Thanks for all the words of advice! I do have more plants than just Val and
Sag, I just failed to mention them. Here is what I have:

A handful of Val and a handful of Sag
3 Amazon Swords (getting large, but not huge yet)
1 Melon Sword that has not grown much since I got it 6 months ago
1 Java Fern that is doing really good attached to some wood
3 "Onion" bulbs that are doing great, lapping on the top
3 Annubias that have grown fairly well but have the algea problem on the
leaves (see first post)
2 small bunches of Ludwiga, I think...can't remember.

I had many more plants like dwarf swords, some banana plants, some crypts
but they all slowly died. Now I know it was due to low light levels. I
really want to carpet the front of my tank with something but never had much
luck in the past.

I will start looking into a compressed CO2 setup.

Thanks,
Jesse

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
Another thing about this new light (Coral Life 4 x 65), it only casts
a lot of light to the back of the tank while the front gets less than
it used to.

Yes, that's the problem with power compact flourescents -- the "compact"
part.
g That's why I ended up getting another light strip. It wasn't that my
tank
didn't have enough light; it was. Everything was growing great, with just
one
2x65w strip. But with only one PCF light strip, I had to constantly move
the
strip around, or the plants would lean noticeably toward the light. I got
the
second light strip so I didn't have to worry about that any more. And the
plants promptly started growing so fast that my Carbo-Plus couldn't keep
up,
and I had to get compressed CO2.

I would say the light from this fixture is much more
"focused" than regular tubes. Would you agree with this?

Definitely. If I had to do it over again, I think I'd just get a 4' shop
light
or two. It would have been a heck of a lot cheaper. And you'd have a lot
more
control over the lighting.

Leigh,
looking at your web site and reading you tank specs, it sounds like
you have 2 CF fixtures with 2 bulbs each. Is that correct.

Yes. In back is a Custom Sealife 2x65w strip, and in front is an
All-Glass
2x55w.

Your tank
looks so bright! Mine is bright, just not like yours is bright.

That's odd. I would expect your light fixture to be extremely bright,
especially when it's new.

Maybe the Coralife has a bad reflector...but it surely can't be worse than
the
All-Glass one. As others have noted, All-Glass' reflectors are terrible.

It's probably just that I have one of my light strips flush with the front
of
the tank, so it's very bright in front. (The low plants -- glosso,
lilaeopsis,
etc., are there, so I wanted light right over them.)

If I
take this CF light back and get two fixtures with 2 tubes each, I
believe that would distribute the light better. What do you think?

It probably would. OTOH, it does mean I have to pick up the front light
strip
and put it on top of the rear one every time I open the tank to feed the
fish.

FWIW, the Custom Sealife PCF light strips have much better reflectors than
the
All-Glass. If you get Custom Sealife, get the Britelite, not the
Smartlite.

But AH Supply or a big ol' shop light from Home Depot would be a lot
cheaper.

Also, how many of you use the "standard" glass tops like from
All-Glass?

That's what I use. It's inexpensive, easy, and sturdy. The cat can jump
on
the top the tank without any fear he'll fall in. You just have to
remember to
wipe the glass every once in awhile, to keep dust, hard water deposits,
etc.,
from blocking the light. (I use a solution of vinegar and water.)

BTW...with this much light in your tank, you need more than just Sag and
Val in
your tank. You must have enough fast-growing plants to out-compete the
algae.
You should plant 80% of the tank or more, and, at least at first, most of
the
plants should be fast-growing stem plants. Hygrophila, Cabomba,
Limnophila,
Rotala, etc.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/