[vespers_]

i have a 48" dual 54w t5HO light for my 75g tank that i was thinking of growing several different kinds of epiphytic bromeliads and tillandsias and java moss on wood on the background. the lights sit almost right on the rim of the tank and doesn't have legs, although the fixture does have a fan in it. i'm a little worried about heat, since a 75g is only 20 inches tall. the plants will end up within a few inches of the lights.

i'm not sure if this is bad or not as the info i have managed to find is a little sketchy. i am not sure if i should leave the top open and choose plants that like drier conditions or put on a glass top and keep higher humidity in an effort to keep them from drying out (if the light is too hot).

i also have a 24" dual 24w t5HO fixture as well, although i'm not sure if that would be too little light. in that case, i would need to put on a glass top to keep it up as it stand on approx 4" legs.

any help is very welcome.

 

[tclipse]

I used two 36" 2x39W T5's over my 125g (2-3" above the glass lid) for over a year, brom color 'quality' depending on type. I wasn't able to get full coloration out of "Fireball" Neo's.... I'd say the two I had were probably about 60-70% to full coloration. Everything else for the most part colored up very well. If you took the lids off, the plants you listed would probably dry out directly under that light if not misted at least daily.

I kept my tillys too close to the air vents and didn't mist them enough so they dried out, but they are fine in my other T5 tank... and java moss was absolutely rampant near the water features... you will have no problem growing that stuff as long as it's moist to wet where you want it to spread.

Those lights will almost definitely heat the tank over 80 at least a few times unless you raise them a few inches off the glass (room temps were 68-72 and I still had to raise them 2-3" to stay under 80), so thats a consideration if you will ever keep frogs in there.

 

[vespers_]

I used two 36" 2x39W T5's over my 125g (2-3" above the glass lid) for over a year, brom color 'quality' depending on type. I wasn't able to get full coloration out of "Fireball" Neo's.... I'd say the two I had were probably about 60-70% to full coloration. Everything else for the most part colored up very well. If you took the lids off, the plants you listed would probably dry out directly under that light if not misted at least daily.

okay, so i think i should keep the lids on and mist at least once a day, just to be safe. i'll have to watch them for the first little while so i can see how everything goes in the tank, i was just a little worried because the t5 HOs get pretty hot and the plants will be quite close to the top of the tank. i could probably rig something up to lift the fixture up off the tank too, if it comes to that. i plan to get a misting system eventually, but until then, i'll be doing it by hand.


I kept my tillys too close to the air vents and didn't mist them enough so they dried out, but they are fine in my other T5 tank... and java moss was absolutely rampant near the water features... you will have no problem growing that stuff as long as it's moist to wet where you want it to spread.

well it's good to hear that the moss grows well! i planned to have it down by the water areas and i've never grown it emersed before. i'll have to watch so the tillandsias don't get too dried out.


Those lights will almost definitely heat the tank over 80 at least a few times unless you raise them a few inches off the glass (room temps were 68-72 and I still had to raise them 2-3" to stay under 80), so thats a consideration if you will ever keep frogs in there.

hmm... well i think i'll be attempting to get the plants going well before i think of adding any life into it, but i'll keep that in mind if i do decide to get some.

thank you very much for the advice!