# My light with some questions



## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

*Is this a good light?*​
YES6100.00%NO00.00%


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I finally got my light!!! 

HERE IT IS.









What dose people have to say about it?
If this fixture doesn't give me MEDIUM lighting, what bulbs can i buy that will?


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## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

Exactly the light and bulbs I have on three planted 20g longs I have set up. I really like them for my shallow tanks. IMO, perfect!


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

*londonloco* AWESOME! What lighting range would they put me in? LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH


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## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

Your at medium light. I haven't found a plant I can't grow, even parva grows, real slow, but it's growing. I have mineralized top soil capped with 3M color quartz in two tanks, so that helps. You can't have that substrate with most cichlids, if they dig, u have a muddy mess on your hands. The third 20g long is a holding tank for plants (sometimes Q for fish), it has black Flourite as substrate, right now it's holding dwarf sag, wisteria and some windelov java fern. All is good.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I have PFS as substrate and I am stocking http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=230693&highlight=


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## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

I have PFS in 2 tanks that are lightly planted. I used a few root tabs in the pfs around the plants. So far plants are doing good.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I am going to keep 1 Amazon Sword, 1 Red Melon Sword, 3 Java fern, Watersprite, Java moss, Leopard Sword, and IF I CAN a few others.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT LIST?


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Do I need to use a glass canopy thing with this light???


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## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

What do you have on the tank now, a hood? I like the look of glass canopy's, so I have them on all my tanks. I also make sure all my lighting fixtures have acrylic shields on them. I def would NOT run these lights w/out a hood or glass canopy.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

There is nothing over the yank yet. Ok I will get a glass canopy for the tank.

What did you think about the plant list???


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## londonloco (Mar 31, 2011)

Aulonocara_Freak said:


> I am going to keep 1 Amazon Sword, 1 Red Melon Sword, 3 Java fern, Watersprite, Java moss, Leopard Sword, and IF I CAN a few others.
> 
> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT LIST?


Go here:

http://www.plantgeek.net

and check out your plant selection. On a quick search, the melon sword does better with nutrient rich soil, which PFS is not. I don't keep any swords, I did a couple of years ago in a 120g (that had soil substrate), and they got too big for my liking.

Java moss grows all over everything, I only keep moss in tanks I want to promote fry in. I try to keep water sprite in all my tanks, it's a nutrient hog, and I like the willow look of the plant. I have lots of java fern in my tanks, I especially like Windelov, but I keep those ferns tied to driftwood, or rocks, I never plant in substrate.

Good luck with your plants. Have you looked into any dosing regimes?

Edit: it's not water sprite I keep, it's Wisteria, or Hygro Dissformis.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

I have a 10g with gravel substrate and 1 Red Melon Sword, 1 Amazon Sword, Dwarf Hairgrass, Moneywort, and Cabomba. When the sword's get to big I will clip them or move them.

I have Cockatoo Cichlid's and i want them to breed. That's why I had java moss in there.

Yes I will have Root Tab's and Seachem's Excel.


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Well just to say all this light does for me is grow algae, EVERY TYPE OF IT! :x

No plant's grow in there and I'm thinking it's because the k rating is 10,000 which doesn't have enough of the RED spectrum in it for plant's.

*londonloco,* what wattage and kelvin rating's are your bulb's in these fixture's???


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Its funny, i just posted earlier today to someone that corallife bulbs have lousy spectral outputs ( big green spike) and one should be swapped out to avoid algae....

Same advice goes to you. Ignore kelvin.... It is a really bad number to look at. It does not tell you that your 10,000k bulb lacks red. I used to love the phillips aquarelles 10000k because they had a huge red and blue spike.

See if you can find the GE 9325k bulbs and get co2 on your tank. You'll turn the tank around in no time. :thumb:


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## Aulonocara_Freak (May 19, 2011)

Problem is they're not 30"!!!

*Number6,* I know I can return this light I have ATM so i'm thinking of trying the double t5-HO like the dude on this thread http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=234950&start=30.


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