New Tank too little light?

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MrCrabs1

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 9, 2015
Messages
6
Hi all,

I just started with my first Fishtank 2 month ago.

It's a 30 gal starter Kit from Tetra (has LED lights, a power filter and I added an airstone).

I cycled the tank and afterwards slowly stocked it when it was fully cycled:
- 7 Rummy-Nose tetras
- 5 Guppies (which are now almost 10 as they gave birth to some fry)
- 4 Siamese Algae Eater
- 3 Shrimps (my latest addition)

I started with just artificial plants but changed some of them with live plants as they are much nicer :)

Setup:
setup.jpg


Now on all the plants a brownish algae started to thrive and I am not sure if I should worry and if my light setup is ok. Also on the plant on the second picture (unfortunately I don't know the names of my plants) the bottom leafs started to 'melt' so I removed them.
plant1.jpg
plant2.jpg
plant3.jpg
plant4.jpg


The aquarium came with some LED lights and the timer switch will turn it on at 8am and off at 10pm. Direct sunlight only hits the aquarium for about 2h a day and also only partitial.
lights.jpg


I do water changes every week (15%) and the readings of levels are always ok:
pH: 8.2 (L.A. tap water which I treat with simple chlorine remover)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5-10

Any Ideas if/what is wrong and how to improve the light situation (I guess that's the issue)?

Thanks in advance!
-Paul

p.s.: If someone knows the names of the plants would be appreciated to know ;)
 
I believe the plants are: Crypt parva, water sprite, anacharis, some type of sword.
If the first is C. parva then it may have a tough time growing in that tank. Unlike most crypts, it requires a decent amount of lighting.
The brownish growth might be diatoms or some type of nuisance algae. This might be due to the duration of the light (14 hours). You may want to reduce it to 6-7 hours.


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Thank you very much!

When I bought the plants I actually asked the LFS guy if it fits with my weak LED lights and he said it is fine (I trust him as he is specialized in plants - search for Nature Aquarium Santa Monica).

I'll definitely reprogram the timer to 7 hours tho, hopefully that will improve the situation.

Cheers :)
 
For some reason I can't see the pictures, but plants will melt due to nutrient deficiency.

Hm maybe because the links are hidden behind a redirect. I attached them here:
 

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First - far far too many hours of light. Try to limit it to around 8 hours daily. The increased time for the lights to be on will cause algae growth.

Second - what brand and model is that light fixture? With that info we can help to piece together whats going on.
 
Hey bud first off I'd like to say nice looking tank ! Second, I bought the same kit recently. I got it knowing the lights were trash because the heat it comes with alone is 45 dollars and the glass would be around 60. Can't believe I got the whole kit for 65$ :p. Anyways, the rest aren't really good quality items. I.e. The filter and lights. Tetra made it so hard to get specifics on the lights I had to email them. In short, no, they can not sustain plant life. They are for viewing purposes only. You probably need an upgrade somewhere not to far down the road. I bought the fluval 24b, fits good and it's a quality LED light fixture I highly recommend. It cost about $120. Also, had you get the lights on a timer ? Did you purchase an add on separately or is there something I missed haha


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Hey bud first off I'd like to say nice looking tank ! Second, I bought the same kit recently. I got it knowing the lights were trash because the heat it comes with alone is 45 dollars and the glass would be around 60. Can't believe I got the whole kit for 65$ :p. Anyways, the rest aren't really good quality items. I.e. The filter and lights. Tetra made it so hard to get specifics on the lights I had to email them. In short, no, they can not sustain plant life. They are for viewing purposes only. You probably need an upgrade somewhere not to far down the road. I bought the fluval 24b, fits good and it's a quality LED light fixture I highly recommend. It cost about $120. Also, had you get the lights on a timer ? Did you purchase an add on separately or is there something I missed haha


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Well there you have it. Low light.

With low light I would suggest going with plants that are suited to it. Java fern, java moss, bolbitis, crypts, and anubias.

Pic 1 - Crypt parva - needs root tabs but will do just fine
Pic 2 - Water sprite - Will have a rough time but can survive
Pic 3 - Anacharis - Should be okay.
Pic 4 - Unknown, probably some sort of ludwigia - It's unlikely this plant will make it in this tank.
 
Yup time for a light upgrade! Finnex is a great brand that doesn't break the bank.

And nice x-wing Lego fighter :D


Caleb
 
Hornwort also does well in low light, though you'll have to prune it weekly.


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Hornwort also does well in low light, though you'll have to prune it weekly.


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Anarchis is the easiest plant ever it grows like a weed. If it is browning, the hornwort will shed worse than a cat. That's what hornwort does when under insufficient light.


Caleb
 
I bought the same kit recently. I got it knowing the lights were trash because the heat it comes with alone is 45 dollars and the glass would be around 60. Can't believe I got the whole kit for 65$ :p. Anyways, the rest aren't really good quality items. I.e. The filter and lights.

Jea the price was pretty cheap but you get what you payed for... Funny that you say the heater is worth 45$ because I already had to replace it with a new heater because the one that came with the kit started to overheat the aquarium after a month of use... I hope the filter lasts a little bit longer lol.

Yup time for a light upgrade! Finnex is a great brand that doesn't break the bank.

How are those lights installed tho? the Tank currently has a 'full' cover and I kinda like it that way. Looking at the Finnex lights they look like I would need to replace the cover with that light bar which would leave the tank open.
Are there other lights that come with a similar 'full' cover or is it possible to just buy the LED elements which I could glue onto the existing cover?
Also are LED lights good at all our should I go for a fluorescent light tube?

Thanks for all the advice tho :)
 
Anarchis is the easiest plant ever it grows like a weed. If it is browning, the hornwort will shed worse than a cat. That's what hornwort does when under insufficient light.


Caleb

Well, then OBVIOUSLY Anarchis is a better choice than Hornwort. ;)

Some people have problems with Hornwort shedding. I never have, but that's just been my experience.
 
Jea the price was pretty cheap but you get what you payed for... Funny that you say the heater is worth 45$ because I already had to replace it with a new heater because the one that came with the kit started to overheat the aquarium after a month of use... I hope the filter lasts a little bit longer lol.







How are those lights installed tho? the Tank currently has a 'full' cover and I kinda like it that way. Looking at the Finnex lights they look like I would need to replace the cover with that light bar which would leave the tank open.

Are there other lights that come with a similar 'full' cover or is it possible to just buy the LED elements which I could glue onto the existing cover?

Also are LED lights good at all our should I go for a fluorescent light tube?



Thanks for all the advice tho :)


The rim on my tank is too wide for my Finnex so mine just rests on top. I'm willing to bet that your hood has a glass portion where the light shines through. You replace the bulb with the LED where it shines through on the glass.

If you really want to keep bulbs, T5 bulbs would probably work for low light plants like this.

LED saves money in the long run though via your energy bill and not having to replace fluorescent bulbs.


Caleb
 
Dam I hope my heater doesn't give .. LEDs are. Very much so capable of growing plants so don't bin the idea so quick. Might I recommend fluval 24b. Capable of growing almost anything for $120. Also the filter it comes with isn't really to good. You should try to get a filter that's rated more then the actual size of the tank. That's why I put it on my 10g. If you do need to replace the filter, I would also recommend the fluval 206 canister. It's about another $120 but it works great from what I've seen and heard. Almost no noise.


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