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Lighting for 55g hillstream

Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 4:22 pm
by oddmole
Trying to do my homework for a 55g hillstream loach tank. Currently im stuck on what K spectrum I should be looking for a medium planted tank. I wasnt planning on using CO2 but I will if it needed to keep the plant and algae communities to support my hillstreams. I was looking at LED for the overall cost and can find much on how many fixtures I need or if the seemingly stand light bards (IE.E. Finnex Ray2 slim) would be enough to keep algae levels up.

I also can find many posts on mimmimizing algae on planted tank forums but not much on promoting algage that hillstreams use for eating.

Any advice on this?

Re: Lighting for 55g hillstream

Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 11:06 pm
by Diana
Go to some of the planted tank sites for the best info about LED and plants.
You are looking for a good PAR rating, not any sort of K value.
You can get some algae info there, but mostly how to avoid it!

I would put rocks in a tank (bucket... whatever) in full sun, and dump used aquarium water in there.
As the algae grew I would rotate a few rocks in and out of the tank.
Takes a lot of light to grow algae.

Re: Lighting for 55g hillstream

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:26 am
by The Skinny Chef
oddmole wrote:Trying to do my homework for a 55g hillstream loach tank. Currently im stuck on what K spectrum I should be looking for a medium planted tank. I wasnt planning on using CO2 but I will if it needed to keep the plant and algae communities to support my hillstreams. I was looking at LED for the overall cost and can find much on how many fixtures I need or if the seemingly stand light bards (IE.E. Finnex Ray2 slim) would be enough to keep algae levels up.

I also can find many posts on mimmimizing algae on planted tank forums but not much on promoting algage that hillstreams use for eating.

Any advice on this?

you want to avoid CO2, aside from it displacing O2 in the tank, CO2 battles algae so you won't get the growth you are looking.

Algae is very easy to grow, in the planted tank forums no one wants algae because it doesn't look pretty. the hardest part of growing algae is you can't control where it grows when its in your tank.

one thing you can look up if you want it in your tank, is the causes of algae
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/algae-c ... ypesof.php

the easiest way to grow algea is to run the lights to long, and have to many nutrients in the water colum.

Re: Lighting for 55g hillstream

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 7:20 pm
by oddmole
Thanks for the replies. The reason I was looking for the K spectrum instead of PAR is if algae had different light absorption different from standard plants. Since so much info is on reduceing algae while increasing planted biomass I was worried about getting a light with a K that would not fit algae as well.

From further reading it appears algae with adapt to almost any spectra so that shouldnt be a problem. Def sounds like i can avoid CO2 which i like.

Thanks again.

Re: Lighting for 55g hillstream

Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:22 am
by The Skinny Chef
oddmole wrote:Thanks for the replies. The reason I was looking for the K spectrum instead of PAR is if algae had different light absorption different from standard plants. Since so much info is on reduceing algae while increasing planted biomass I was worried about getting a light with a K that would not fit algae as well.

From further reading it appears algae with adapt to almost any spectra so that shouldnt be a problem. Def sounds like i can avoid CO2 which i like.

Thanks again.

why did you think you needed CO2?