live plant bulbs... lighting issue

[debomb4u]

I just got some live plant bulb packs. One pack has 5 hybrid aponogeton bulbs and the other has nymphaea lilly bulbs red or green. I'm wondering about lighting. I have just regular tubular bulbs for my tank. My tank is a 10 gal. And it has 2 15 watt bulbs. I'm guessing they wont work to grow the plants with? I have my tank set up between 2 windows... so its not in direct sunlight. So maybe i could just grow them on the natural light? So i'm just kind of worried about them getting enough lighting. Are the lilly's easy to take care of? All of the bulbs sank except for 2 of them. Do i need any special fert or additives?


Another question i dont have a gravel vac soooo.... i'm wondering how to clean my gravel. Would stirring the gravel up alot and doing a bunch of water changes work?

 

[greenmaji]

lilly's if im not mistaking are terrestrial plants, out of water plants.. even the ones sold as underwater plants.. but anyway Im assuming your light blubs are floresents and if so thats alot of light for a 10 gallon.. you have a very-high light setup and need CO2 as soon as possible.
the tube at the end of a gravel vac is for letting the gravel come up into it and sucking the brown stuff out of it.. working your way through all the gravel, a little gets released into the water coelom but the filter should get a good part of it and you can get the rest with the next vacuuming.. assuming you dont have a UGF... if you do have a UGF stop cleaning about an inch above the plate..

 

[hashbaz]

For these little plant bulbs, I would not worry about a thing. There is a good chance they will do fine in your current set up.

You probably should go buy a gravel vac. They are pretty standard unless you have something better.

 

[mattrox]

nymphaea lillys are water lillys.

 

[Toirtis]

Most Nymphaea do just dandy at 1.3-3 watts per gallon.....I have most of mine (about 5 species and 30+ plants) at around 2 WPG, and they grow like mad.

 

[greenmaji]

since there water lillys Im assuming they float .. that would mean they dont need CO2.. sorry about that..

 

[debomb4u]

my lights arnt flourescent. they are just screw in light bulbs but they are alittle rounded. not a full tube that runs from one side to the otherside of the hood. so i'm wondering if my incandescent lights will work for growing plants? otherwise my tank could get direct light if i left the blinds open. i dont have a gravel vac but i will get one once i have money... since i've spent over $200 on everything. the bulbs have already started to poke out white roots and some of the other ones look green.

 

[Toirtis]

. so i'm wondering if my incandescent lights will work for growing plants?

Sorry, no.

otherwise my tank could get direct light if i left the blinds open.

Likely all that would get you is an insane amount of algae.

i dont have a gravel vac but i will get one once i have money...

Do...they are nice and cheap and many brands can be had for about $10.

since i've spent over $200 on everything.

Well, now that you are here, we can probably help you save in several areas, but you do need some fluorescent lights. If only as a stop-gap measure, pick up some 13W-15W screw-in fluorescent 'energy-saving' spiral bulbs for now.

 

[debomb4u]

well i dont think i will be able to get those lights then... :? i finally did find a pet store by me. the closest one i thought was around 100 miles away. i found one within 30 but it doesnt have much. so if i was going to get those lights i would need to get a new hood for them to. i'm sure they sell those bulbs but not the hoods up by me.

unless those lights that your talking about dont need to be connected on both sides??? i'll look in a few mins at my hardware store and try to find a flourescent bulb that can be connected at one side..... will any flourescent bulb work or does it have to be a special bulb?

sorry if i sound kind of negative about the whole light thing but since i'm only 15 and i dont have a job untill summer i dont have anymore money to spend on anything now....

 

[Toirtis]

The screw-in spiral fluorescents I mentioned can be picked-up just about anywhere (Wal-Mart, Target, etc) and screw into the incandescent sockets....they look like this:

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/10167642/Item_No__4503__Spiral_Energy_Saving_Lamp.jpg

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/50055865/Sell_Mini_Whole_spiral_Energy_Saving_Lamp.jpg

Just make sure you buy some that are narrow enough to fit inside your hood (perhaps take your hood with you)....they tend to run about $1.50-$2 per bulb, and should do until you have $25-$40 to buy a proper fluorescent tube hood.

 

[greenmaji]

they are a little more expensive here in the states Toirtis.. the bulbs.. I think I got mine for maybe 4 bucks a piece in a value pack..

 

[Toirtis]

they are a little more expensive here in the states Toirtis.. the bulbs.. I think I got mine for maybe 4 bucks a piece in a value pack..

Really? Bizarre...I would have assumed a good 10%-20% cheaper there.

 

[kimberly]

I bought a screw in floursecent bulb at WalMart yesterday for $5, a two pack was $9. They had quite a few choices irt size, wattage, etc.

Good luck with the water lillies. I used to have an outdoor pond when I was in the south and the lillies were always my favorite!

Kimberly
58 gal, soon to be planted tank

 

[greenmaji]

sounds like you found an export Toirtus!!

 

[debomb4u]

i had a flourescent bulb laying around.... its not a twist but 2 prongs if you know what i mean?? its 23w and i have it on the side of the tank. i tried putting it in but then realized that its only shining on one side lol duh. so i put it on the side... i'm amazed about the color changes of the fish and how it brightens everything up. i also have a 15 w desk lamp bulb that i could use infront of the tank incase the 23 wont work. theres already a cm or 2 of green stalks coming out of the aponogeton.

 

[debomb4u]

Hello...? anyone out there?
Does this set up sound ok?