Sonia
Aquarium Advice Regular
Hi!
I started my tank 2 months ago; you can see the tank specs in my signature. Though I do not have much lighting (<1 Watt/Gal), most plants are doing very well. I used to have an air pump on all the time, but I've read that it's not great for a planted tank (pushes out CO2), so I'm experimenting without it (I like how quiet it is too). I turned it off yesterday and so far everyone's doing fine, the PH is still ok (about 6.5).
The Hornwort, Vallisneria, onion plant and tiger lotus (total about 12 plants) are all growing and reproducing, but they are not pearling. The amazon swords, cardamine and anubias (total about 8 plants) aren't growing very much, but look ok. They've all been in there for about a month and a half.
So how will I know if there is enough oxygen in there (I'd like to know about it before I find my fish gasping for air)? Do you think the plants are producing enough oxygen even though there isn't much lighting? Is pearling necessary? Should I turn the pump on during the night? How about if I let the water level get slightly below the filter output so it creates some turbulence?
Thanks in advance!!!
I started my tank 2 months ago; you can see the tank specs in my signature. Though I do not have much lighting (<1 Watt/Gal), most plants are doing very well. I used to have an air pump on all the time, but I've read that it's not great for a planted tank (pushes out CO2), so I'm experimenting without it (I like how quiet it is too). I turned it off yesterday and so far everyone's doing fine, the PH is still ok (about 6.5).
The Hornwort, Vallisneria, onion plant and tiger lotus (total about 12 plants) are all growing and reproducing, but they are not pearling. The amazon swords, cardamine and anubias (total about 8 plants) aren't growing very much, but look ok. They've all been in there for about a month and a half.
So how will I know if there is enough oxygen in there (I'd like to know about it before I find my fish gasping for air)? Do you think the plants are producing enough oxygen even though there isn't much lighting? Is pearling necessary? Should I turn the pump on during the night? How about if I let the water level get slightly below the filter output so it creates some turbulence?
Thanks in advance!!!