempt at live plants (when I had no clue what I was doing) was in a 55g, which back then was my 'big' tank.

It had a single 40w power glo, and it was sufficient as an extremely low-tech setup.

It wasn't ideal conditions, but the aponogetons (plant bulbs from wal-mart) actually sprouted and grew, with plain gravel, no co2. Here's a pic:

http://www.aquaticphotos.com/data/media/8/DSC00246.JPG


The power glo will have a more 'purple' color rather than the white-yellow look of the standard AGA bulb.

The aquaglo will be better between the two, but upgrading to even regular T5's would be better lighting for managing a low-tech setup.


As far as algae, I had algae growing on the tall fake plants in the above 55g tank, right under the light. The actual live plants didn't have a problem with algae, but they did grow fragile because of the lack of ideal growing conditions, and were easily broken by the fish if they did anything raucous like swim by them. ;)

HTH
 
Power-glo and aqua-glo bulbs are both terrible for plants, and neither has more benefits. Aponogetons do not have strong stems, regardless of lighting type/growing conditions.
 
Cohazard;1302196; said:
My first ever attempt at live plants (when I had no clue what I was doing) was in a 55g, which back then was my 'big' tank.

It had a single 40w power glo, and it was sufficient as an extremely low-tech setup.

It wasn't ideal conditions, but the aponogetons (plant bulbs from wal-mart) actually sprouted and grew, with plain gravel, no co2. Here's a pic:

http://www.aquaticphotos.com/data/media/8/DSC00246.JPG


The power glo will have a more 'purple' color rather than the white-yellow look of the standard AGA bulb.

The aquaglo will be better between the two, but upgrading to even regular T5's would be better lighting for managing a low-tech setup.


As far as algae, I had algae growing on the tall fake plants in the above 55g tank, right under the light. The actual live plants didn't have a problem with algae, but they did grow fragile because of the lack of ideal growing conditions, and were easily broken by the fish if they did anything raucous like swim by them. ;)

HTH
Click to expand...

thanks for the answer..
you have a nice setup there though kinda hard to see everything.. What fish you have/had in there?

what about the algae on the glass? was that a problem at all?

what light do you have there?
 
Bk828;1302510; said:
thanks for the answer..
you have a nice setup there though kinda hard to see everything.. What fish you have/had in there?

what about the algae on the glass? was that a problem at all?

what light do you have there?
Click to expand...



No problem, I try to help when I can :)

That tank was setup back when I was in high school. I had a pair of angels (1 gold, 1 zebra), a bala shark, two clown loaches, black neons, and an L18.

There was a problem with algae growing under on the glass under the light (where the water from the HOT magnum's would splash most, and on the back glass of the tank. If I had added a bushy nose plec, or maybe some oto's, that algae would never have a chance to build up.

I had the power glo, 48" 40w
 
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