Reddit mentions: The best aquarium lights

150 is totally realistic. Planted tanks are the best. I'm not sure what advice you've already received but 10 gallons is "big enough". It is just that the larger the body of water the easier it is to keep stable. 10 gallons is an awesome starting point. I'll take a shot at a $150 total setup, that is plenty for a planted tank:

• API master test kit. Most important of all important importants :). No really though, get one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497496243&sr=sr-1&keywords=API+master+test+kit - $30
  
  
• 10 gallon tank from petsmart or petco - $14.99
  
  
• Aquaclear 30 hang-on-back filter - $32.00. This will eliminate the need for a air pump and sponge filter.
  These things are awesome.
  They are reliable, have adjustable flow, and make it so you can stack the media you want in your filter without having to go crazy expensive witha
  canister filter.
  They also come with really decent media. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00020SVDG/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497495329&sr=sr-1&keywords=aquaclear+30
  
  
• This light will grow low maintenance plants easily and is highly reviewed - $17.99: https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquarium-Light-Extendable-Brackets/dp/B0191EWII2/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1497495518&sr=1-4&keywords=aquarium+led+light
  
  
• Cheap and awesome heater AND thermometer combo - $14.00 - https://www.amazon.com/Aquatop-Aquarium-Submersible-100-Watt-Thermometer/dp/B06X3RYRMD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497495598&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatop+100w
  
  
• Food of your choice ~ $4-8. I highly recommend Hikari Micro pellets. They are one food that my most stubborn will eat and they are small enough that no matter what age fish you get they will be able to eat them.
  
  
• Seachem Prime $13 - Hands down best water conditioner out there. MUCH CHEAPER online. Do not buy it in stores if you can avoid it. It will last forever too: https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116043304-Prime-500ml/dp/B00025694O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1497495705&sr=1-1&keywords=Seachem+Prime
  
  
• Hiding places and plants - $??? - The rest of your budget I guess. I like to build caves out of slate tiles and silicone from home improvement stores ($1.98/sq foot). Bettas like to explore and like places to get out of the light when they feel like it. Building slate caves is a really cost effective way to do that. Another idea is the super cheap clay pots. If you get clay pots just make sure you plug the hole at the bottom of the pot (the edges are very sharp and will cut your betta's fins).
  
  
  • As for live plants I have had the best success with shopping on amazon or /r/aquaswap. Some great vendors (and I mean great, the plants come in amazing condition days later in the mail) are substratesource and Aquarium Plants Factory
    
    
    So that is ~$120.00 without the plants and hiding places. That leaves you $30.00 for plants which is a great amount of money to get a very nice planted setup going. My 1 best piece of advice is to heavily plant the tank from the very beginning. The more plants you put in there, the more competition there is for algae and the better everything in your ecosystem will thrive.
    
    Edit: forgot to include cleaning basic tools such as a siphon: https://www.amazon.com/Python-Pro-Clean-Aquarium-Gravel-Squeeze/dp/B00BDPFYEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497496172&sr=8-2&keywords=python+siphon and a bucket :) make sure you get those.
    
    =D

I would highly suggest you stay away from the integrated kit approach and buy components. As someone currently trying to overcome an Eclipse system, the burdens far outweigh the benefit of integrations and ease. There's more than enough on getting adequate components here, and I would be happy to help you out with the decision, as would others.

Seeing as how you (thankfully) seem to like to take your time and do this right, I offer you some suggestions:

• Whatever tank you want. They're not going to have the greatest selection at Petsmart, but if you find something you like, get it. There's other places online that will ship the tank, but this is probably your best bet to get locally. Though the LFS isn't stocked very well, they might have a number of respectable tanks. Make this decision count-- you will be stuck with it for a long long time, and the ability for your tank to grow with your tools/abilities is crucial.
  
  
• Just pony up the money and get an Eheim Classic. For a 20G, you'll probably want to get this one. If you're getting anything larger than a desktop tank (and, BTW, that's a pretty good one), you'll need a real filter. This may seem excessive, but the dainty POS filters that come in kits ALWAYS wind up biting you in the ass. There are people here that are still using the same Eheim Classic that they purchased 15 years ago. It's a standard for a reason-- it's effective and reliable. Pay for it once and you'll never have to buy another unless you really move up in size. If you really don't want to go that expensive, the best bet is to stick with an Aquaclear filter. For the price, these things do a bang-up job!
  
  
• Just don't skimp on a heater. This will do you well, and it's not too expensive. You don't want your fish either roasting to death or accidentally freezing in the middle of winter. Hagen is a good brand to go to here.
  
  
• LED lights these days are great, and have hit a point where the ROI is seen far earlier than previously, and I'm talking about a year. When you get fluorescent tube fixtures, you use more power and have to replace the lights at least every year, and some replace them every 6mo. It depends on how much light you need, but again, I feel you need to recognize that you will grow with this tank, and buying a lighting system now that is cheaper but unable to grow plants will wind up costing you way more in the long run than just getting an LED fixture for 60% more that will last you years and require very little money after the initial purchase. For a first-time tank, I'd suggest a Marineland Singlebright if you really never envision yourself growing plants (which is half the fun in a tank these days), or a Marineland Doublebright if you'd like to grow plants and want an easy, cheaper option now. Know that those two fixtures are the lower end of the LED lighting bars, and you would do well with something like an Ecoxotic Stunner, where you can start with a fixture or two and then add on to the circuit later when you want more light for more plants. Also note the size of all of these fixtures have to be in line with the size of your tank-- there's no universal size.
  
  
• Note, also, that if your LFS sucks in the stock department, and Petco irks you as much as a lot of people here, there's many places where you can order fish and plants online. I haven't heard any horror stories with the big guys, so maybe check them out. Unfortunately, my LFS's are great, so I've never had to resort to these means. I've heard good things about aquabid, and really, you should join plantedtank.net and see what you can find either locally or on the buy/sell/trade forum. Also, joining a local aquatic org can open you up to a ton of CHEAP possibilities.
  
  Good luck. There's lot to research and plan, as well as to spend on, but getting a good setup is so rewarding and relaxing, that it pays back in spades.

looks fine to me. i tend to move towards less species in higher numbers as i think it's a better display, but there's nothing wrong with your stocking. only a few things i'll say on it; first, make sure you use a sand substrate, kuhli loaches like to burrow and dig, meaning they can hurt themselves if you use sharper material. second, i might advise against the dwarf gourami as a centerpiece fish, they are poorly bred and prone to disease. many people have had success with them, but there's always a chance that it'll get hole-in-head or something else out of your control. perhaps the pearl gourami instead? it's larger, but is much healthier and in my opinion prettier.

> filter

use Aqadvisor's filter tool, it's fairly accurate and can be used as a standard/minimum

> lighting

i'm not sure how well you'll grow plants with the one you linked. the one i would suggest is the Planted+ 24/7. it's about twice as expensive from the manufacturer as the one you linked, but it's really the best light available that fits all of your requirements. i'd suggest looking on craigslist or ebay for anything with "finnex" in it. i got a 24/7 and the Ray 2 for a significant discount on craigslist, people are selling these things pretty regularly for much less than what they cost. you might even end up getting one for the same price as the one you listed, as people selling aquariums will often part them out if you ask, and the one i linked is fairly popular.

> a beginners carpeting plant; one that doesn't require a super amount of light, one that's pretty hardy, and one that carpets quickly.

unfortunately no such thing exists. the reason carpets require so much light is because they're at the bottom of the tank, and when the light reaches it it's mostly diffused. you'd likely be able to grow a carpet with the Finnex at a slow/medium pace, but if you opt for a more low-tech route, i'd suggest Cryptocoryne Parva. it's a little bit of a stretch to call this a "carpet plant", but it does the job. like any other crypt, this grows slowly but will do fine in low/medium light, similar to java fern. it will take awhile, but you'll eventually have most of your ground covered with crypt if you go this route

> fish food

i use New Life Spectrum and frozen foods, and Hikari is also of very high quality. variety is the best policy, read up on the dietary needs of your fish and feed them accordingly. it's not a good idea to feed your fish solely with live, frozen, or dried foods. the optimal diet will probably look something like a regular feeding of high quality dried pellets with occasional live foods (like brine shrimp or something) and veggies, if the fish eats them.

to go back to the stocking for a second, if it were my tank, i would stock it more like this, but it is very important to note that it's not my tank and you may stock it as you like. i also gravitate towards tanks with specimens from a specific region, in this case southeast asia

EDIT: i forgot to address this,

> I wanted to make sure none of the fish in my potential stocking have a tendency to jump out of the water

all fish have the tendency to jump out of the water, but especially gourami and danio. using a top is the way to go

1. That's fine. Price will vary a lot based on what equipment you get. I would expect to pay around $100-200 for the full setup though.
   
2. Yes, that would work. I do this on my 20g long.
   
3. I use the hth brand of pool filter sand. I'm sure other pfs work fine as well. You don't need any special substrate other than that. Some plants that you get may need root tabs if they are heavy root feeders. You should also invest in some fertilizers if you plan on growing lots of plants and not just the typical moss jungle that shrimp like.
   
4. Your best bet for a no fertilizer plant is going to be mosses. Shrimp like mosses a lot, so it's a good idea to have for shrimp tanks.
   
5. Okay
   
6. Strips are unreliable and shrimp are very sensitive to certain water parameters. You should get the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. To be safe, I would also get the Cu (copper) and GH/KH test kits.
   
7. Shrimp food and a light. They'll eat basically anything and can survive off of natural biofilm and algae, but you should try feeding them occasionally to see if their natural food isn't enough for them. There are lots of shrimp foods out there. I like feeding Shirakura shrimp food since it doesn't seem to pollute the water even after several hours. For lighting, I like my NICREW lights. I have this running on my 20g long and all of the plants and shrimp in that tank have done great. I do dose plant fertilizers though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ID3OK3S/
   
8. I've had good luck with AquaticArts. msjinkzd (Rachel O'leary) and Flip Aquatics are also pretty reputable, but I've never ordered from them.
   
9. Cuttlefish bone is available at most pet stores that also sell bird stuff. Spinach is also a good natural food with calcium in it. You can look up how to make snello since that would help shrimp too.

These are all budget friendly:

I don't know what you are using now, but I had Nicrews on my 10s, and I thought the same thing re lighting, so I went for this Full Spectrum, but I have to be honest, I think it's a little dim for anything other than floating plants. It was $29. I'd skip it. This one is on my 29, the 24 inch one. And as that's a deeper tank, it is actually pretty good. But, I believe the plants in here are easy low light, Java Ferns, some Vals, some Sag, some Pogostemon 'octopus' stellatus.

Of all the lights this one actually to me seems the brightest, even though the one I have is the little 11 inch one, perfect for my little 2.5 gallons, almost too bright. While I don't have the larger one of this brand, I think I'd recommend it for the plants, it's only $20 on Amazon. My plants grow gangbusters with it.

If not, the Nicrew would probably be fine if you don't have floating plants that block light. It's like $18.

If, however, you decide to spend more, I have a Current, which for me is High Light lol! I think it's 26 inches. But, I got it for free, and I think they are like $100 give or take.

Hey, i have the 6.6 gallon chi planted so I'll tell you what i can!


The lighting and filter combination on this tank sucks. even with plastic plants and minimal livestock the filter is underpowered for this tank and extremely finicky (water has to be at a certain level constantly, has to be completely level, etc.). The lighting as well is enough to light the tank, but probably not enough to support plant growth. I ditched the combo for a fluval nano though this filter is a bit loud so maybe look into alternatives if you are keeping it in a bedroom or something. For lighting I just use a 13 watt fluorescent desk-lamp. There isn't too much really made for this size tank, though fluval does make this clip on lamp designed for rimless tanks like the chi. though you could look into a desk lamp or there is also clip on work lights that work well with the right bulbs.


since you've been reading the sidebar you probably know about substrate, i use fluval stratum with good results. its a little hard to plant in at first, but the roots on my plants are ridiculous now and I'm pretty satisfied. though I'm just going off my experience, there is tons of other substrates out there.


As far as fertilizers and co2 go, a small tank will save you a bunch of money. you could invest in a co2 setup or do a diy setup, but i just use liquid co2. in a large tank its impractical, but its usually 1ml per 10 gallons. so you're really using 0.5ml per day, so a ~450ml bottle should last you 2.5 years. though measurements that small are impossible so a $12 bottle should last you a couple months, and i avoid adding it everyday so my plants don't grow out of control. fertilizers depend on what plants you choose, i just add liquid plant food once a week and its working pretty well.


the other thing to consider is that this is a nano tank, and you will be limiting yourself with the amount of fish and plants you can choose from. if you just want a Betta 5 gallons should be great, but anything else isn't really suited for this sized tank. I would visit your local fish store and see what plants they have and suggest. this tank is tiny so I'd avoid anything that going to spread out and grow tall or you're going to have a ton of maintenance. Also have you considered maybe just passing on the tank and getting something like a 20 gallon? nano tanks are great, but they are a pain in the ass to work on (every-time you want to do something you have to take water out or the displacement from your hand will flood the tank), if something starts rotting it can throw the entire tank off balance since there isn't that much water in the tank, and as previously mentioned, if you want to add any fish to the tank, you're stuck with either a betta or shrimp really.


if you have any more questions let me know I'll try to answer them as best as i can. here is my tank if you're curious! link

If you're purely looking for aesthetic light and not plant growth then all you really want is a strong LED like this one that will cover the tank in nice white light.

If you're interested in growing plants I've heard good things about this clip light on nano aquariums like the edge specifically.

If your edge is your only aquarium, or one you're particularly passionate about, then I would recommend the upgrade to the planted+ light if it's affordable for you. Shrimp love live plants and algae growth, and there are a lot of really great looking aquascaping options for the edge if you have a good light.

If you do opt for the planted+ and end up wanting to plant the aquarium a la /r/plantedtank then I'd personally recommend DIY yeast or citric acid CO2 bottle generators. For $20 on amazon you can get the 2L bottle kit and a CO2 diffusion disk, a kit I've personally used to great effect on a 30g. For a little edge tank you'd be able to grow a lush garden (just make sure your O2 stays up enough for your shrimp).

OK, Im just going to list a bunch of stuff I've purchased through this process. Nothing is in any particular order.

Almond leaves (for tannin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LKTX4VC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moss - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035Q65TQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cholla Wood - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4FUMHY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dried red Shrimp (Protein and Chitin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027JCRVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Instant Ocean (1/3cup per Gallon) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NKA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ultrasonic Mister/Fogger (for DIY Fogger) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAK21WU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Digital Temp Humidity Controller - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I6BZ2IO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

LED White/Blue Light - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191EWII2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

UTH (You may need to get a different size and this isn't the most recommended, but it works for me currently) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TR4HLEI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (This one has adhesive on the back of it, so you just stick it on like a sticker.)

Cork Bark Board - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019J1VPY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Water Conditioner - https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116043304-Prime-500ml/dp/B00025694O

If you have any questions, please feel free. To mitigate confusion I felt just listing this as a reference first is the best approach. If you are looking for a new tank so that you can get friends, i would suggest 30 or more gallons and work towards that instead of investing into the current tank which would get changed.

Personally with the 5 i have i clearly see they need much more room than the 15 gallon they have now. I am in the process of acquiring an 85-120 gallon tank for permanency. These guys can live 20+ years with the proper care and environment. but not everyone has that freedom. 30 is a totally doable size for 3 crabs. they can grow to jumbos and be fine in there, but im sure if they reach that stage you'll be looking for another tank. Jumbos need at least 12" of substrate for molting.

Alright...time to start typing out this monster.

Ive been reading guides and stuff, but i have a terrible memory when reading things, and theres some stuff i want to double check, etc.

Im looking to set up my old 29 gal tank from when i was a kid (its been empty for 10+ years). My goal is to do a planted tank with primarily tetras and shrimp...maybe a pleco and perhaps another type of schooling fish.

I probably wont be able to start cycling for ~2 weeks or so, though by the time i buy stuff on amazon, etc thats probably a decent timetable.

This light was suggested to me by another user. Should be sufficient for growing plants in a low tech system, right?

Ive seen various numbers for how 'oversized' a filter should be. Right now im kinda looking at these two (1) (2). Any comments on brand? It looks like i can get either one in bigger/smaller sizes. 400gph seems like it might be a bit overkill...but is 250 too low?

Ive read that often the agitation in the surface water by the filter is enough to provide sufficient gasses to the plants/fish...do you think that ill be true in a low tech tank? Would an aerator help? I dont think i'll mind having bubbles coming up in the background if it will, but am i overthinking this?



I wish i had saved more links on substrate and sand and all. Any recommendations for substrate for plants? Would probably like black stuff. I think this is the one i had read about being good?

Thinking about doing a bit of gravel in the tank, but i'd also like to do some sand. Maybe something like 2/3 sand (maybe a couple different types?) and then the rest gravel? Thoughts/concerns?

I thought i had read somewhere that people often use blasting sand (rinsed well)....anyone have comments on that? I could probably get some for cheap from work, though im not sure i want dark sand...


Best place to get a larger piece of driftwood? Ive looked around online a bit and have seen a ton of different sites and whatever, but was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for where to go. Im probably going to want one big piece, and then i can get smaller pieces from wherever.


I assume when im doing water changes and stuff im going to want to bypass our water softener? Our water is supposed to be pretty hard, do i want to maybe mix softened with unsoftened? (ive seen a lot of stuff about adding minerals to pure RO water, but havent seen much on softeners)




Im sure ill think of more, but this should at least be a good start...

Edit: Best place to get rocks and stuff? I'd like a couple for a natural look, im just not sure where to get them. I could get some red granite around here, but im not sure how that'd work, and it seems like it'd be really heavy...?

1. Stocking is fine as-is, although I suggest that you have more cories (1-2 more) and more loaches (1-2 more as well) as they are very social and look really cool in shoals. Also, dojo loaches get much larger than kuhlis so I'd suggest going with kuhlis. I think most gouramis would do fine, Pearl gouramis are my favorite :D
   
2. If you have the money, get a substrate that is intended for plants such as Flourite Sand or Eco-Complete. You can even use a planted tank substrate, and cover it with normal sand. Black Diamond sand is great (pool filter sand works fine too), just put it in a 5 gallon bucket and rinse it vigorously until the water runs clear. Put the sand in first, and then add the water slowly, pouring it on a plate or your hand so it doesn't kick up the sand.
   
3. You should get special lighting for plants, 6500k CFL Bulbs attached to metal reflectors work great as a budget-friendly option, or you can go with a T5 Fluorescent fixture, or an LED fixture. As far as plants, if you have decent lighting you can have almost anything. Anubias, Crypts, Swords, Java Fern, Java Moss, and Hornwort are all great plants that can be gently pushed into the substrate, or in the case of Anubias, Java Fern/Moss, attached onto a rock or driftwood. Duckweed, Water Lettuce, and Amazon Frogbit are all great floating plants that shade the water, provide hiding places for fish, and reduce nitrates.
   
4. Boil it, then soak until it becomes waterlogged enough to sink.

Depends on what shrimp you want to keep, some of them require specific setup, like soft water Caridina (crystal shrimp and bees) and hard water Caridina (Sulawesi shrimp). "Base" will be very different for each of them. The rest of questions can be answered only after you decide on what kind of shrimp to keep.

Here are some of their photos and requirements. More on ShrimpFever website, or of any other supplier.

Next, make sure that you water is suitable for chosen kind of shrimp. Test or do online search for name of your city and water analysis. Or maybe you are already prepared to make optimal for them artificial RO based water.

Minimal tank setup: tank (not kit), filter (sponge is good), heater only if your room is cold in the winter, thermometer, light for plants, plants, a lot of hiding places for molted shrimp and babies (could be clumps of plants, wood, shrimp shelters). Substrate is species specific.

Sponge filter: T-shaped is my preferred kind. It should be connected to air pump by airline tubing, with check valve and double air valve to regulate intensity of air flow. Do amazon search for each of them, you will see how they look like. If power filter (=HOB), intake protector will be necessary for small shrimp and babies, sponge or stainless steel cylinder, pantyhose should work too.

If you will need heater, preset to 78F heater could be used only for neocaridina (cherries) and ghosts, but not for cold water caridina. Adjustable heaters could not keep temperature low enough, then external temperature controller (like Inkbird) could be needed. 50W should be enough.

Plants are up to you, this is very personal. I prefer the easiest way, low light low tech plated tanks mostly moss based (Christmas moss, weeping moss, spiky moss, fontinalis, Marimo moss ball, round pellia (actually liverwort, subwassertag or susswassertang), mini pellia. Do image search for moss tank to see moss trees, walls, hills, logs. Rootless plants do not require substrate at all.

Light is kind of plants specific, there are low light setups, fast and easy, and high light setups with fertilization schedule and CO2 dosing. Planted Tank subreddit can say what light fixture would be good for your tank and plants, if your price range. I'm using Nicrew and for other tanks, desktop lamps with daylight CFL. You will need tank cover (lid) for this kind of lights and to reduce evaporation. $5 timer is good enough, but you can ask for a better solution at Planted Tank.

Reliable online stores for livestock: you should name the country. ShrimpFever should be of no help if you are not in Canada.

Food sources for shrimp: depends on the kind of shrimp.

• Dwarf shrimp (cherry, crystals) will graze on the biofilm on the driftwood, glass, sponge filter, plants, with additional feeding by blanched or weighed raw vegetables (zucchini, cucumber, baby carrots, broccoli and so on, preferably low in sugar and holding shape well), leaf litter (do search for this and shrimp), and commercial food (you can see examples on ShrimpFever and find the same in your country). Mineral supplement helps with molting and color. Using feeding dish (like small Petri dish) helps to control pollution, this is even better. More about feeding them is in Shrimp Tank search.
  
  
• Ghost shrimp: anything you give them, especially live black worms, or frozen worms, will be appreciated. Variety and what doesn't pollute tank much.
  
  
• Amano and fan shrimp, no experience.
  
  Maintenance tools: if you will have substrate, gravel cleaner, sized to your tank, bucket, glass scraper.
  
  Tests: API GH/KH test kit; ammonia, nitrite, nitrate for cycling tank; pH just in case, TDS meter is helpful.
  
  Good to have: a piece of clear acrylic tubing for picking up uneaten food, this shrimp net. Scissors are up to you, I'm pulling apart my mosses by hands.

one of the best setups I've ever seen had roughly 5-6 500+gallon tanks.. beautifully colored and amazing corals. The guy sells them and grows them for research.

I asked him what lighting he was using.. expecting him to say some god awefully expensive lights.

He told me to buy this granted, the auction is done, but search the same thing... its very affordable and very powerful.

I did not have room to hang it from above, so I opted to get THIS instead. It works pretty awesome. everything is growing nicely, but if I were to do it again, maybe a more powerful one.


also, having bought about 5 different circulation pumps for my 20g. some loud, some suck, some are huge.. don't waste your time, just go for this I found it to be the best.. super quiet and magnetic

Well, if you ask me, T5 and T8 lighting is quickly becoming a thing of the past. LEDs are getting cheaper and cheaper and the quality is getting better and better. I really recommend just going with LEDs. You can get a nice 30 inch fugeray planted plus for less than $100. This should be enough to take care of carpeting the 20 long. You should shop around though, and get familiar with the term photosynthetically active radiation, which is the unit of measure for the effectiveness of grow lights. There are some general guides on what PAR ratings you want for different plants, but I think around 50 is considered high-light, and 30 will take care of most plants. PAR is also measured by the distance from the lights, and is usually shown as a diagram of the aquarium. With your 20g long, being so shallow, you have a lot of inexpensive options that will easily reach the substrate. You should also compare the wavelength charts for each light, which should be available on the manufacturer's websites. With a little google-fu, I found a nice post on the light spectrum and planted aquariums. There are some too-good-to-be-true LED lights on the market that boast their 10k lights, but don't want to show you the spectral analysis, which exposes how crappy the lights actually are.

CO2 definitely as a learning curve. For optimal growth, you want to hit 30 ppm CO2 during the "day", which is indicated by an approximate 1 Ph swing with the shake method (test the water without shaking the CO2 out, then test again after shaking the crap out of the vial). This website explains it all and has a nifty CO2 calculator. If you do a DIY CO2 setup, using yeast in a bottle, you won't have to ever worry about adding too much. This is a great way to get started with CO2, and get your feet wet before buying the equipment. The downside is you have almost no control over the CO2 production, and it gets to become a hassle to deal with the mess and weekly maintenance. Still, do this to start! Eventually you will want a nice big 5 pound (or bigger) canister, and a fancy regulator. Don't bother with those paintball gun things. They cost nearly as much to get set up, and require a lot more maintenance. My 7.5 pound tank lasts me around 4 months before I need to refill it, and that's on a 90g planted tank running around 10 bubbles a second. Most people who get the little paintball setups just end up wanting to upgrade later, and you will have wasted a ton of money.

Balancing CO2 levels with your photoperiod is also important. Be sure to get a regulator with a needle valve for fine adjustments, and a solenoid that will turn on/off the gas for you. I keep my lights and my solenoid plugged into two different lamp timers so the CO2 kicks on an hour before the lights come on and turns off an hour before the lights go out. You can play with the timing yourself by setting up an experimental cycle, and doing periodic Ph tests throughout the day to monitor CO2 levels and Ph swings. Adjusting your CO2 flow is a pain in the but, even with a nice needle valve. It takes most people a full day of tinkering just to get it set right. Basically you turn on the regulator, turn the dials all over the place until you get the pressure where you want (by looking at your bubble counter). Then wait an hour for the airline tube to absorb the pressure, and recalibrate. For a moderately planted 20g, you will probably want to start at around 3 bps. Get it calibrated, let it run, and then check the CO2 levels throughout the photoperiod to see how close to 30 ppm CO2 you get.

Good luck! And hopefully at least some of this information was useful for you!

Yeah that's the planted + 24/7. Just a heads up I hate them so I'm not going to give a favorable review but some people love it. It does all settings from day to night, turn on and leave it, you're done. I think it's a gimmick. I had one, it died within 4 months due to that feature, got stuck on reds and never was happy to work again. They do have a warranty but I was just done at that point

If you're down for having a shading on one side, do it, I wouldn't say it's inadvisable but I like very high lights and very few shadows in my tanks. You could always upgrade to it one day in the future if you wished.

I run these on 3 of my tanks. They're a good light, I adore them. Another light you could upgrade to.

This light I run on the other 5. It's much cheaper and it's very much a low light on higher tanks. I get better growth out of stuff with the planted+ but with what you want this could work. It's cheap enough you can always try it out and if it's not bright enough for you, you can upgrade.

I have no idea the lifespan honestly. Let me check when I bought my first one. Apparently I got it last year on my birthday lol. A year in it's still going great, everything grows way too fast. I believe it's about five+ years. Honestly it's still as bright as the day I got it a year ago.

Milwuake co2 5lb tank set up


Lighting, the best light I’ve used for my planted tanks is NICREW Freshwater LED Aquarium Light, Ultra Bright LED Fish Tank Light with White and Blue LEDs, 20 to 24 inch in Length, 18W https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071LJKNWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j6g6BbY0GB86W very important get the metal housing one in this link I’ve used the plastic housing nicrew lamp but the metal one is FAR better for growth

And trust I’ve used many many many lights
DIY lamps,
smart bulbs,
CFL,
5000k+ LED bulbs,
Finnex planted plus,
Fluval planted plus,
Metal nicrew,
Plastic nicrew,
And Marine land planted light


I’m sure others have had luck with other lighting, but the metal nicrew light is the best that I’ve personally used.

Wisteria loves to float. I've let it go like that for weeks and it's happy to just chill and make roots until I decide it's time to plant it.

I would recommend a top like this. I believe 36' is the standard for 20L. Pair it up with a light like this and you're good to go. Big investment but I absolutely love mine. If you're buying a new hood with light included, make sure the light is actually better than what you currently have. I feel like the vast majority of them are pretty dim, though the bulb can be swapped of course.

Ahhh... that makes sense. You did come off as weirdly competent for a newbie. Threw me off for a bit.

> it freaked me out that i shouldnt be monitoring nitro/ph/ on a weekly basis

You definitely can, if you want to. pH is actually something I spend a lot of time looking at in my planted tanks (it's a good way of keeping track of the CO2... tracking trends over the day is useful; since ideally you'd be going for stability). It's not a bad idea to check the nitrate levels once every so often too (although our version of acceptable is quite a bit higher than in saltwater).

> I am only using distilled water to fill/top off

Remineralized, presumably?

> im hoping the tank will be properly cycled before fish are added.

Have you dosed with any ammonia?

> i am looking into this before i overplant my mini-tank too hard

That one kinda sucks a little bit. You don't really have a whole lot of control with that style (the idea on that is you fill the underwater bell with gas and let it diffuse out. It's entirely passive). I had the 88g version of that kit; which has a regulator and is intended to run continuously. It gives you a little bit more control; but what I found with my setup is the needle valve wasn't precise enough to control the small amounts of gas required for a weeny little tank like that. I wound up gassing my shrimp on a couple occasions.

There are better ones out there; I'm not that familiar with them though. My style tends towards dirt tanks (you put potting soil under a sand cap; the idea being that it works as a plant substrate and releases CO2 slowly as it decays).

> What would you do regarding the lighting situation? I am willing to invest a little into a custom fixture that would expand the possibilities of what i create. sitting across the room and looking at my tank i am very excited about my little underwater forest.

I'm probably not the best person to ask that (I'm basically the planted tank version of the Amish). However, I've seen lots of people use these. There's also a fairly nifty LED, also from fluval.

When I had my spec set up as a high tech tank I went with a fairly hideous CFL setup that was meant for a refugium. Now I've got one of these; which works well for a low tech setup.

If you're looking for ideas on what's possible, check out this thread. It's been active for years; there are some pretty cool setups in there.

maybe? i don't personally know any reefers that use finnex LEDs, but i know finnex is a good brand. Below are a couple lights id recommend.

GalaxyHydro

AI Prime and it's on sale!

Kessil A80

nanobox more expensive

Asta 20 (never used it, but amazon has good reviews)

Current LED will grow softies and lowlight LPS

OVERALL

skipping out on lighting is not wise. everything in the hobby revolves around lights and water quality. i have an AI prime and love it. did it cost more, yes, but its totally worth it. That being said, i had the galaxyhydro for several years when i was starting out. it'll grow everything, but you'll need to figure out how to mount it/hang it. good luck!

I'm not 100% sure it will do fantastic on low/ground cover plants that need high light due to the height, but on my 18x18x24 and so far on our early-stage planted 24x18x36 these "aquarium" lights do a very good job:
https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-ClassicLED-Aquarium-Extendable-Brackets/dp/B01C84SLRO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=nicrew&qid=1556543434&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

Get the size that the width your tank width is the smaller number in the range. It has feet that extend to reach the larger sizes, but for a vivarium ha having the light go all the way across is the best.

We mostly grow snake plant/pothos and bromeliads, but our bigger tank has a few ferns and other plants doing pretty well. Pothos grows like crazy if well watered under these. If you keep shade type plants near the bottom, it should do very well for those.

Your best bet for a 10 gallon tank is going to be petco. They are $10 right now.

As for plants, This subreddit is the best for it. Lots of people sell starter packages regularly.

For a light, I would go with a Nicrew light from Amazon. The 10 gallon sized one would be about $15-20. Its a great light for the price.

For a heater I would stick with names brands. I personally only use Eheim heaters. They are very well made and not too expensive. For a 10 gallon you will only need a 50-100 watt one.

For filtration you can use a Hang on back filter or a sponge filter. My personal favorite for a smaller tank is a hang on back with a sponge on the intake. Also if you get a HOB filter ditch the filter media it comes with and just stuff a sponge and some filter floss in there. You can get a bag of pure polyester stuffing in the fabrics section of walmart for $4. It works amazing for filtering out particles. The sponge is good for holding bacteria because you will need to replace the wadd of filter floss(polyester) every month or so at least(one bag will last you at least 2 years at this rate).

Here is the nicrew light I mentioned. Its a great light.

https://smile.amazon.com//dp/B0191EWII2

Heres a good list of plants that you can read up on

Heres another good easy plants list

another list go easy plants/details

Easiest plants - Java moss, Anubias plants, Java Fern

For substrate i'd recommend going for ... 2 routes to use

1. Sand substrate and add flourish tabs
   
   
2. Going substrate that has ferts already - Eco complete add this at the bottom and top it off with some black sand like this
   
   After you do all that and pick up w.e plants you like. You need to buy liquid fertilizers to dose/make your plants healthier.
   
   You can also go the CO2 route but if this is expensive, go for the cheap route and buy Seachem Excel (liquid co2)
   
   

   Lighting:
   

   
   This is the best kind of lighting you can grab
   
   Or this one
   
   I can vouch for the Planted+ I have that and it grows my plants really well/amazing, down side you'll have algae (but thats what algae cleaners are for ;)) Also I use sand + flourish tabs for rooted plants.
   
   

   Tip:
   

   
   Root plants need flourish tabs (if you just go the sandroute) but if you grab the eco complete you wont really need tabs since thats already fertilizers.
   
   Plants that dont need to be buried in the substrate (anubias plants/java fern) youll need liquid ferts
   
   If you do go for anubias/java fern/java moss - buy driftwood and tie them down with some fishing line (they do best when tied to driftwood)

I use a small Jungle Dawn LED inside the stock ExoTerra hood on my setup. it provides a crazy amount of light while remaining cool to the touch and not cheaping out on the color spectrum. My plants arent particularly picky (just some bromeliads, Philodendron, Pilea, moss etc) but theyre growing really nicely. If the form factor isnt what your after, the same site has some other options from Current USA, who make a lot of very well-regarded lights for aquarium hobby.

​

More generally, any LED/flourescent light intended to grow plants will be fine, since dart frogs are ambivalent to UVB, and heating is often easier to accomplish with an under-tank heater and a thermostat. Amazon has tons of great aquarium lights ranging from the $20 Chinese ones (a buddy of mine runs this on his big ExoTerra with tincts) up to much pricier options from more well-established brands and plenty of stuff intended for herps. Just scope out a good mix of price and form factor.

The total water in the system is 57G after losing some to the sump setup. I've been working on this for a few years, slowly building and acquiring equipment I needed or wanted. I just recently moved and decided to set it up as I had most of what I needed to run it. I also mocked up a lot of the build in SketchUp before building, you can view that here. https://i.imgur.com/pMjM6aP.png
 
I'm planning to make this a strictly SPS tank, so I went with a bare bottom on this build. My current tank is a 10G nano LPS tank with mainly zoas and mushrooms. My SO said if I can keep this one looking nice like my other one, we can get a 300 in the next house... so I'm going all out on the life support. :)
 
 
Equipment

• 45G Rimless Aquarium from GlassCages.com, 1" and 1 1/2" overflows
  
  
• Reef Octopus Classic 1000HB Hang on Back Skimmer - I wanted to save some room in my sump so I went with a HOB model of skimmer. I was planning to run my skimmer 24/7 so I wasn't worried with a HOB variant having tank water sit in it while it was not in use.
  
• BRS Mini Reactor, running ROX carbon and GFO mixture
  
• Rio Plus 1400, 420 GPH Return Pump (went with a smaller return for slower refugium contact time, and quieter operation
  
• Maxspect Gyre XF130 Wavemaker. I currently have this at 30% and it is suspending detritus very well, not allowing it to settle anywhere. I had it dialed to 60% but my six line wrasse was having a bit of trouble swimming around...
  
• Two VIPARSPECTRA 165W LED - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMXAR5S, I went withcheaper Chinese lighting for now. These units have a built in timer so you can program when blues/whites turn on and off, but intensity is set at the same rate all of the time. I was thinking about buying a more expensive and customizable lighting solution, but didn't want to outlay a lot of cash for something that might could potentially work just as well as these two.
  
• Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO. I don't have this wired in yet (see the DIY section) so I've been dumping RO/DI in manually every morning. The tank is evaporating about 1/2 a gallon every day.
  
• RO/DI Unit - I'm using Bulk Reef Supply's 6 stage water saver unit. My water going in is about 9-12TDS @ 35PSI. I had to buy a booster pump to get this up to about 60PSI as I was going through DI resin pretty quickly. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-6-stage-universal-water-saver-plus-ro-di-system-150gpd.html
  
• Heater - Two Eheim 150w heaters. Two for redundancy, one was keeping my tank at 79F quite easily.
   
   
  
  DIY
  
  
• Tank stand is layered 1"x 3" pine. The wood was painted black and wet sanded to attempt to give it a piano finish (and I was going to place doors on the front and sides), this turned out pretty complicated so instead I'm going to wrap the tank in 1/8" black acrylic and secure it with velcro or magnets.
  
• Light stand is t slotted aluminum. I secured it to the back of the tank and let it overhang the tank by about 9". It is 14" off of the surface of the water, allowing the lights to sit about 5" from the surface.
  
• 20G Long Custom Sump - 2 baffles, 8" for drain(s) and HOB skimmer, 14" refugium, 8" return / auto top off chamber. I simply cut some plexiglass and placed in the tank. The refugium has eggcrate preventing the chaeto from spilling into the return chamber and fouling up my two pumps.
  
• ATO RO/DI Reservoir - I purchased some black plexiglass and I'm going to build a simple 16"x16"x8" black container with two holes drilled in the top - one with a lid so I can fill RO, the other smaller for the ATO cable and hose. I'm trying to find a 3/4" rubber grommet for that hole so I can keep dust out. I have yet to start this project, but its next on my list.
  
   
  Current Livestock
  
  
• Six Line Wrasse - he came over from my 10G nano SPS tank as he was getting a bit big for that tank.
  
• Two Clown fish, orange and black AKA "Candy" and "Corn".
  
• Five Trochus Snails
  
   
  Still to Come
  
  
• Reef Controller. Right now, I have a mess of cords sitting to the right of the stand, as you can see. I want to get a reef controller, I've left myself a lot of room in the stand so I can wire it in, but I'm not yet sure on which one to buy. I'm trying to decide between the Neptune Apex Jr with PH module, or a Vertex Cerebra. The cerebra is not yet out, so that is partially why I still haven't made up my mind.
  
   
  
  So that's about it. I'm not sure what else I want to stock fish-wise in this tank, I would like to have a few more to help me keep the SPS fed, I'm thinking about a few Chromies and maybe a flame angel as the last fish. Open to suggestions.
  

Dwarf Baby Tears/HC/Cuba is a pretty demanding plant if you are trying to get it to carpet. It requires high light as well as injected CO2. You are correct that Monte Carlo looks similar (slightly bigger leaflets) but isn’t as demanding of plant. If you aren’t going to inject CO2, I would recommend that you at least dose excel to make CO2 more available to your plants. As far as lighting, you can still get away with the Ray 2 as a typical 10 gallon is deep enough where the PAR value hitting the substrate would be med-high, which would be perfect for Monte Carlo.

My #1 choice: Finnex Ray2 Aquarium LED Daylight, 18-Inch

Honorable mention: Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 20-Inch

Honorable mention: Current USA 18"-24" Satellite Plus PRO LED Light


Edit: invest in a timer either way.

yeah, two 18" T8s are going to be woefully underpowered for light penetration.

I'll assume you're in the US, and I'll assume that your 55 has a central brace.

The first thing you'll need for better lighting is to get rid of black plastic lids and replace it with a hinged glass top. This will also keep you from losing as much moisture thanks to less evaporation. Marineland right now is probably the cheapest. Found it at Foster and Smiths for $29.99 + shipping

Now you have a whole world of options, all for a lot less than what you're paying.

Bargain Option

Dual 48" T5 NO by Deep Blue from Ken's Fish is 69.99 right now with free shipping. This will offer roughly 2.5 times the light you have right now. The bulbs they come with are going to be a little pink so you might find that you prefer to replace the bulbs. 48" T5 bulbs are going to cost from 12.99-20.99 each and need to be changed every 6 months or so to keep your spectrum. They do have a reputation for having the occasional lemon ballast, however I've had 2 of them running for more than 2 years (now at family's houses) with no issues.

Bargain LED Option

48" Finnex Planted+ 24/7 available for 152.97 from Amazon. This is a newish product but offers a ton of the great LED features at a nice entry point including a built in 24 hour timer, multiple lighting modes, and adjustable spectrum so that you can get the perfect wavelength for your fish. They also offer better light penetration and more lumens/PAR than the NO or HO T5s (though i think VHO T5s still trump them). Plus they're made by Finnex, who are a really good manufacturer. Here's a decent youtube demo review on them so you can see what you're getting for the price.

Now if you want to spend the full 250, you can do all kinds of custom LED or go with a T5 VHO dual or triple fixture. But I figure giving you a decent $100 and $200 option out the door works for your request. Let me know if you have any questions at all.

I had a Nicrew 12-18 inch LED light on my 5 gallon for a while and it worked splendidly. Nothing spectacular, but it grew my Swords and Java Ferns. Great for low light, not so much for carpeting. Also it's cheap. But I don't know how much that matters to you.

You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0191EWII2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HiqIDbZ9F02HN

I've recently upgraded the tank to 10G and am now using a Finnex stingray on it. I have to say that it is one of the best lights I've ever used. It's just the right amount of light and is great for low maintenance/low light plants and high maintenance/high light plants, so it's good all around. I'm not sure if they have a model suitable for a 5 gallon but it may be worth checking out. It's a bit more expensive but worth the price IMO.

You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAFQ6FK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Hope this helps a bit OP

Best advice is to take your time and buy what will make you happy. You'll only spend more money in the long run if you compromise now. Luckily, not everything needs bought at once. Tank, filter, and heater are necessary purchases now. Lighting and decor can be figured out more slowly.

I can recommend what I'd get in your position.

If you're going to buy a kit, this is a good one. Personally, I like this heater, but they do sell a cheaper version. So, about $100 for the tank, heater, filter, and light.

If you want to buy the parts separately, you can get a 10 gallon tank for $10-$15 or cheaper checking craigslist. You'll also need some kind of lid to cover the tank. You can buy glass ones or some people get a piece of glass or acrylic cut to cover it. Tank + lid: $25-$30

Aquaclears are my favorite filters for my tanks, but you could use a sponge filter. You'd need an air pump for the sponge one. So, $20-$25 for a filter.

Real plants are nice, but not necessary. You can do fine with fake ones, just make sure the edges aren't sharp. If you do want plants, the Spec V light should be plenty for low light plants. If you want to buy the light separately, this or this would be fine. I've had a Nicrew one on my larger tank before and it's enough for low light plants.

Or you could just get a clamp on lamp from the store and a daylight bulb. That whole set up would be about $10.

Until you get a new set up, I would recommend water changes at least once a day, if not more. I would also strongly recommend buying a water testing kit.

Well, it does is a hard challenge for a beginner, but doing a properly carpeted nano-Aquascape (~20l <=> ~5g <=> ~2.0 × 10^-2 m^3) with DIY CO2 and a small sponge filter is doable in <150$

A quick, small suggestion:

Tank, ~13l <=> 3.4g, 40$

Soil, 20$

Light, 40$

stones, 25$

Filter, 10$,


1 pot Monte carlo or some other easy carpet plant at your lfs: 8€

We‘re left with 7$ for ~4 RCS, I guess.

I assumed you construct you DIY CO2 from an old bottle with sugar and yeast, so 0$ effetivly.

For cycling and food some free samples of fish food does the job. When food rots it emits ammonia, that could be used for cycling.

So here we go, every thing ready for a nice iwagumi-aquascape. If you do well, it might looks like this (That Tank has HC as carpet, but Monte carlo looks similar)!

Well, if you‘re willing to put up a dozens of hours on studying to to properly keep a planted tank.

edit: Wrong link for tank, this was the one I mistakenly linked to. Still a nice, small tank, tho. Also some additions for clearance.

whats your budget?

If you're under $500 you're pretty much stuck with either the junk current-USA fixtures, or chinese black boxes. I'd go with the Chinese LED. You'll have to find a way to mount it, some people use conduit and make a mount that attaches to the back of the stand.

People seem to like these although they are all the same. For 48" i'd get 2 or 4. If you do 4, put them from front to back, so the short side of the LED is facing the front of your tank. This should provide great coverage. If you do just 2, you'll get a bit of a spotlight affect (not that noticable) and you'll want to stick with easy to care for SPS (pocillopora, birdsnest, ect).

If you're looking for the next step up, some new or used AI hydra 52HD would be great. 2 of these would cover your tank and you'd be able to grow ANYTHING you could dream of. Either the 52HD or the 26HD would work, but with the 26HD you'll have the spotlight affect again.

Next step i'd take from there would be radions. If you want to do radions though you're looking at $1300 for 2. These are basically if you enjoy having full control over everything and having the best LED on the market.

I've had good luck so far with the Finnex Fugeray Planted+ I am still pretty new to planted tanks as well, but this light has kept a ton of plants alive in my 55 Gallon, which has been going strong since mid January. Good Luck!

This might end up being an unpopular opinion, but if you're doing a LPS tank the Orbit Marine LED series by Current USA is a good option. I switched over to it from a basic Aqueon LED (which was useless), and my corals are doing great now. They're fairly cheap, and come with full customization as far as color spectrum and time controls.

To be fair, this is just my first saltwater tank, but I'd say a noticeable boost in coral growth less than a month after switching lights says something about the new light system.

Here's a link to the light I got on Amazon, they come in a bunch of different sizes: https://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Marine-Aquarium-36-Inch/dp/B00GFTNG3S

You already have a lot of good info so I'll keep it short.

20G long, I have one and it's plenty big and perfect for beginners.

A good LED strip (Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light for Aquarium, 48 to 60-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7OTF9E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_suf4wbZEY2P0K)

Hook it up with one of those sun-sun canister filters off amazon (I have one and I love it). The more filtration and circulation , the better.

For fish I recommend Clown Killifish, they are small, you can have a lot of them (3 females to every male), and they are hardy! I also recommend Galaxy rasboras (aka celestial pearl danios) they are lovely, fun to watch, and hardy.

Definitely get some red cherry shrimp but make sure they have moss. If you ever want some I sell them on r/aquaswap I'll also directed you to r/plantedtank and r/jarrariums

Put an ad in your local classifieds saying you're looking for aquarium plant trimmings. A lot of people throw their's out and would be more than happy to give a few away.

You can also get a timer for your lights for like $4 at walmart and I think around the same at home depot/lowes. Makes life a lot easier.

The picture you have is of the light housing, I'm curious as to which bulb you have in it. Some say you want at least 1-1.5 watts per gallon, but for what you're doing I'd say just find a plant-growing bulb that will fit your housing. Or if you want to do it right, I definitely recommend finnex planted+ lights though a lot of beginners don't want to drop ~$100 on a light.

One more thing that will be a lot easier to do now compared to later: put a 1 to 1.5 inch layer of miraclegro organic potting mix below your gravel. Your plants will grow like crazy after that and the right light.

sunsun 602b As your filter

NICREW PLANTED TANK LIGHT, there are others like Finex planted 24/7 CC , TWINSTAR, ADA etc. Some more demanding plants might require a broader spectrum and majority will thrive and do fine with the light i provided.

Fishing lines to tie the moss to the branches.

​

​

monte carlo sounds good, I would recommend dry starting it for a faster carpet.

As for background, since you like red plants, maybe Ludiwiga sp. "Super Red" , Pogostemon Stellatus is also an excellent option, new growth tips will have pink and white colors, or Ammannia Gracilis . All of which will do well in no CO2 enviroments, however, you will need to dose external Iron supplement to bring their full red out.

​

the built-in light may be suitable for java fern, it can survive in almost no light at all, but growth will be slow. You may be able to add a clip light like this one if you want to encourage better growth.

Are the lights built into the tank cover or are they separate pieces? And why do you want to go to an LED? Aesthetics? Plants?

IF you found a screw-in type bulb as /u/orangeisthebestcolor found, you're going to be stuck with one light, one intensity, one color, on or off. There's no moonlight or sunset with a light like that, only high noon and pitch black midnight.

For the features you are wanting, a light like the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 is what would work best. It's not inexpensive, but it does a pretty ok job of providing a 24 hour light cycle. You can search for a glass top to replace the hood that you're removing, they're really inexpensive - I think I paid around $50 for my 24"x48" glass tops.

Sunlight will lead to algae. I would try to get something like this as having a light over your tank will bring out their best colors.

Also, try your hand at some very hardy plants, like a cryptocoryne or a marino moss ball. Gives tanks a more natural feel.

Tried to find that light, but maybe because it's not on the Canadian website. I did however find one similar that's led, it seems like most lights wouldn't be compatible with mine. Do most people have a clear top?

Edit: Maybe a Fluorescent Hood would be the better buy? Thanks for information


https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0191EWII2/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_y.VVzb13P5P84

The tank is very deep so I replaced the light that came with the tank with this it grows plants okay but I wish now I had bought an even brighter light, something like a round floodlight would work well for this tank. Also I glued a piece of foam over the filter intake slots to prevent shrimp from being sucked in, it seems to work fine and does not affect the filter flow rate. Cleaning algae off the curved corners can be a chore but otherwise it's a great little tank.

I have the same Exo Terra that I set up in November. Once you get the substrate in there, you're going to need tiny plants as even many miniatures will look huge and take up lots of room. I have these species in mine: Bulb. catenulatum, Dendrochilum quadrilobium, E. polybulbon, Den. oligophyllum, Haraella retrocalla and a jewel orchid I can't remember (that will out grow the tank). I also have Pilea glauca and Peperomia meridiana. The Pilea forms a beautiful mat and grows quickly - I really recommend it. The Peperomia also needs frequent pruning. I also bought some cheap live sheet moss off eBay to provide accents - however, if you are patient- moss will grow in without much seeding. I light it with this: Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Clip Light but you could probably easily light it for a cheaper DIY set up.

Genera you should check out are Dryadella, Porroglossum, Scaphosepalum, Masdevalli, Lepanthes, Pleurothallis, Bulbophyllum, Phalaenopsis, Schoenorchis, Encyclia, Epidendrum, Dendrobium, Aerangis and Restrepia - there are some super minis in all these groups and most have some members that are tolerant of a wide range of conditions or, at least, wherever your conditions fall.

When I am planning out a terrarium and the species I want in it, I typically start at Andy's Orchids and used his power search feature to find miniatures within my conditions. Then I end up trying to find images of them that show the whole plant size - one person's miniature does not necessarily line up with mine so I want a visual.

Hey thanks for taking the time. Are you referring to this Fluval or a different one? You've mentioned a pressurized CO2, can you point me out to a good resource on this? Or something that you would recommend? Although I have a 10 gallon planted tank with DIY CO2, I'm sure that that is totally different from a pressurized one.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

Besides it not being available, if you really want anemones and want to go cheap you should do black box. Not the best colors but they at least keep the anemones and corals healthy.

VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 165W LED Aquarium Light Dimmable Full Spectrum for Coral Reef Grow Fish Tank https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UMXAR5S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_y.rVAbYCZ7A9Y

This is the one I had for a while and it was able to grow corals but the visual look to the eye wasn’t the best. Too much blue. But again, best for the price.

Just don’t go adding anemones until your tank is well established, usually about 6 months. They are animals too and it’s not fair to make them suffer because you couldn’t wait.

Also, have you considered maybe T5? 2 2bulb T5Ho fixtures are nice and have been proven to work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C84SLRO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works really well, but be careful not to leave it on for too long. I had it on for seven hours every day on a timer when I left for vacation for five days and came back to a tank filled with algae. Other than that, it's a great light and I highly recommend it for the price :)

That light isn't really suitable for freshwater plants. The color (12000k) is for reef tanks. Also, the light is more geared towards lumens than PAR's, meaning that it will make a tank look great, but not provide much in terms of photosynthesis.

I personally recommend people steer clear of no-name ebay lights. Even though they are cheap, they are generally lacking in the PAR's that plants really need thrive. People often buy these lights that look great on their tanks, but then get confused when their plants / corals don't respond to them!

You would do great with the Finnex FugeRay Planted+ light. At 20" you're looking at about $70:

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Planted-Aquarium-Moonlights/dp/B00GH9HSC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411337947&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+fugeray+planted%2B

That should set you up for most any low to medium light requirement plants. I run the 36" version of this and my plants have doubled in size in just a couple weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-StingRAY-Clip-Light-Aquarium/dp/B00LMH10HC

This will be the perfect match for low-light plants.

I personally have this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIL7YPE

It worked very well for my 5g Fluval Chi with Java moss, dwarf hairgrass, micro swords, hornwort, and bladderwort.

I'm currently using it on a 20g long and the growth from my micro swords, anubias nana, Java moss, Java ferns, and wild bacopa is excellent. I keep it about 6" from the surface of the water. Some brown diatoms have formed directly below it on a piece of dead coral, but that's probably from a combination of recently cycling and a long photoperiod.


As long as you have a relatively short photoperiod or break up the photoperiod to "confuse" the algae, you should be fine. Flourish Excel definitely helps, as does hornwort if you don't mind it floating around.

NiCrew LED lights are also down ~$15 today - they are awesome adjustable budget LED lights that do an exceptional job at growing lo-tech/mid-tech plants.

They're pretty well made for being dirt cheap - we use them on 3 of our 5 tanks.

If I had my way, we'd use them on all of 'em.

Check it

edit: Oh, and also, I forgot - if you're growing hi-tech stuff and/or doing reef stuff and need an awesome ~6500K light, the Current USA Plus LED rack is also on Prime Day special for $20 off: Click

Have one tank set up already, 30g but it is not plated. Recently bought the Fluval Edge 6g and was hoping to possibly plant some live plants. It has been cycling for three weeks with a sand substrate and a moss ball to encourage the cycling process. After recently doing some reading however, I discovered that it's pretty much necessary to put soil down to grow plants (duh) but I was wondering if there was anyway to do this without restarting the cycle. Or if there are possibly some plants that would be able to survive with just the sand substrate. Obviously this isn't going to be a huge operation but this is my first planted tank and just looking for some direction.

I'm a big fan of these. They're super bright, and my needy plants in small tanks do well with em. Might be worth checking out, their whole Planted+ line is fantastic. :)

I have a biocube converted to freshwater. I didn't change any of the filtration, I just removed a bunch of the lighting hardware to make space for a more appropriately-colored LED. I got the aquarium virtually for free and didn't want to shell out a bunch of money on it so I just got some off-market brand of light but it works fine. I've heard good things about the FugeRay Planted+ 24/7 - it's bright enough for high-tech but also dimmable so it should work in a low-tech environment too. The catch is that it's pretty expensive.

Fluorite would be a mess (figuratively and literally) to remove and clean, if it were me I'd just leave it be for now.

Finnex makes a great light. The FugeRay Planted Plus or Planted Plus 24/7 would seem to fulfill your needs. They are a bit pricy, but like you said, LEDs are worth it in the long run.

1)https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466983637&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+planted+plus+24+7

2)https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GH9HURE/ref=twister_B00HIE3M6U?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

3)http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/145-finnex/189944-finnex-ray-ii-fugeray-par-data.html

Here are links to the two lights I mentioned as well as PAR information for the FugeRay Light. Hope this helps! Cheers.

Haha I think I bought the exact same bowl (bubble ball 12) yesterday and a super similar piece of spiderwood. That means we both have great taste.

What light are you using in that. I was thinking about using this light.

Does everything look super magnified in the bowl?

No problem. Give these threads a read and you will understand PAR sufficiently link 1 link 2

At 10000K you're a bit high for most freshwater purposes. Although it is far worse to be low than high. If you can, aim for around 7000K.

That par is low for plants at your substrate. You want to be at least 30 par at your substrate. This would explain some of your algae problems, as insufficient light can cause algae the same as too much light. Insufficient light leads to an imbalance of nutrients where your plants won't be able to take full advantage of nutrients, which is where opportunistic algae will gladly step in.

I have a finnex planted+ 24/7 on my 10 gallon. The nice thing about that one is the intensity is adjustable. Note that you'll probably need a different length and that generally PAR will increase with length since more bulbs are added.

I just put a finnex fugeray on a 55 gallon, but it is really too early to give an accurate statement to its quality since I haven't had it very long and my tank is not yet established. I basically got it because I was satisfied with my other finnex product. So far it looks extremely bright so I think it will do.

And finally I should just reiterate, you will probably have to drop a chunk of change on a quality light. There are many LEDs out there that look bright to us but don't have sufficient penetration for plants. Yet marketers will gladly tell you they are. Make sure you find those readings otherwise don't bother!

Yes, I realize now that I should have refined my original post. As far as what I have going right now:

Lighting - Finnex Stingray; buying two clamp lights isn't going to be much cheaper than this at $44.

Filter - Sponge filter with the powerhead listed above. I'm not set on one for now because I'll see what's at my LFS and go from there, but I have one in mind.

Tank - standard 10g tank from LFS

Substrate - I plan on using either black sand or normal sand, whatever I can find, along with root tabs. I like the look of sand and from what I hear it's easy to use for rescaping, which I will probably be doing. I had dirt capped with sand in my last tank and it looked horrible after a while because it mixed too much.

Is Seachem Prime the typical dechlorinator? I saw it recommended somewhere and that's what I plan on getting. I'm also looking at getting these tools. I'm not sure how much quality differs but they're cheap and have some good reviews.

I plan on sticking with RCS and some snails for now, fish can come later. As for plants, I think I'm gonna go with some java fern and java moss. I'll see what else my LFS has and recommends.

I greatly appreciate the help by the way.

EDIT: I wanted to add that I'll only be using root tabs on plants that would need it, I know I'm not supposed to plant java fern in the sand. I was just reading about staurogyne repens and how it could work in sand and low tech as long as I use root tabs and fertilizer. Do you have any thoughts on this?

For square lights, there aren't too many designed like that "as is". The only one that comes to mind is the Radion freshwater LED light, which I don't recommend as I don't think it pushes enough PAR for the price.

Another option is to use a Kessil A360WE Tuna Sun (their freshwater light) and then build a DIY plywood cube around the light cannon (a mini-canopy of sorts) and paint it black or whichever color you like. Make sure you get the W option for the wide optics lens.

If you can forego the square light, I highly recommend Finnex lights (as do many others on this sub). For a tank 16 inches deep but with about 12 inches to substrate, you could probably do a planted+ 24/7 and get close to high light. The 24/7 also can be dimmed if you notice the light is too strong for that depth which to me is invaluable.

Finnex's brightest light is the RAY II, but it may be too much light for a tank with a max depth of 12 inches to substrate.

Well depending on a few factors I don't think anyone here would complain about the finnex planted plus. Amazon has the for a good deal. They are more expensive then a fluorescent tube and a hood, but considering replacements cost the finnex is the way to go. I'd like to get one but, being from Canada Amazon.ca likes to gouge the shit out of the Canadian market comparably to the US.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00U0HMX1C/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1451350699&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=finnex+planted+plus&dpPl=1&dpID=51reARjLBOL&ref=plSrch&th=0

I think you'll probably want 2 of these. I'm not confident 1 would be strong enough for hair grass.

Also, you'll be wanting some pressurized co2 to get nice healthy compact growth at a speed that will cover the substrate in a few months.

You're looking at spending another few hundred dollars before you can achieve what you want.


I suggest you head over to /r/plantedtank and ask them for a bit more input. I've never really had much success with hairgrass.


In terms of achieving the aquascape you've linked, I'd suggest you watch a few of Amano's videos on youtube. Take note of how, and how many rocks he uses.

When I first got my 29g it had a light similar to that one. I managed to keep crypts and java moss alive, but anything else died. The plants didn't do well, they were barely surviving and it took months for them to grow even a little bit.

If you are interested in growing plants it is so much nicer to have the proper equipment/supplies and be able to grow whatever you want than to save a few bucks and hardly be able to grow anything.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but for $90 you can get a really nice light like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Planted-Aquarium-Moonlights/dp/B00GH9HURE.

I highly would recommend the substrate. It harbors so much of the beneficial bacteria that it’s even recommended if you wanna change it out in the future you do very little at a time due to you crashing your cycle! Also if you plan having plants the roots grab on to the pebbles or sand or whatever you choose.

As a beginner with plants I would say start with anacharis. They are cheap and all they need is an additional light. This is the one I got for them and it’s more than enough! Give them time because when you buy them ($3 at petco) and out them in your tank they try to acclimate and look they are dead but aren’t really. This is the light And these are the anacharis it doesn’t need anything additional such as CO2 or blah as others do. Also moss balls are nice to have to entertain your betta. They like laying on them and are good little filter plants

I also have recently done this with a 10 Gallon tank. I recommend putting in an Apple/Mystery Snail and a Otocinclus Algea eater once the tank is established for some time. Oh, and a Bright light so algea and biofilm can grow to feed stuff. I recommend this light, as it works great for me. Have fun.

Oh, and here is the substrate I used.

I just purchased this fixture the other day and received it today. I was going to try the marineland double brights and Aqueon's led but decided with this. Really happy with it. It has a wireless remote that you can switch between 15+ different modes, so you can play with it until you find one you like. I ended up trying the 6500k full spectrum, but it gives a bit too much blue, so I'll most likely switch to the 6500k white.

If you get the 24-36 fixture, it will be a 24" fixture with extendable legs to reach 36". The 36-48" will be 36" and legs to reach 48", and so on.

I'm sure there are cheaper options on eBay or DIY, but this is just my personal experience with LEDs. Hopefully others can chime in.

Nicrews are pretty good for the money. I've got one on a 20 long that grows high light plants. Sponge filters are also pretty good.

I don't know about filters. I've got a DIY canister on my 20, but it cost about as much to make as the cheapest store bought model and one of those might be a bit much for a 5 gallon. Plus you need to put the pump somewhere. If you want to look into DIY filters, here is the instructions on the canister I have. That guy has a ton of DIY filter tutorials too. Something like this would probably be better for a smaller tank.

Thanks! I haven't spent too much time searching yet (because I haven't a clue what specs I should be looking for), but my brief search just now I came up with these:

Finnex String Ray

Aquatic Life Reno

VivaGrow, which looks almost identical to my Finnex Planted but the name is different. (I really like my light, I just don't want to spend $100-120 if possible.)

Are there any lights you would recommend that aren't too pricey (I'd love to spend no more than $50 or $60)?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NAFQ6FK/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1416628211&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70 Thus us a great light kan, it looks nice too. Its par is about 32 for 12 inch deep, and with the 10 percent off, the light is around 48ish bucks. Great deal, its better then the fugeray. Not the planted plus however. Its around half of the planted plus.

I use mainly LED lights on my tanks. I have had the best luck growing plants with these lights on 29g tanks:

finnex planted plus

finnex stingray

current USA LED freshwater

DIY LED flood light

I have also used clamp shop lights from lowes and the great value daylight led bulbs

I have the same marineland light setup on one of my 29g tanks and it is barely enough to keep a ball of hair algae alive.

If you don’t want to order off amazon I don’t know if you have a petsupplyplus by you but mine match priced chewy.com so I got the kit in store for 21 bucks. Also they say you don’t need lights and fertilizers for java ferns and anubias but trust me you might. So many of them have melted away on me now that I add weekly fertilizer and have a light on i have on from 12-7 my plants see to be growing. fertilizer light
Just incase your interested. Your moss ball will thrive without fertilizer just make sure you pick one that isn’t brown.

Finnex Fugeray planted plus should be a pretty good light for your tank

https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Planted-Aquarium-Moonlights/dp/B00GH9HS80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521123521&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex%2Bfugeray%2Bplanted%2Bplus&dpID=31MmMuKXM9L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1

and I have this heater in my tank and it works pretty great:

https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-M-50-Watt-Submersible-Heater/dp/B0027VMPXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521123604&sr=8-1&keywords=fluval+50+watt+heater&dpID=41iCW3c3q2L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Hey, I have a Nicrew, however mine looks a tad less dynamic.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C84SLRO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far (3 months) it's been working fine for LOW light needing plants. I've had to take a few plants out that needed more light, so be sure to research. For the shrimp, they are fine. I have 3 Ghost shrimp that I've had since the cycle was over (2-2 1/2) months with no problems and they are growing great. I'm actually surprised they've co-existed great with my rainbow shark. the 3 plants that are doing great for me with this light is Java Moss, Java Ferns, and Temple Plants. I also have micro-sword growing....however one took, and one didn't. Could be because of the light reaching the bottom. I have a 20G tall so my assumption is you'll be fine.

​

​

Asta 20 - Dimmable LED (Planted Version) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07236CXBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_I.hQBbA46X1P2

Really love this little light. Super bright, nice and compact, and it comes with different lenses that angle the light differently.

It's not the best quality, so you will probably have to replace parts of it over time, but it's a good starter kit.

If you want to get some slightly higher quality gear for a comparable price, I recommend:

• get a standard 20 gallon tank at the dollar per gallon sale ($20)
  
• filter: Aquaclear 30 ($30)
  
• heater: Hydor 50W($20)
  
• lights: Nicrew LED 20-27"($30)
  
  Boom, that's $100 and you get pretty much everything that's included in the kit but it will last longer. I don't think the light will let you grow much more than low-light plants, but it probably won't be worse than the light that comes with the kit.

Thanks! This really helps a lot, good to see that some of the ones I was already considering are in that list. 2 and 5 are honestly perfect for attaching to the bottoms of the shelves, I think, but I'll have to see about settling on one when my room's all set up since the plants are going in last.

​

I mostly have experience with fish tank lighting for live plants, most of which come as full spectrum "white" lighting by default. I was wondering if I could actually just use something like those, too. Like this, for instance. would be something relatively bright for low- to medium-light aquatic plants. I assume what constitutes a "low-light" aquatic plant is going to be more tolerant of a lack of light/shade than a "low-light" terrestrial plant?

I ran this tank for about a year and a half. Super great beginner tank. I would recommend this protein skimmer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N0C74Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Message me if you are interested in a used one. I also retrofitted this LED system into my hood (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMXAR5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It wasn't the easiest to make it work but after a little bit of cutting back the hood it worked great.

For the light this one looks pretty good for a clip on Lominie Asta 20 Freshwater.

For the filter I will always recommend aquaclear for HOB, the aquaclear 20 would be a good fit.

I have several different lights (Fluval 3.0 Planted, Finnex 24/7, & Current USA Satellite) and my favorite has to be the Current Satellite Plus Pro . It has a ramp up/ramp down feature so you can set it and forget it and has a customizable color spectrum and intensity so you don't have to blast your tank with high light, or can change the colors to what looks the best for your tank.

But if you're not looking for anything fancy I'm sure a NICREW would be just fine :)

Finnex is quite good for the price. The 24/7 30 inch bar is only 90 bucks: http://amzn.com/B00U0HMWLI

I've got a finnex Ray 2 and it's quite impressive. The nice thing about the 24/7 is that you can tone it down a bit if it turns out to be too bright.

I have Current USA Orbit Marine LEDs. My LFS has had them on a tank with multiple RBTAs in it for about 5 months now, so I think they put out pretty good light.
I think they look really slick and have a shimmer in the water that looks decently natural (at least on my Biocube 14).
And they're pretty cheap in terms of LED fixtures.
Heres a link to the 24" to 36" fixture on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Marine-Aquarium-36-Inch/dp/B00GFTNG3S

Not OP but I bought this light for my 3 gal planted tank and was super happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07236CXBQ/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525467626&sr=1

Should I be using Flourish Excel in my 10g planted tank? Seems like lots of people use it when they don't have CO2 stuff, but I wasn't sure if I needed to use it or not as my lights are low (or are they? I use this Nicrew one). I have saggitaria subulata, water wisteria, bacopa caroliniana, an anubias (?? idk which kind) and java fern. I also have some dwarf water lettuce on the way. I started dosing some Aquarium Co-Op Easy Green ferts when I noticed the plants looked a little sad a couple weeks ago, so I've been doing that twice a week and they perked up a bit.

The plants seem to be doing all right otherwise apart from one bit of saggitaria that just sort of melted, which I figured was normal. The other piece is already making lil baby shoots. The bacopa is just okay, a few leaves have holes but the holes haven't gotten bigger and the rest of the leaves haven't developed any holes so it's probably fine...I've also got a bunch of hair algae, which I think came in on the saggitaria I got from the LFS. :( Excel would help with that, yeah? But also I figured the dwarf water lettuce could help with the algae.

I think my light is good enough. I'm using a Nicrew ClassicLED at 50% for 8 hours (4 hours with a siesta in between). Nothing fancy, but works well, I think. But I really love the planted aspect of my tank and want to step up to the next level besides just doing root tabs and liquid ferts.

I also have a 40B (seahorse tank) and have a pretty cheap lighht on there (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GFTNG3S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I know these kessils and others are super expensive compared to that (2x ~$300 right?) So I just want to know if you think that is a worthy upgrade? That's probably more than all the other equipment combined.

Awesome. Thanks for such a comprehensive response. I like the idea of the 6500k bulbs from Amazon, but do you think it is worth spending a bit more and getting something automated like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U0HMX1C/?tag=aqualedlight-20

love my finnix planted+ 24/7.
http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463064134&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+planted


heard mixed reviews about the new fluval leds...

marineland, natgeo, aqueon led rigs don't offer enough light for great growth.

Mmn, I'd be wary since it doesn't have any reds. If you can spare a little extra money I'd get lights specifically made for planted tanks, like the Finnex Stingray.

I also have a bookmark for this LED - it's not made for planted tanks specifically but I heard from somebody on this sub that they had success with it in their tank (which is why I saved the link).

https://www.amazon.com/HIPARGERO-LED-Aquarium-Light-Saltwater/dp/B0727V8C5Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa/146-1421938-5452528?ie=UTF8&qid=1526747637&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=hipargero+led&psc=1

I use this on a 16 bow front with wonderful success. Soft corals and lps. However it is not programmable in any way. For the money it’s amazing, but the best light on the market for smaller tanks is the AI Prime HD. Can’t beat it for quality, watt strength and programmability. Under 300 is no problem.

IF you like the aestheic of being able to view a tank from above, which is a rare pleasure, consider getting a Fluval Edge!

I've got the one I linked above and would highly recommend it for desk space due to a relatively small footprint, and the ability to view from most angles! Not to mention it comes with everything you need in the kit besides a heater.

https://www.amazon.com/HIPARGERO-LED-Aquarium-Light-Saltwater/dp/B0727V8C5Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=coral+light+led&qid=1558878533&s=gateway&sr=8-9

Best quality light for the money you will be able to find with good reviews. Just do some research online before you buy coral it will go along ways, we all make mistakes but it’s if we correct them that matters. Look into 52 weeks of reefing on YouTube and good luck sir

This one!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C84SLRO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XScAyb7B9DXHW

I think it's almost a bit too bright when it's white light, but my shrimp prefer the light to a non-lit tank. I turn on the blue light around 6PM and leave it running till 10PM when I turn off the lights.

Thank you so much! I'm really happy with how it turned out.

That's just the tank, though - the filter, light, and heater are what's gonna eat up your budget.

Here's the heater I have for my 5-gallons, both going strong for two years now.

This is the filter I plan on getting for my 10-gallon although I am not sure how rough that current will be on a betta yet.

And this is the light I will get, but this is a really nice light for a low-tech (no injected co2), low-light planted tank. There are plenty of good, cheaper lights out there.

Oh, thank you for these insights.

You sell plants too right? If I'm not mistaken. What would you sell me as a beginner? I got a few plants from petsmart yesterday since I got a few coupons to use. I got a some hairgrass, s repens and some anubias. Just about 1 pack each. I kinda want more.

Also, I do believe I got a pretty good light.
I got this one from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMFFMS6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks! I ordered these, the 20". Someone on here suggested them on another post, so I looked them up and they had great reviews. :)

Hm you want to keep it low light? Try a Finnex Stingray clip light
or I have this and I like it grows the buce and moss pretty well. Up Aqua 3C Series

Do you want to upgrade up to a better light? I like the upaqua pro z series led I know this light is longer than your tank. But with some google you can find the correct size. I think I have a 12 inch z series on my 10g.

wow that looks so clean! you might have just changed my mind lol
do you have any filters or lights in mind to go with it? amazon recommends https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Aquarium-Moonlights-Cliplight/dp/B00LIL7YPE/ref=pd_bxgy_121_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00LIL7YPE&pd_rd_r=2KZ9F8JF4YE057DP8TPJ&pd_rd_w=eCyLL&pd_rd_wg=se06G&psc=1&refRID=2KZ9F8JF4YE057DP8TPJ and https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-20-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FVG/ref=pd_bxgy_121_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000260FVG&pd_rd_r=2KZ9F8JF4YE057DP8TPJ&pd_rd_w=eCyLL&pd_rd_wg=se06G&psc=1&refRID=2KZ9F8JF4YE057DP8TPJ

I've been looking at this light ( seen a lot of success with it on insta )

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07236CXBQ/

What i'm really looking for with this is being able to have some success with carpeting plants and possibly growth coming out of the tank depending on what I put in there

Yeah that would be enough for low-medium light plants. The planted plus clip on would put you at medium-high light. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LIL7YPE/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1422337640&sr=8-2&dpPl=1&dpID=31ctlpwpY4L&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

I would just do LED lighting. Much more sleek and efficient lighting. They will probably save you money in the long run too. LEDs last close to ten years. Flourescent uses more energy and you have to replace the bulbs routinely.

So for low tech tanks, I really like this NICREW light on Amazon. It's adjustable, has two settings, and works fine for low light plants. They also have a timer you can buy with a sunrise sunset mode, but if that's not a big deal to you then a $5 hardware store outlet timer works really well, and that's what I have on my tanks.

You could also go with a clip on aquarium light, of which there are a ton.

If you have live plants that can handle low light, like anubias, java fern, etc. then just about any of these lights should be just fine. And obviously if you've got silk plants it doesn't really matter, lol. Just be careful not to leave the light on too long or you'll get algae. (this is why I like timers)

I'd say you could get good growth with planted plus if it's only 17.5 and grow most plants. But Ray2 would be better for higher light needing plants. Is your substrate 5.5 inches? That's really deep. If it was me I might go Ray2. People really like the current plus never used it myself but could be an option. Both the Current + and Planted + have really nice features too.

1. That's relatively fair, but wouldnt said bacteria also live on the gravel and old fake plants in the old tank? (tossing said plants out cause dont really like em n they got a bit nasty/damaged TBH)
   
   
2. I know. I dont need to touch the sponge except maybe to swish it in tank water, the biomax stuff lasts for mooonths. The only thing I MIGHT need to replace is the carbon, no?
   
   
3. I'm aware....and worried for the future lol
   
   
4. I'll look into the test kits; knew I forgot something at store today. Ditto SeaChem.
   
   TBH the lighting is at least partially for me so I can better see him/the tank. I do have a glass lid; its a Versa Top 24 inch tall lid.
   
   Wasn't sure about variety/viability of lights.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-ClassicLED-Aquarium-Extendable-Brackets/dp/B01C84SLRO?th=1 So this? I may look into it....not sure how I feel about the blue lights tho, may be too bright still :X
   
   Appreciate the help so far mate

Alright thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely keep checking and make changes accordingly. I'm using a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/LED-Aquarium-Light-Hipargero-Saltwater/dp/B0727V8C5Q
The reviews seemed good and it was affordable. I turn them on in the mornings and then off at evening before bed.

This seems like a better brand and option: Finnex StingRAY LED Clip Light for Aquarium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LMH10HC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pVAPBb7W0P7N2

This is what I use on my 5gal shrimp tank and it's great. Got it a long time ago. Deckey White+ Blue Aquarium Fish Tank LED Light Universal Extendable Bracket LED Fish Lamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013K2G5OY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FWAPBbETAVNC5

Ankle Length
French Terry Cloth
waist xs29. s31. m32. lg35
inseam xs27.5. s28.5. m28.5. lg30


Never seen an aquarium measured like this!

Do you have a planted tank?
Finnex Planted+ are on sale right now. They have a light that should fit you.

Otherwise get something like this and then go to a class shop and have them cut you two pieces of glass and get a divider thing in between them so you can lift the front up. Pretty inexpensive to do.

Thank you for the very detailed response!

So far I have only bought a Fluval 25W heater. I am planning to put this in the pump compartment. I hope it will be sufficient. Otherwise I will upgrade to a 50W compact heater. The ambient temperature in my basement can drop to 60F when we are at work on a cold day. 25W might end up being insufficient.

I am waiting for the Spec V to go on sale here in Canada.

You are right about modding the tank. That is a big part of the experience. I would like to buy the upgraded 3rd party media basket but it runs close to $50. I think I will run it with the stock filter except I will swap out the charcoal media out for ceramic on day 1.

My biggest question right now is about lighting. I have been looking at purchasing two Fluval PCL13s. Do you have any experience with that light by any chance? Or should I get the LED light by Fluval? I am not looking forward to cutting pieces out of the lid to make the light fit. But I don't believe there is any way around that...

Have you looked into the Aqueon Evolve or the Fluval Edge? Both are really stylish small kits with an LED light. They also both come with lids but the Fluval's may be a little less cat accessible. Both have their issues though so you should probably read up on both to figure out if it's what you're looking for. I personally have the Aqueon Evolve 8 with 2 cats who love to drink fish water and I need to tape down the lid so they don't get to them. Although I really like the sump-like filter the evolve has because the "sump" has enough room to hide the heater.

Should you get into the hobby? Of course!

Should you buy the cheap bare tank instead of a normally priced starter kit? Probably.

You'll need an appropriately sized glass lid which is $29 at that link for a 40 breeder. You'll also need a heater ($15ish), most of that same basic design are equally (un)reliable so you could get two smaller ones to improve reliability compared to one large one, but don't worry about brand name.

Then a light, which ranges from $42 suitable for viewing and low-light plants up to a lot more money for high-light suitable LED fixtures.

Then water conditioner such as Prime ($13)

And food for $3-$20, too many choices for me to even suggest one.

Overall this gives a better experience than a starter kit due to higher quality and more versatile... everything. The consumables are also larger than the sample sizes included in kits, though those are big enough to last quite a while anyways. And the equivalent cost starter kit is probably a 30 gallon and this is larger. But the overall cost is $130ish which illustrates that those starter kits are actually a decent value, as well as being convenient.

I've heard nothing but good things about finnex lights. I was also in the market for an led strip and researched for a couple days before purchasing one. I went with the finnex planted it has a 24/7 day/night cycle which is awesome in my book.
Heres a link if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI/ref=s9_simh_gw_g199_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=61C6JK3C2YA922GZZ7ZT&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop

NICREW Deluxe LED Aquarium Light, Full Spectrum LED Light for Planted Tanks, 20 to 24-inch, 18-Watt, 1200 LM, 7500K https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LJKNWS?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Just bought this for a 10g I'm setting up. It's super crisp and relatively cheap. If you have a rimless tank the supports will sit nicely on it.

Aquarium light
Aquarium heater
Aquarium filter
Aquarium lid
Water Conditioner
Water test kit
And then you can get the aquarium (10g) at Petco
I strongly recommend live plants: Java ferns, anubius, Marimo Moss Balls, bacopa, cryptocoryne, Valisnaria, hygrophila, easy low light plants. Malaysian, Spider (not sharp), Mopani, and manzanita are all good types of drift wood for a betta aquariums

I bought this light for a 10 gallon. It was a great price and provides great light.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0191EWII2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511737052&sr=8-3&keywords=aquarium+light

We've had customizable LED lights like this one in the aquarium hobby for years. Their entire job is to simulate natural light as best as possible. The one I linked specifically can mimic lighting from throughout the whole day. Would something like this be able to be jerry-rigged to work for photography?

I would say the Finnex Planted+ 24/7. It really looks great, cheap, and does an amazing job for my tank.

https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478708015&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+planted+plus+24+7

For substrate - sand + root tabs is easy and cheap.

Lights - cheapo LED I have in my 5.5.

Plants - anubias (make sure rhizomes are exposed when planting, can also be tied to stuff), java ferns (do not plant, tie to decorations), java moss, moss balls, anacharis. For floating plants I'd recommend frogbit, you can usually get some for cheap on r/aquaswap.

Filter - any old air powered sponge filter. But why are you wanting to change the current filter? If you run them both for ~3 weeks the new filter should be sufficiently cycled.

You won't crash your cycle unless you allow the current filter media to dry out. The bacteria can survive ~24hrs without food.

Thanks! I added this so that my dwarf hairgrass would do better. The stock light did a good job with low-light plants but I wanted a carpet. :)

This is a pretty good light, it's not too expensive and should be great for low light plants.

Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED +
And Timer (sold separately)

http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTF9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418682203&sr=8-1&keywords=current+usa&pebp=1418682189836

http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Single-Timer-Aquarium/dp/B00FDV1AFA/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_img_y

This is the set up I use for my tank, it still comes on even at the lower light fairly suddenly, but not matter what you do from no light to light will be sudden. If you have the spending money, I'd do the Satellite Freshwater LED + Pro (new model) It has some cool new features the Plus doesn't have. It includes the timer, and auto switches to a moonlight mode after sunset.

Here's a video, if the link doesn't work right, start at just around 1 minute in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhv8mtcz98

Good luck!

This one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAFQ6FK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RtJjzbF6XV9HK

Are you sure it won't be too bright for my low-tech tank? I don't want a ton of algae growth. One review said it happened to them.

What's the best heater for a ten gallon tank?

I have a Nuvo 10 and i just use the return nozzle as the main source of flow in the tank, but its pretty low flow and indirect.

I have I have this light i know its not the strongest but ive seen some videos/forum posts saying that its pretty good for low/moderate light corals (depending on the placement and all of my coarls are just in the sand bed till i figure out a better place to put them)

I dont have a really high end test kit, im just using the API saltwater kit to test and it the PH was 8.4 Nitrite was 0, Nitrate was very low, under 5.

Ive had them for about 6 weeks or so, the tank its self is about a year old and i havent changed anything at all since ive added them. It seemed so sudden and strange because i always check my tank before going to bed and everything seemed completely fine, the Xenia was pulsing and the GSP was open, then i woke up and the GPS was completely closed and the Xenia was slouched over and the tips where closed.

Ive been reading some other forum post about people saying that sometimes their Xenia will just "Completely disappear then come back with a vengeance" but i cant seem to find much of anything about the GPS in terms of how its acting, might just have to keep looking.

Also if it means anything i buy my water from an LFS and do water changes every 4 days or so.

Just to do a little off course I have a planted 10 gallon with this Light. When I first planted my tank I made the mistake and planted them just as I bought them so they rotted from the bottom. Now I planted them individually but on my stem plants I'm still getting stem rot. I recently started using the PPS-pro frets. But I'm trying to figure out what's the cause of the stem rotting. Please look at my older posts to see what my tank looked like when 1st planted.

10 gallon with sunsun canister filter
Couple plants in there not sure of their names
PPS-Pro fertilizer
Flourish excel
Flourish iron

5 Peppered Cory
1 Angelfish
1 Gourami
6 Cardinal Tetra
1 Male Blue Ram

No issues with the fish in terms of aggression so far!

No idea what the plants are, just started dosing excel today.

This is the light I have, will it be OK for the plants or should I get something different?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ID3OK3S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aQMQybDVK40K7


Thanks for all advice in advance :)

Yeah, I don't know how it'd do with the depth of your tank, but it's definitely a sleek clean look.

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Aquarium-Moonlights-Cliplight/dp/B00LIL7YPE

I'm super happy with having two Viparspectra lights over each 55. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00UMXAR5S/ref=sxts_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499706550&sr=1 . Plus here is my setup after installing the lights http://m.imgur.com/GcOKRRG

Nicrew LED from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C84SLRO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_O6BNBbCS18ZBQ

I have it over a DIY plexiglass cover I cut out if clear 1/4 inch plexiglass to replace the original hood that cracked.Does An amazing job with the plants. I should have done LED years ago!

Thank you so for the advice/suggestions. I'm just confused by all the stats. I don't know if I have to look at watts, PAR, PUR, Kelvin, Lumens.. etc.

However, I did manage to find this nano LED light on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Hipargero-Touch-Control-Aquarium-Saltwater/dp/B0727V8C5Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505764896&sr=8-2&keywords=reef+tank+light+18+inch

What do you think of this one?

Edit: Also, how do you know what stats for light are good for the dimensions of your tank? Or should you fit the stats more to what coral you want to grow? E.g. color temp, wattage, lumens

I use this one on my 2.5, it's very blue but can grow at least softies: Wave-point 6-Inch 8-Watt Super Blue and Daylight Micro Sun LED High Output Clamp Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZK80YG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ogi-Bb17DDP62

I also was talking to a guy at a frag swap who recommended this one: HIPARGERO LED Aquarium Light – Aquarium LED Lights 30W Saltwater Lighting with Touch Control and 3W Cree Chips for Coral Reef Fish Nano Tank (New) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0727V8C5Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pji-Bb2CRC2NN

No real advice on the decorations, but I purchased this light on Amazon a couple weeks ago and I love it! Not expensive at all either. NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C84SLRO?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

hey yes. It was ... i dont have anything else. Just good light and good substrate.
https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-StingRAY-Clip-Light-Aquarium/dp/B00LMH10HC/

I got this to replace it instead.

Thanks for the answer! Think I'll probably be going with this one after I get my lid set up today. $115 isn't too horrible of a punch, since this'll probably be the last big tank set up we'll do [outside of a koi/goldfish pond later on]. ... Well, that's what we keep telling ourselves anyway.


As for CO2, I'm not entirely sure quite yet. I have some root tabs right now, and I'll look into picking up some of the daily applications while I save up money for a pressurized system. The plants I have currently seem to be doing really well outside of the hair grass refusing to carpet... but it definitely has had up-growth since I've bought it. Getting it to carpet seems to be the big reason to go CO2 though.

Thanks for your responses! I'm going to answer both your comments here. My tank is 2.5ft wide by 1.5ft in depth and 40 gallons. I would like it to be sexy if possible. So no home depot, I know the stand is misleading but I'm taking everything one step at a time, and it does its job. I would have gone with the finnex but they do not ship outside of the USA and I live in Canada. I checked out the Current USA satellite plus and found this in my price range

http://www.amazon.ca/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Light/dp/B00CMFFMS6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1426817041&sr=8-6&keywords=current+usa+satellite+plus

As I said I am curently alternating a liquid CO2 and a liquid with trace elements for plants. I have to still get a fertzlizer but was told I had time due to my small number of plants. I have a 2.5 inch fluoride bedding and my water condition is great. However my plants are just not flourishing, in fact in the weeks I have had them they have been diminishing. Hence I think my one bulb fluorescent light setup is the culprit. Should I purchase this current? Or am I missing something?

I use a Current USA Satelite Freshwater LED Plus and really like it.


I've also seen a lot of ppl suggest this Nicrew light as well for a more budget friendly light.

Let the downvotes rain on me for this...I've had nothing but good luck with my cheapos from Amazon. I have them on almost all of my planted tanks and love them. Depending on the height off the substrate will depend on whether it's good for low, medium or high light plants.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ID3OK3S/ref=sxts_bia_sr1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492993693&sr=1

+2 for the Fugeray (mine's the 16") - it rests well right over the opening in the lid.

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRay-Planted-Aquarium-Moonlights/dp/B00GH9HSC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417812192&sr=8-1&keywords=Finnex+FugeRay+Planted%2B+Aquarium+LED+Light+Plus+Moonlights

I felt a little silly at first spending so much on a light (I'm still new to all of this) but good lawdy there's a huge difference in the quality of light between what came with the V and the Fugeray. I'm still cycling but the plants are off to the races under the new lighting.

I just bought one of these last week. I haven't hooked it up, yet, but it got amazing reviews on amazon.

I was able to snag an aquarium friendly sponge from the PetCo by me. Yeah just stay away from the carbon lol. If one day you need carbon you can throw a little bit of carbon in a stocking in the filter.

Here is the [light I used] (https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484759496&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+planted+plus+24+7).

Right? Just got him a few days ago but I love him. I got this light for the 10 Gallon he is currently in.

Thank you! Are there any other plants just like that? I also bought this light do you have any clue how much I'd have to manage the light to make sure Algae doesn't grow?

That is way too bright. Could cause major algae growth too because of excess light

Edit: I would recommend one of these light strips off amazon. I have two and they work damn well. They also have a nightmode included which looks very pleasant

The first one you listed looks like a stock hood. It's not going to be powerful enough to grow much- my experience with Java moss is that it can grow in the dark but everything else you want to grow is going to need more light. You might have better luck with the fluorescent tubes but I kind of doubt it.

I'm planning a 10 gallon as well and I think I'm going to spring for the finnex fugeray planted+. What I have read suggests that this light is really good for low to moderate light requiring plants and it's not SO strong that you absolutely need CO2 to prevent algae overgrowth.

It looks like it's under a different name now but it's the Asta 20 from Amazon. Kessil knockoff? Maybe. But good light for cheap.

I use these in various sizes for all my tanks and have had excellent luck with them. Fairly cheap too!

NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light, Fish Tank Light with Extendable Brackets, White and Blue LEDs, Size 20 to 27 Inch, 11 Watts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C84SLRO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oVh4BbED88HMA

You will need one of these (set up as a nano reef) for two reasons. First it will impress everyone who comes into your office and serves as a status symbol. Second it will give you hours of viewing pleasure when you re supposed to be working.

My kid would chew on this.

I use this amazingly tiny HOB on my 2.5 gallon, works very well (although I did replace the media with better junk) has an adjustable flow rate, takes up very very little space inside the tank, and is quiet.

the lighting really depends on what type of plants you want in there I've successfully grown high light requirement plants in a nano tank with This 13w clip light

Ive seen good reviews of this 10inch finnex planted+ LED clip light as well, but don't have any personal experience with it.

FIRST OF ALL: Good on you getting a proper tank for your betta!

Here's what I would do with this tank. Take what you want from it.

Lighting: Finnex Stingray Aquarium LED Light, 20-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NAFQ6FK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_QuphybE4CPE6A

I'd get a timer for the light and set it for 8 hours a day.

Substrate: Flourite Black, 7 kg / 15.4 lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019J0ISU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_nxphybZM3Y2ZD

And add plants. I think moss would be a nice plant to add with that light as well. Maybe every now and then dose some ferts. I think I see a box to which is a filter. So I'll leave out my filter of choice.

If this were my tank for a betta I'd do this (:

Currently using a friends light that he’ll need back soon, offered it until I get one myself.

Came across the current usa satellite freshwater led plus and seen mostly good reviews. Any input on this light or others with medium light (doing low tech so no need for too intense) and reasonable price.

Tank is a 20g long with AquaClear 30 filter. Using Excel for plants and Topica Aquarium Powder Soil.

http://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTF9E you can probably go with the smallest one.. It only like 77 dollars.. And it's awesome!

Yeah I think I'll wait. I haven't moved my plants from my 10g/shrimp tank. What price range do you see the P+2/Elite in? Currently the P+ sits at $135(prime) & the DS2 sits at $165(prime) for the 48". I'm willing to go up to the $200 range, but I want to make sure it's worth it in the long run.

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Planted-Automated-Aquarium-Controller/dp/B00U0HMWLI

Really good light but the 24/7 is that it goes through a light cycle, sunrise day sunset night and so on, and it's really pretty to look at when you wake up in the morning and it's a sunrise in your tank.

• GLA Atomic CO2 Bubble Counter - with Integrated Check Valve
  
• GLA Atomic CO2 Diffuser - Inline - 12/16mm
  
• TRANSPARENT GREEN CO2 RESISTANT TUBING
  
• SunSun HW-603B External Canister Filter
  
• Co2 Omnibus Regulator
  
• Hydra Aquatic CO2 Paintball Adapter
  
• Finnex Electronic Controller Aquarium Titanium Tube with Heater Guard
  
• NICREW LED Aquarium Light
  
  
  
  Here's a list of all the equipment for the tank. The paintball tank I bought from my local military surplus/paintball shop. Refills are $6. It's a pretty simple setup. I chose the inline diffuser to reduce clutter inside the tank. Plus, the co2 is absorbed into the water by the time it hits the tank. Here's a current (as of today) pic of 1 months growth http://i.imgur.com/KvyECwm.jpg