stephens0813
Aquarium Advice Regular
Is 15 watts good got a low light pant in a 26 bow front? Its an aqueon I think. It is more tall than wide to
Lighting
- Thread starter stephens0813
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
EndlersEatGuppies
Aquarium Advice Addict
stephens0813
Aquarium Advice Regular
Ok thanks
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
stephens0813 said:
It also depends on what the kelvins are on your current bulb. 15w puts you at about .5wpg which is low, but if you're just dabling in plants to see if you like it you can do what I did and start out with some Anacharis. IME, that plant will grow with just ambient room light lol.
If you really want to get into it, something in the 36w, 6700K range would get you into a wide array of low-med light plants were ferts and co2 can be avoided IMO. If you want to go all out get a 55w, 6700K and read up on ferts and co2.
Happy planting
.
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wattage is much more important than color temperature. Actinic bulbs are the exception because plants don't use light that far into the blue spectrum.
15W of fluorescent light over a 26g really won't allow you to keep much in the way of live plants, especially with a tall tank. Maybe java moss, maybe java fern and anubias if you raise them up close to the light.
~ 30W of fluorescent light would work much better for a low-light 26g. 6500K-10000K color temperature will usually provide more of the spectral peaks plants like in addition to making your tank look more blue instead of yellow.
15W of fluorescent light over a 26g really won't allow you to keep much in the way of live plants, especially with a tall tank. Maybe java moss, maybe java fern and anubias if you raise them up close to the light.
~ 30W of fluorescent light would work much better for a low-light 26g. 6500K-10000K color temperature will usually provide more of the spectral peaks plants like in addition to making your tank look more blue instead of yellow.
stephens0813
Aquarium Advice Regular
Yeah right now I have a15 watt 8000k light that came with the tank I just wanted to do some low light plants to see if I like live over plastic better.
BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
IMHO it's no contest. Healthy live plants win over fake plants any day. I have to emphasize the "healthy" part of that statement though and light is usually the factor that limits success for beginners.
kevkev3321
Aquarium Advice Regular
The cheapest way to go IMO would be to throw a couple 27w daylight bulbs in there
The bulbs are cheap and it's extremely easy to rig up
The bulbs are cheap and it's extremely easy to rig up
True... plants can be a real frustration if you don't have the right equipment. A lot of folks new to planted tanks get scared away when their plants turn brown and die, but it usually due to a lack of light. With the right equipment, a low light planted tank is easy to maintain, and usually has better water quality than a tank with no live plants.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
stephens0813 said:
With 15w/8000K you have enough to see if you like it growing basic low light plants. Going thru the expense of getting above that should be saved till you're sure you like it IMO.
I can tell you for a fact that I ran a 17w, 6500K light on a 37g tall and had no die off issues, nor did I have heavy growth and I am growing Cabomba Carolina which is a med high light plant. Since then I've moved up to a 55w/6700K light and I can get lush growth of 6" in 36hrs from my Anacharis.
Go to plantgeek.net, look up low light plants and see what you'd like to try out is my suggestion.
kevkev3321
Aquarium Advice Regular
yea at first my 100g only had one 40w bulb and i constantly had to do water changes
once i added two more 40w fluorescents, a small amount of Co2 and a few plants everything was better
my water is always clear and its always stable
i havent done a water change in about 6 weeks and the water is still clear
i have anubias, amazon sword, and some micro sword
the micro sword was planted on sunday and i already have runners of about an inch tall
just adding a little light and live plants can make a huge differance
once i added two more 40w fluorescents, a small amount of Co2 and a few plants everything was better
my water is always clear and its always stable
i havent done a water change in about 6 weeks and the water is still clear
i have anubias, amazon sword, and some micro sword
the micro sword was planted on sunday and i already have runners of about an inch tall
just adding a little light and live plants can make a huge differance
6 weeks is a long time between PWCs IMO... If it is heavily planted, it might be ok. Are you testing your nitrates?
kevkev3321
Aquarium Advice Regular
no i havent had money to get a master test kit
i have 9 plants and 9 fish and i under feed my fish as much as i can
i test for ammonia and make sure my pH is in range and i always declorinate my water before i add it
the guy at this LFS by my school says he hasnt changed his water in almost 3 months, he says he just adds water as it evaporates and his water is crystal clear and he never has any problems
i know i need the test kit but moneys tight and having gas money is more important that the test kit right now (especialy since california gas prices are around 4.50/gal right now)
i have 9 plants and 9 fish and i under feed my fish as much as i can
i test for ammonia and make sure my pH is in range and i always declorinate my water before i add it
the guy at this LFS by my school says he hasnt changed his water in almost 3 months, he says he just adds water as it evaporates and his water is crystal clear and he never has any problems
i know i need the test kit but moneys tight and having gas money is more important that the test kit right now (especialy since california gas prices are around 4.50/gal right now)
Topping off is not a substitute for PWCs. Ions, heavy metals, etc do not evaporate, so with each top off, the concentration remains the same. A PWC is crucial for export of excess nutrients and ions. It would not be the first time a LFS gave bad advice.
Not changing water for 6+ weeks, and not testing for nitrates is a potential recipe for disaster imo. It might work for awhile, or even months, but it will catch up. Old Tank Syndrome is not a myth.
Not changing water for 6+ weeks, and not testing for nitrates is a potential recipe for disaster imo. It might work for awhile, or even months, but it will catch up. Old Tank Syndrome is not a myth.
kevkev3321
Aquarium Advice Regular
okay, usually i just do a water change once i start to get algea growth but im gunna do a water change in the morning, yea theres about 5 different fish stores in my area and i hardly ever get to correct advice, their just in the bussiness for the money.
and the hardest thing is trying to get plants at LFS's, i wish there was a fish store in my area who specialized in plants lol
and the hardest thing is trying to get plants at LFS's, i wish there was a fish store in my area who specialized in plants lol
Good planted tank LFS's are extremely rare... kind of the holy grail for fish keeping. The best bet for plants is online... either aquabid, or even just posting in the classified section here. Most folks on here ship plants out for little more than the cost of shipping.
kevkev3321
Aquarium Advice Regular
yea i was thinking about posting on here for plants but i didnt wanna bother anyone
maybe il make a post later on, i know i need some java moss and i really want baby tear lol
maybe il make a post later on, i know i need some java moss and i really want baby tear lol
stephens0813
Aquarium Advice Regular
I do a water change about once a month even thoughmy readings are good. I have the api master test kit. Would you say this is good or bad? O yeah it is 50% water change.
