Hi fellow froggers, I'm starting a couple of new builds soon. One is a 55 gal aquarium, the other is a 75. Between the two I already have 3, 48" fluorescent fixtures. I was thinking about going to HD and buying a 48" T6 fixture. My question is I'm not sure which lights to put on which viv. Do I put the T5 on the 75 and all the other fixtures on the 55, or the T5 on the 55, or some combination of the above. I don't keep crazy rare plants, and usually not too many broms, so lighting isn't a huge issues. I'm just unsure which way I want to go. If I could get away with not buying a T5 fixture I would absolutely do that.
Any input or insight is appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi Jon,
VERY hard to give lighting advice. Depends on what type of plant and broms and where exactly they will be positioned in the viv, ect. And the actual bulb, wattage ect...a lot of variables.
I used to rock T-12 "aquarium" bulbs - kinda purple and the frogs loved it...most plants did ok too and even a lot of broms.
It's a easy problem to deal with...just don't hard mod the fixtures in, and if you are not satisified with the lighting....switch em around or upgrade. You're just going to have to jump in and give it a try.
Thanks Phil,
I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was just looking for an affirmation. I know I can play with the lights and bulbs and probably get the results I want. What originally got me thinking about this was the cost of a new 48" aquarium fixture vs the cost of a new 48" T5 fixture. Price will come out to about the same, not including bulbs, so I might as well go with the T5's. I know a portion of this hobby is experimentation and trial and error, and I like that part don't get me wrong, just looking for a way to do things as economical as possible.
Thanks.