i need help....?

Question

ok i have a few questions...mostly concerning freshwater community planted aquariums....


1.} how many watts does an 18" fluerescent tubve have?

2.}how many watts should i have on my 29 gallon tank?
-would the 18" tube and a 13w compact fluerescent be good for a planted aquarium with hardy to meadium hardy plants that are medium to low light?

3.}I have 4 guppies, 5 Glolite tetras, 1 snail, 2 shrimp, 1 African dwarf frog and i plan on getting probably 2 Otos....whats a fish that would look pretty going through driftwood and plants and rocks?
-would angelfish not be compatible with the guppies or any of my other fish?


thankx

Answer 1

Low light=1wpg
Medium light=2wpg
high light=3wpg or higher

wpg=Watts per gallon

For medium light plants on a 29 gallon aquarium you need 60 watts. This can not be acclomplished with the standard sockets in an aquarium hood. You will need to get a retrofit kit. I got mine from AH supply. They are a little expensive but it is what you need to get the job done. The first answerer has obviously never tried keeping anything other than low light plants.

You also need the right K rating. 5000-6500 K is the ideal color temperature for plants. Just having the right spectrum does nothing if you do not have the proper wattage, so make sure you fill both requirements.

If you go with anything higher than low light, you are going to need a CO2 source and you are going to need to dose ferts. Greg Watson's dry ferts are cheap and easy to use, they even have a calculator to help you determine the right amount of ferts to add. I will give you a link to a DIY CO2 set up. CO2 is critical to maintaing plant growth and preventing algae.

Angelfish will not work in your tank. They will eat the guppies, glowlights, and shrimp. I suggest Rams. They are a dwarf cichlid that come from the same waters as angelfish, and are a very attractive fish to look at. One of my personal favorites.

Answer 2

angelfish would be fine with your set up but tend to get kind of large so you might have to find them new homes when they get bigger. craigslist always comes in handy for making a small profit off fish you can't keep anymore. otos like working in groups so get at least 3. i would suggest a a small school of rasboras or danios to school around separately from the tetras too. a couple rainbows or dwarf gouramies would be nice too.

for plants you want 2 or 3 watts per gallon -- that is low to medium - kind of on the low side -- so in 29 gallons you want 60-90 watts.

Answer 3

Watts are a measure of heat. Unless you are growing live plants, any standard fluorescent will do just fine. Wattage does not matter, only the spectrum of light coming out of the bulb. In a standard 29 gallon system they sell plenty of bulbs with different light spectrums for various applications.

Just go to the store and look for a bulb closest to a natural sunlight spectrum.

As for the angelfish, they are quite docile, though they also get quite large. They will not be aggressive to other fish normally, but if large enough will eat them. Neons especially.

I would go with dwarf Gourami's.