Angels

[missmandy]

I want to put angels in my new tank and want to be completely prepared for them. I am going to be putting them into a 90g with a ehiem canister filter. i am not sure what lighting I will need but in the pic below is pretty much what i want. If any of you know what the best lighting for this settup is please let me know. Any other tips of Keeping angels would be greatly appreciated.
THX!

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[PuddleDuck]

Use lots of driftwood to keep your PH low. 

[babblefish1960]

I'm assuming you have the 90 gallon that is 24" deep, as for plants, this creates some interesting problems with regard to what plants you will keep and what sort of lighting you will need.

I assume also that this picture is off of the internet, as the plants in there along with the lighting show a certain amount of knowledgeable preparation of a serious bit of CO2 supply in there as well.

NO t-12 lighting could do some plants, but you will find after a few months that the plants become weedy and this requires new bulbs to stay on top of the lumen loss.

Metal halide and t-5's HO would be good, there are a lot of good fixtures out there. Even t-8's and t-6's would work. Just remember that it isn't the watts so much as the issue, rather the lumens that punches the valuable part of the light down to the plants.

There are in fact so very many variables that you will get a myriad of responses, all different. Wade through it a bit at a time, and you will eventually get something together that you like, and better yet, understand why it works for you.

Good luck with your endless decisions coming your way, should be quite fun.

[Laura]

I don't know if this is the sort of feedback you're looking for, but I have a 24" deep planted tank (45 gallons) with no CO2 and just over 2 WPG (watts per gallon).  I've got a 96w CF (compact flourescent) and a 20 w strip light on a seperate switch so I don't scare the fish when I turn on or off the light.

I think my plants grow well, although I don't get the very fast growth that folks with higher WPG and CO2 seem to experience.

The tank design you've chosen is beautiful.  There are threads here about the best type of inexpensive sand. Are you thinking about keeping stricly South American fish?  It seems like a fun project - have fun researching your various options!

[Toss]

I have just below 1WPG and DIY CO2 in my 24" deep. My plants are doing okay and the angels, apistos, rams are spawning well. I have some natural light helping me 
Choose your location well and you will not be dissapointed.

[missmandy]

Thanks for all of your help guys, I went to BA and was looking at the marinelife compacts. Are they any good? And i'm not sure what type of rock or sand to use.