Another plant question....

[Lonewolfblue]

In this pic, is the red plants Ludwigia repens?

My question, since adding these plants, they are really starting to turn green. Is this common, or what parameters do you need to meet to bring out the red again? Is it Iron? I added some Iron, but just wondering if I need to add more. My CO2 is working well now, I'm at about 20ppm CO2.

Also, these were cut off and wrapped with a weight. Will they form roots, now that they are planted?

I also just read to separate each stem and plant individualy. How do you keep them in the substrate? I tried to plant a single stem, and it kept surfacing.

Also, since planting the tank, I've left the glass tops off during the day, and only put them on at night. Maximizing the light that way.

Edit:

I read that if there's not enough light, they will turn green. So maybe more lighting? Also, I cranked the CO2 up just a bit too much, ph is 6.0. Could be lower, lol. Glad there's no fish, and the snails are as happy as can be, lol. Will be glad when I get it tuned in just right. I might even invest in a ph controller, lol.

 

[travis simonson]

Most red plants will show their best colors under high light. Keeping NO3 levels in the 5-10 ppm range (hard to do without a very good NO3 test kit), and PO4 levels in the 1-2 ppm range, can also promote stronger reds. Of course proper trace/Fe nutrition is also necessary, but increasing trace/Fe beyond standard levels has done little for me in promoting reds - just make sure you get them the required amount and plenty of light.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Since I'm looking at upgrading my 55G, I might even go a little better for the 75G, and move this light to the 55G. I was thinking of the 6 65W bulb model. Or I might get 2 130W fistures, and have my current lighting towards the back and a 130W up front, then the other 130W on my 55G. Still haven't decided.

 

[travis simonson]

The standard $10 48" shop light fixtures available at Home Depot make great lighting for a 75G. Get four of them for $40-50, remove the ballasts from two of them and use them to drive the other two fixtures at 2xODNO. It will give you 3 wpg for less than $100 and the bulbs are cheap as heck. I'm not much of an electrician, but even I have been able to wire up these fixtures for ODNO without much trouble. Just make sure to get fixtures with electronic and not magnetic ballasts. You can't beat the price

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Thanks for the info. Not really good at DIY on the lighting. I get my lights off Ebay (99.00 for my 260W including the bulbs and legs), for about that price range, and the bulbs aren't too bad priced either.