I have a planted eclipse 12 tank that I end up replacing the plants in
every 3-5 months. Most plants will grow very well for 2-3 months then
start to die off. Water chemistry stays relatively the same. I've read
that the 13Watts of lighting in my tank isn't enough and I currently
do not add CO2 because I don't want to deal with pH spikes, but I'm
considering it.

I've looked into the CustomSeaLife SuperNova SmartLite 32Watt retrofit
for the eclipse 12 but:
1. Its pricey, $60ish
2. Its hard to find since CSL went out of business
3. It comes with 6500k/Actinic bulb and I have no use for actinic
light in my freshwater tank. A replacement bulb where both tubes are
6500k seems to be about $25 more.

So a total of $80 + shipping costs because I can't get it locally,
when I've spent maybe $15 in plants over the last year..

Has anyone with an eclipse 12 made a DIY lighting setup thats cheaper?

What king of plants are you trying to grow? I have a 12 gallon eclipse and
have really good luck with anubias and crypts. However I do add CO2 with a
kit that I bought a few years ago.

http://store.yahoo.com/pet-guys/-015561176900.html


Paige

Mike wrote:

Has anyone with an eclipse 12 made a DIY lighting setup thats cheaper?

Eclispe hoods are great, but they do tend to be a bit anemic for
lighting a planted tank. I'm having moderate success with the standard
lighting in an Eclipse three-gallon, but all I've got in there is Java
fern, a small bush of wisteria, and some najas - all fairly robust and
non-demanding plants.

I upgraded the lighting in a System 2 hood (for 20-gallon tank) but I
don't have any experience doing so for the smaller tanks. However, a
good starting point would be AHSupply (http://ahsupply.com/twox.htm).
You could almost certainly retrofit your hood to take two 13-watt kits
from AHSupply, which would be plenty of light.

Check this link for how someone added the AHSupply kits to a 6-gallon
ecplise... www.turetsky.org/nanoreef/index.htm


--
Eric Schreiber
www.ericschreiber.com

A while back I researched upgrading my eclipse lighting as well, but
ended up leaving it alone.

I also realized was that if I increased the lighting to the point where
I needed CO2, then I'd also have to change the filtration as well,
because the current in the tank is very strong and would drive off the
CO2, at least that is what I understand.

I do, however, have some narrow leaf java fern and crypto balansae that
are growing very well in the tank. I have another type of crypt in
there as well, but I don't know what it is called.

It took me several tries to find plants that would work - had a lot
die, including one anubia plant!

I wonder if a little of it might have to do w/your water chemistry as
well.... if it helps my water is approx 8dgh, kh4, ph 7.5.

wrote:

I also realized was that if I increased the lighting to the point
where I needed CO2, then I'd also have to change the filtration as
well, because the current in the tank is very strong and would drive
off the CO2, at least that is what I understand.

That's not always the case. With an Eclipse hood on my 20 gallon, I was
able to increase CO2 from 2.6 ppm to over 30 ppm, using just
yeast-based DIY CO2 injection. The main impact on retaining CO2 is
surface turbulance, and so long as proper water levels are maintained,
Eclispe hoods don't cause nearly as much turbulence as you might expect.

It took me several tries to find plants that would work

I have a feeling that's the case in every tank. I lost a decent
assortment of plants along the way while I figured out what would work
in my tanks.


--
Eric Schreiber
www.ericschreiber.com

I run a 55g tank under very low light conditions.... about 30W with two
6500k bulbs. The substrate is soil with a layer of sand and a layer of
aquarium gravel for cosmetic reasons. My plants are doing quite well
even with the low light condition. I suspect your problem is low
nutrients in the water/substrate. Try using a root and a leaf
fertilizer. These can be purchased at just about any pet store with
live plants. Also plants seem to thrive on fish waste..... The fewer
fish you have, the less nutrients..... Actually the amount of light you
run now should be sufficient with that tank as long as you use the
correct bulb.