NEWLY PLANTED TANK TIPS

[solidsnkhed]

so ive got a newly planted tank but do not know how much watts per gallon i should go with, right now my wattage is low but i need to find out what kind of bulb is best for keeping in a planted tank. ive also got 3 schools of tetras in there bloodfin, lemon and diamond in the tank as well.

 

[movitt]

first welcome to MFK.dont follow the watts per gallon rule....it was really made for T12 flor. bulbs. READ STICKIES...Wyldfya goes over the "basics" for plant newbs and gives you what you need plus more. you want your bulbs to be around 6,700 kevin. I made the mistake thinking throwing should throw a high powered light over some plants and every thing will be ok(thats before i read up on things). the higher the light there are more issues you HAVE to take care of or you will be growing algae instead of plants. I would really READ READ READ about things and start off with a low light tank. i have seen many low light tanks that look great. Now go read those stickies.........great info

 

[oOMO3NOo]

i agree with movitt one hundred percent read as much as you can and keep reading after that. the amount of light you want will also depend on what plants you want to keep and how much work your willing to do. more light equals more co2, fertz and way more trimming. and fertz can be somewhat confusing. basically lighting goes normal flourecent bulbs the next step up is Power compact then ho t5 then Metal halide. and with in each of those the type of reflectors will change the quality of light they produce. also the watts per gallon rule does not apply like movitt said the best way to find out what light to get is look at other peoples set ups and if they are growing some of the plants you like with with a simaler setup then that light should/could work for you also.

 

[WyldFya]

I'm glad to see members recommending my stickies. Makes it all worth it doing.

To add to the above, LED lighting is a step up from MH, but will run another couple hundred over the MH setup.