I just have a couple of quick questions. The first pertains to lighting. I have read that one should use a light that emits about 1 watt per gallon of tank water. Is this right? The light I have came with the tank when I bought it as a start-up kit. It is a 20 gallon tank that is 24” long, 12.5” wide, and 16” tall. The only information I could garner off the tube was the name “Aqua-Glo”. It is 18” and 15W. And it was made in Japan (not that I imagine that makes a difference). I have read that certain bulbs are better for plant growth, and others are better for other things.
This brings me to my second, and partially related question. My tank currently contains 8 cardinals (and a pepper corry – I plan to add more cardinals once the tank has finished cycling). This past weekend I added a number of live plants to the tank (I went 2 years with plastic plants, replaced them with some live ones a few weeks ago, and then realized the tank needed more). I would like to better bring out the color of the cardinals, but obviously not at the sacrifice of plant growth. Is there a specific tube that can perform both of these functions?
This brings me to my second, and partially related question. My tank currently contains 8 cardinals (and a pepper corry – I plan to add more cardinals once the tank has finished cycling). This past weekend I added a number of live plants to the tank (I went 2 years with plastic plants, replaced them with some live ones a few weeks ago, and then realized the tank needed more). I would like to better bring out the color of the cardinals, but obviously not at the sacrifice of plant growth. Is there a specific tube that can perform both of these functions?
