Beginners beware (high light dangers)

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Bert2oo1

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Jun 25, 2016
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Hey guys so laterly I've been seeing a lot of threads from new people to the hobby. A lot of people are talking about going high light straight off and buying these expensive high intensity light fixtures.
I want people to be aware of what they can expect and what they will need for a high light tank so they don't run into trouble.

First of all high light high tech setups are expensive to set up. If u have a small budget then high light is not for you.

People just getting into planted tanks should start off with low to medium light untill they feel confident and learn how to grow plants well and keep algae away. I jumped into high light straight off without any info and it was a disaster I wasted a lot of money on plants that I ended up throwing away because they destroyed by algae etc.

If going high light be prepared to spend good money on good equipment. You WILL need pressurised co2, DIY and or excel won't cut it in a high lighting environment (unless your tank size is very small). DIY co2 will end up giving you more problems and cause you more of a headache than good. DIY co2 is almost impossible to hit the 30ppm of co2 required in a high lighting environment. DIY co2 also tends to fluctuate causing outbreaks of BBA algae.
My advice for co2 is avoid DIY and get presurised.

Lighting: there is no need to run your fixture at full power unless you are capable of running it on full power without issue. Bringing your lighting down to a level where you achieve great plant growth with little to no algae is better than blasting your light full power and having constant algae issues. Don't be afraid to adjust your lighting up or down to find what works for your tank.

Ferts: high light high tech has an extreme demand for nutrients. Liquid ferts in my opinion won't cut the mustard. Dosing dry salts to EI or PPS pro is a must.(I've had greater success with EI) finding a balance in nutrients is a must or you risk plant deficiency or algae outbreaks.
Once again the recommended dosage of EI or PPS pro is not set in stone and you will need to play with your dosages to suit your setup. Over dosing phosphate can keep GSA from forming on your glass etc. ( I 4x dose the recommended).

Filtration:
you want 8-10x tank turn over per hour ideally. I recommend a canister filter for larger tank's 20g+. A spray bar is a really good idea aswell to spread the flow around your tank. HOB's work fine in smaller tanks or combined with a canister on larger tanks.

Co2 diffusion: ceramic disc diffusers work well in smaller tanks, however ideally you want to place it under the intake of a filter or in the path of a power head to get a good spread around the tank.
Inline diffusers on a canister filter with a spray bar or a co2 reactor is best for larger tanks as this gives you great spread across your whole tank.

Flow: flow is very important in a high tech tank. Any dead spots in your tank will grow algae and your plants in these areas won't get access to the nutrients floating in the current. You want all plants to sway gently in your tank. This should keep all in wanted debris at bay.

Time: high tech tanks take a fair bit of time to maintain. If you can't afford to give your tank atleast 45minutes to 1 hour per week then high light isn't for you. A water change of 50% weekly is a must. Leave it even 1 day past 7 days and u will most likely see algae starting to form. Take this time to scrape off / zap any algae that may be in the tank. It's important to get on top of it before it becomes an issue as algae spreads extremely fast in high techs.


This is a basic over view of the requirements for a high tech tank. If anyone has anymore to add in please feel free to add your advice aswell. I'm hoping this helps people's journey of setting up a high tech build.

Hopefully I have helped a few people with this info.

Cheers
 
I went for light 'bling' first and had no end of troubles. Good read.

I like the point that ferts dosing is not set in stone. New plants will have different dosing requirements to larger plants.

One I would add is that I think it is worthwhile looking at what substrate you get. Many people grow plants in cheap gravel but there are substrate products out there designed for planted tanks.
 
Got that new light for xmas and keeping about 50%. Way to bright that midday setting. I was starting to see a bit of algae. Invested in some Amano housekeeping service.

Also got the new canister at 10x the flow and tons of BB in the tons of media. IMG_1483743264.030914.jpg
 
I skimmed because I'm at work but good post.

Many manage a low tech for a few months then think they are ready to jump right in. Realistically, they are not and when it goes South they won't know what to do.

Knowing what type of algae you have an understand what causes certain types of algae can help you dial in your tank.

Don't bite off more than you can chew. Take your time with plants, learn how things work and when you have kept low tech a while work your way up.

I had a high tech 10g tank that ran great for a few months then one day I had a hair algae explosion, I didn't know what to do and in a matter of days I'd lost half my plants. Take your time and learn.

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High light is overrated, it's nothing but a compilation. If you sit at a desk for 9 hours a day and want something to occupy down time?? Go for it. If you want something to enjoy? Won't ruin your return from a short vacation? Everything high-tech but go med/low light. Trimming plants every week gets so old..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Very good info from all here. A great read.

Substrate is a good topic. I tend to use Eco complete as it works great however there are many options. But please people don't use normal gravel or sand and hope plants will grow. It won't happen. Make sure your substrate(atleast the bottom layer) is specific for plants. You can cap with sand no worrys but normal gravel will tend to mix and make a mess.
 
Very good info from all here. A great read.

Substrate is a good topic. I tend to use Eco complete as it works great however there are many options. But please people don't use normal gravel or sand and hope plants will grow. It won't happen. Make sure your substrate(atleast the bottom layer) is specific for plants. You can cap with sand no worrys but normal gravel will tend to mix and make a mess.

That's wrong, id take my super charged pool filter sand over eco any day of the week. Yes.. pure sand with no additives is asking for hindrance in growth.

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That's wrong, id take my super charged pool filter sand over eco any day of the week. Yes.. pure sand with no additives is asking for hindrance in growth.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app



Really? Is pool filter sand really that good? Do you use it by itself or as a cap with something else under it?
 
I cap a few things with it, makes up 90% of the substrate though.

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I cap a few things with it, makes up 90% of the substrate though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app



That's interesting. I would have thought it wouldn't have any benefits in it. Are you heavy with the root tabs?
 
Lighting: there is no need to run your fixture at full power unless you are capable of running it on full power without issue. Bringing your lighting down to a level where you achieve great plant growth with little to no algae is better than blasting your light full power and having constant algae issues. Don't be afraid to adjust your lighting up or down to find what works for your tank.

Exactly why I'm returning that Nicrew.

I guess I'm one of the newer people talking about getting expensive lights right off the bat. There's not a great mid point going from no light to a plant light (even mod or low), though, is there?
 
Very good info from all here. A great read.

Substrate is a good topic. I tend to use Eco complete as it works great however there are many options. But please people don't use normal gravel or sand and hope plants will grow. It won't happen. Make sure your substrate(atleast the bottom layer) is specific for plants. You can cap with sand no worrys but normal gravel will tend to mix and make a mess.
All of my planted tanks are straight up blasting sand. Only in little walstad tanks have I used something different like potting soil. With help from root tabs, sand can be almost as effective IMO.

Straight up sand...
1483759698765.jpg
 
High light is overrated, it's nothing but a compilation. If you sit at a desk for 9 hours a day and want something to occupy down time?? Go for it. If you want something to enjoy? Won't ruin your return from a short vacation? Everything high-tech but go med/low light. Trimming plants every week gets so old..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app



100% agree!

Low light tanks can be just as fun and colorful as high light tanks. Ferns, Anubias, Bucephalandra, Crypts, and Echinodorus (get the small ones if you have a small tank), in my opinion, are great plants to scape with and grow well and steady in low light, low maintenance environments. When I had high lighting, it was a reoccurring battle with algae. One week it would be BBA, then the next week it'd be GSA. If I skipped a water change, the tank would look like a disaster the next week. Room for error is much lower with high light, high maintenance, tanks. Don't get me wrong, there are some great high light planted tanks out there, but one can also create a nice low light planted tank and sit back and relax with it more.

https://i.imgur.com/k4mpvok.jpg
 
All of my planted tanks are straight up blasting sand. Only in little walstad tanks have I used something different like potting soil. With help from root tabs, sand can be almost as effective IMO.

Straight up sand...
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Your 75 is EXACTLY what I am trying to achieve visually. Im in the process of getting new substrate after being let down by FlorinVolcanit, and am looking into Flourite and Flourite black sand. Mind if I ask you a few questions about it?

Do you only use this sand in your tank or are you capping with it?

Do you have anaerobic issues at all? (I did when I used to use pool filter sand)

What are you using for root tabs and ferts?

Thanks in advanced!!:thanks:
 
Dear beginners, there are shop lamps (for 48"tanks) among others at Wal-Mart for about 15 dollars and the two pack of bulbs that say "daylight" measure 6500k and grow great plants (cost about 5 bucks too). A 5 dollar timer in the same section, maybe an aisle over makes all the difference in the world too.

Note: I highly recommend using a glass top/hood with the shop lamp, it'll gather condensation on the inside of the shroud if left directly over water and eventually be ruined. Glass at petco is like $25.

At $45 it's hard to get better lighting for something like a 55.
 
Your 75 is EXACTLY what I am trying to achieve visually. Im in the process of getting new substrate after being let down by FlorinVolcanit, and am looking into Flourite and Flourite black sand. Mind if I ask you a few questions about it?

Do you only use this sand in your tank or are you capping with it?

Do you have anaerobic issues at all? (I did when I used to use pool filter sand)

What are you using for root tabs and ferts?

Thanks in advanced!!:thanks:

1. I only use sand.
2. I have not. If you poke the sand reguarly you won't or have fish/snails that turn it.
3. Just osmocote root tabs and glut dosing.
 
I don't think eco complete has any nutrients in it from what I have read. It is basically inert just like sand although it has a better cation exchange and hold more bacteria, looks good, is easy to clean and plant in.

Nice post Bert. We do tend to abuse lighting to a certain degree. My qualms with lighting are the numbers. To me they don't really mean anything. The plants will decide whether there is enough and the algae will decide whether there is too much.
 
I don't think eco complete has any nutrients in it from what I have read. It is basically inert just like sand although it has a better cation exchange and hold more bacteria, looks good, is easy to clean and plant in.

Nice post Bert. We do tend to abuse lighting to a certain degree. My qualms with lighting are the numbers. To me they don't really mean anything. The plants will decide whether there is enough and the algae will decide whether there is too much.



Ahh my bad about the Eco ;)

It happens far to much. Although I can take I have some pretty expensive lighting lol I only run 75% but I like have that the capability of over 120 if I really wanted to crank the gas and the ferts. Obviously I wouldn't go this high with fish in the tank as the amount of co2 I'd be pumping in would gas them real quick haha ;)
 
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