Craig Brye said:

Here are my lighting options for the 75 gal. tank without spending another
dime...

1) leave the current set-up going as is (260 watts of PC)

2) Leave 2 of the four bulbs on for 12 hours (130 watts) and leave the other
two on for a shorter amount of time (130 watts at let's say 4-6 hours a
day). The two halves are on independent switches, so this would be easy.

3) Use 1 switch of my current PC (130 watts) plus add my NO 40 watt light
for a total of 170 watts.

What would everyone recommend. I would very much appreciate a few
suggestions/ideas, as I would like to have a good looking/growing tank!

Thanks again everyone!

Don't misunderstand my previous post/opinion. You can certainly run
260 watts on your 75, and grow *almost* anything you want, but certain
low light plants will probably object. IMHO, CO2 becomes a necessity,
and nutrients must be carefully balanced to avoid algae at high light
levels. Although I mentioned that my Crypts melted under higher light
levels, they will probably recover - and adjust - to the new higher
levels. They are prone to melting with changes environment.

Here are a few of my suggestions:

I stage my lights to come on for differing intervals, so you might try
this first. Use timers for consistency and vacation feasibility.

As your tank grows in, shady spots will naturally be created. Simply
plant those plants that object to the higher light levels in these
shady spots - under the center tank support, and at the sides, where
light is less intense.

Place a few floating plants that love high light in your tank.
I used to grow water lettuce, native to and collected in Florida, in
my tank. It multiplied fairly quickly, and I got tired of culling it
out every few months. Avoid duckweed!!!

I still have hornwart growing in the tank, it seems to possess a
natural algaecide property, and provides a nutrient sink. I have to
remove several feet of this stuff every few weeks.

Grow only high light plants.

Run only one lamp, with a good reflector, and enjoy the lowered costs
of operation. ;-)

FWIW,


Greg G.