Walmart Plants......

[ikon]

I was in Walmart the other day I noticed they have some " bulbs/roots " in a package .

Hardy Aponogeton Bulbs
Lilly Bulbs
Dwarf Lilly Hybrid Ulvaceus

can those be used on low light tank ? 18 watt on 20 gal OR 30 watt on 20 gal high

Some of the bulbs has been sitting on the bottom ... but after a few days there are still some bulbs floating on top .. is it ok for the bulbs to be still floating on top ??

 

[Devilishturtles]

I've never gotten anything to grow from those bulbs...and if I did it didn't last more than a few weeks. Save your money and get actual plants.

About the ones floating on top, I'd assume they are no good, but that's just a guess.

 

[rkilling1]

I don't know if I would put them is such a small tank, but here is one of the lilly bulbs I purchased at Walmart:

I would say half of the bulbs grew for me.

 

[GlitcH]

I don't know if I would put them is such a small tank, but here is one of the lilly bulbs I purchased at Walmart:

I would say half of the bulbs grew for me.

I bought the same plant.......was currious if it would grow.......it did and it won't stop......It has split three times so far. Grows for me in high light CO2 supped tank and a low tech med light tank.

I do however think this plant NEEDS ferts.

 

[Alshain]

Yeah I tried them in a low light tank. I got a small sprout come out of it about an inch long and then it stopped and died. The floating ones are rotton however and will never grow. They should sink to the bottom, you can place them where you like but do not bury them. I haven't tried them since putting together my high light tank. I might stop over and get a pack just for kicks, especially since that picture is beautiful.

 

[Alshain]

I should correct myself, the bulbs that float for extended time are rotten. They all float for a few minutes after putting them in.

 

[ikon]

I've never gotten anything to grow from those bulbs...and if I did it didn't last more than a few weeks. Save your money and get actual plants.

About the ones floating on top, I'd assume they are no good, but that's just a guess.

i only have 18 watts on a 20 gal tank ... plants are hard to find with that many watts..

i also have a 30 watt bulb on a 20 gal tank .. but i dunno if i should look for medium low or bright plants......

 

[Jchillin]

I didn't get them from Walmart but I had the bulbs when I converted my tank and this was the result (keep in mind, 1.5wpg)

 

[Alshain]

i only have 18 watts on a 20 gal tank ... plants are hard to find with that many watts..

i also have a 30 watt bulb on a 20 gal tank .. but i dunno if i should look for medium low or bright plants......

Thats not much I'm afraid. 18 on a 20 gallon is less than low light regardless of whether your tank is high or long and regardless of what kind of bulb. 20 watt CF or T8 on a 20 gallon high is about low light and it only gets worse if you have T10 or T12.

For the 30 watt on a 20 gallon tank, that may be low or medium depending on the tank size (24x12 or 30x12) and the bulb type. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume you have the more common 24x12 and the T8 bulbs that are usually stock lights. If that is the case 30W is medium-low light (not medium, not low but half way in between).

 

[ikon]

i only have 18 watts on a 20 gal tank ... plants are hard to find with that many watts..

i also have a 30 watt bulb on a 20 gal tank .. but i dunno if i should look for medium low or bright plants......

Thats not much I'm afraid. 18 on a 20 gallon is less than low light regardless of whether your tank is high or long and regardless of what kind of bulb. 20 watt CF or T8 on a 20 gallon high is about low light and it only gets worse if you have T10 or T12.

For the 30 watt on a 20 gallon tank, that may be low or medium depending on the tank size (24x12 or 30x12) and the bulb type. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume you have the more common 24x12 and the T8 bulbs that are usually stock lights. If that is the case 30W is medium-low light (not medium, not low but half way in between).

ok here is the bulb i have sitting in the closet .. ONLY because I need to save up for a pressurized co2 cuz the red sea diy is CRAP and got tired of algae all over everything so i put the 18 watt back on..

2 -4 pin dble bulbs FT65w 6,700 k daylight i didnt c anyting about T rating..
now both bulbs says that .. so that means i would have a total of 130 watts running ?? or just 65 watts ??if both bulbs r being used..

the bulb i have on the tank now is 18 inch 15watts ... 20 gal high.. floraglow with the 18 watts runnin the walMART bulbs are sprouting and the java ferns are doing well..

 

[Purrbox]

If there were two bulbs and both were marked 65watts, then you had 130watts over the tank.

 

[ikon]

If there were two bulbs and both were marked 65watts, then you had 130watts over the tank.

holy crap .. is that to much for a 20 gal high ??

ya each one says 65 watts .. maybe thats why i had a major problem with the beard algae.. but still doesnt explain why i couldnt get any co2 out of the red sea kit...

 

[Purrbox]

One of those should have been plenty for that tank.

Did you ever check the expiration date on the Red Sea Packets? If it was sitting on the shelf for awhile before you bought it, they could easily have been expired.

 

[ingg]

Save the receipt, tape it to the package, if you buy the bulbs - they stand behind the guarantee, and the bulbs that come as replacement can be monsters. Send 'em back if they don't sprout.

I sold a few aponogetans at acution this spring that came from replacements of wal mart bulbs, they were 22" tall and huge. Several varieties, too.

 

[rkilling1]

Speaking of aponogetons, here is one that I purchased from Walmart as well:

 

[ikon]

Save the receipt, tape it to the package, if you buy the bulbs - they stand behind the guarantee, and the bulbs that come as replacement can be monsters. Send 'em back if they don't sprout.

I sold a few aponogetans at acution this spring that came from replacements of wal mart bulbs, they were 22" tall and huge. Several varieties, too.

i already trashed the bad bulbs .. but i relooked at the lights and its only 65 watts ONE dble bulb ... its 2 bulbs in 1 .. im not sure if i explained it right .. heh ..

but right now i only have 18 watts on the 20 gal .. im holding the 65 watts off till i get the co2 pressurized going ..

as for the bulbs ... they already have LOOOOOOOOOOOONG green things coming out of the bulbs .. now are those the roots or the actual flower ??

 

[7Enigma]

rkilling1, that pic is incredible! I might just have to try a bulb or two of these guys. What specific lily bulb was that?

 

[Purrbox]

Okay, so you've got one bulb in the shape of a U correct? That would be 65watts total then. This is the standard way that most Compact Fluorescents look. So at least you weren't quite as overkill on the light as you initially thought.

 

[7Enigma]

That makes more sense, you have a single 65w CF light. I have a 20gallon high tank and have a single 65w CF (6700k temp). That will put you at about 4wpg which is definitely in need of some CO2. I am using a DIY yeast setup however and everything is going fine, so you don't need to be pressurized (but it would sure help).

An even better alternative is to get a 50/50 bulb which will put you ~2wpg, perfect range to grow things without CO2, but a bottle of Excel would really help to keep the algae at bay. Check out the deal I posted in this same forum, you could grab a bulb or two for cheap with different ratings, use the 50/50, then when you get pressurized switch over to the bulb you already have.

I'm actually going the other direction. I'm tired of trimming so frequently and have decided to cut my lighting back to ~2wpg with a 50/50 bulb.

I would recommend starting with the 50/50 until you get the hang of fert dosing/etc.

HTH

 

[ikon]

Okay, so you've got one bulb in the shape of a U correct? That would be 65watts total then. This is the standard way that most Compact Fluorescents look. So at least you weren't quite as overkill on the light as you initially thought.

ya most of the bulbs already has green leaves ... but there is one bulb its got 2 leaves almost at the top of the tank ... now when it reaches the top .. how do i cut it back w/o damaging the plant .. do i cut the leaf anywhere i want on the leaf or at the base or what ..

the other bulbs .. the green leaves are growing .. not as tall though .. but they have white roots .. now my question is ........ do i bury the entire bulb or just the roots in the gravel ??

also when i use flourish liq .. do i dump it into the tank .. or is it best to use some kind of turkey baster and inject it right by/on the plants ??