Would this be low tech or high tech lighting?

[Angelfish12]

Im setting up a 55g planted aquarium and i want to know if the lighting would be high or low tech. Its a t5 double bulb lamp.

thanks, kelly

[andyroo]

I'm thinking of rigging up some mirrors to light the plants in the back. Now that's low-tech, but annoying when the wind blows.....

[Diana]

The original guide to 'high tech'/ 'low tech' might fall along these lines:

High Tech
Over 3 watts per gallon from T-12 or T-8 bulbs. These bulbs are chosen to have the optimum wavelengths that plants use. Very good PAR rating. Very good reflector.
Pressurized CO2
Special substrate, specific to aquatic plants.
Very careful attention to fertilizer needs of the plants.

Medium Tech
Roughly 2-3 wpg from T-12 or T-8 bulbs, not so much attention to the PAR rating. Decent reflector.
DIY Yeast or Excel for carbon.
Special substrate.
Some fertilizer schedule, perhaps substrate tablets.

Low Tech
Under 2 wpg from T-12 or T-8 bulbs, Whatever is available.
Air exchange and decomposing matter for carbon.
Any substrate.
Fish food, water changes and original substrate is main supply of fertilizers.

More recent information seems to indicate a slight revision in those outlines.

T-5 bulbs are usually available with really good reflectors, and are more efficient. Pretty close to twice as efficient as T-12, and about 1.5 x as good as T-8 bulbs. The old watts per gallon guides that are suggested above do not work so well with T-5 bulbs.

Plants are really driven by CO2. Per Tom Barr: Set the CO2 at the level you are willing to maintain. THEN set up the lights accordingly. Keeping the CO2 stable, you can increase or decrease the lighting and the plants will respond by growing more or less, but the algae tends to stay away. Fertilizer follows light levels.

Substrate is a bit more complex. Even in a low tech tank the right substrate can make the difference between an easy to manage aquarium and a problem filled tank. See Diana Walstad's book: The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium for more info about low tech tanks.
Look for a substrate with a high cationic exchange capacity no matter which level of maintenance you are aiming for.

[NancyD]

Are they normal output NO or high output HO? I have 2 x 54w HO over my 40g long (like a 55g but not as tall) no CO2. It's pretty high light for low tech, floating plants cut down some light. I have fine pool sand with root tab ferts. It's been set up for 6 months or so & I had some algae at first until the floating Indian fern spread, it loves the lighting too well. I'd call it medium + lighting.

To me high tech implies CO2, from what I've read DIY is hard to keep up for 50+ gallons and expensive over time.

What plants are you planning? You might try using only 1 HO bulb for low/med light plants, java fern & moss, most crypts, anubias, even swords & stem plants like rotala rotundifolia. Be careful of over long photoperiods, 8 hours is good until you see how it goes.