starting over
- Thread starter Damian
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
55 gallon tank
API root tabs ----- seachem root tabs
Seachem flourish
API CO2 Booster----- seachem excel
4x54 Ho lights------ 2x54 ho lights
jwh0818
Aquarium Advice Addict
He is saying go with the other ones he posted for better results
jwh0818
Aquarium Advice Addict
Whats your lighting regiment?
jwh0818
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well with what your dosing, I'd stick with 6 hours a day max or your algae is gonna grow like no tomorrow and are you aware that with that high of lighting your gonna need a steady co2 source?
yea 4xt5ho is alot of light if you run it all 4 toghether you will probably gonna need pressurized co2 and either excel or api carbon as a supplement to your pressurized co2. i have 4xt5ho and only run 2 bulbs for 8 hours with a noon burst on the other 2 bulbs..so it goes 3 hours=2bulbs, 2hours=4bulbs, 3hours-2buibs . and i supplement with excel mostly to control algae ( since excel or api acts as an algecide).
but i have alot of red plants that require high light and dwarf hairgrass ground cover. i see swords in your tank which are low to medium light plants . you can just run 2 of the bulbs in your setup which will put you at the high range of medium light ,just about into high light depending on your fixture (reflectors and so on). and if you every decide to put some ground cover plants like dwarf hairgrass and throw in some red plants you have the other 2 bulbs there.
as far as the root tabs the seachem root tabs is just seachem flourish comprehensive in solid form which i find to be a better product imo.
according to seachem you can use excel ( or api ,i am just trust seachem more) in high light tanks without pressurized co2. link here - http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/showthread.php?t=242
but i think that your gonna run the risk of 1- starving your plants by not supplying them with enough co2 or 2- overdosing your tank with api and suffocating your fish
keep in mind that the higher the lighting the harder the battle to stabilize the tank...
candymancan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
What kind of bulbs are you using ? Im using only 2xT5 Normal Output in my 55g.. but I have a colormax and daylight bulb.. Colormax may sound like "color" for plants and fish but its actually very similer in color spectrum to a floramax bulb.. it has a lot of high reds and blue's... You need red and blue spectrums "pink bulbs" for plants.. If all you have are normal white looking bulbs I would make sure they have good spectrums in the red 600-700nm frequency.. Otherwise your plants wont grow with just a high blue and they don't use green... everyone always talks about 6700k bulbs blah blah... but TBH those bulbs.. have a lot of high green and blue.. not that great on red... And each bulb is different... A fullspectrum bulb for example has no red at all..
Remember its not how many lights and how bright they are its what you use
My 27g hex uses old T8 hood lamps.. I have 3 of them overtop though 2 bulbs are pink floramax 1 is a fullspectrum to make the tank bright and white for my eyes.. My plants are simply radiating in colors.. and im using API CO2 booster 40 gallons worth everyday, API leaf zone once a week.. and im using seachem flourish 2 or 3x a week.. and when I use the flourish I use 120 gallons worth of it.. (2 cap fulls) as you see I have zero algae growth so I don't see the problem in using more then recommended fertz on the bottle.. I tried API roots tabs but I use an undergravel filter (I was lazy and didn't feel like taking it out) so it just dissolves my root tabs and makes the tank cloudy so I don't use them..
My tank is overstocked with fish too... If you use those online calculators its like 170-200% overstocked.. Fish put out CO2 when they breath... so im sure that helps my plants a lot... and in return plants put out oxygen
Here is a pic of my 27g hex.
This is a pic of my 30g it using 2xT5 normal output... same fert dose.. and same 1 color max 1 daylight... See how bright my plants are ? Maybe im just lucky I dunno
Remember its not how many lights and how bright they are its what you use
My 27g hex uses old T8 hood lamps.. I have 3 of them overtop though 2 bulbs are pink floramax 1 is a fullspectrum to make the tank bright and white for my eyes.. My plants are simply radiating in colors.. and im using API CO2 booster 40 gallons worth everyday, API leaf zone once a week.. and im using seachem flourish 2 or 3x a week.. and when I use the flourish I use 120 gallons worth of it.. (2 cap fulls) as you see I have zero algae growth so I don't see the problem in using more then recommended fertz on the bottle.. I tried API roots tabs but I use an undergravel filter (I was lazy and didn't feel like taking it out) so it just dissolves my root tabs and makes the tank cloudy so I don't use them..
My tank is overstocked with fish too... If you use those online calculators its like 170-200% overstocked.. Fish put out CO2 when they breath... so im sure that helps my plants a lot... and in return plants put out oxygen
Here is a pic of my 27g hex.
This is a pic of my 30g it using 2xT5 normal output... same fert dose.. and same 1 color max 1 daylight... See how bright my plants are ? Maybe im just lucky I dunno
candymancan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Hmm well if your swords were dying I dunno.. Im by no means a plant expert so I cant help you there.. I just know I haven't had any issues in my planted tanks..
Well my sword once did grow cracked brown leaves but its fine now
Well my sword once did grow cracked brown leaves but its fine now
Billbug68
Aquarium Advice Addict
To me your problem seems to be too much light, and not enough fertilizers.
Lets keep in mind that amazon swords are HUGE nutrient hogs, and will grow extremely fast under that amount of light.
If you can run only two bulbs in your four bulb fixture, I'd say go that route. Otherwise, run 4 bulbs with pressurized co2 or heavy doses of excel. Also, switch to dosing dry ferts via pps pro or ei method.
You have to remember, planted tanks must be kept in balance. Lights, ferts, co2. You can't just add a ton of light and expect everything to be great. More light requires more ferts and more co2.
Lets keep in mind that amazon swords are HUGE nutrient hogs, and will grow extremely fast under that amount of light.
If you can run only two bulbs in your four bulb fixture, I'd say go that route. Otherwise, run 4 bulbs with pressurized co2 or heavy doses of excel. Also, switch to dosing dry ferts via pps pro or ei method.
You have to remember, planted tanks must be kept in balance. Lights, ferts, co2. You can't just add a ton of light and expect everything to be great. More light requires more ferts and more co2.
Sillyfishies
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you can't afford pressurized co2 get a gallon of metracide-14 and dilute it with a gallon of distilled water. Then just dose it like excel
candymancan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Just an FYI I use 2 cap fulls in my tanks 2x a week.. And my 27g hex (and my hex is like 26 inches tall) is only using 3x T8 bulbs.. 2x floramax 1x full spectrum... that's not even close to your lighting lol.. but my plants seem to love me using 120g worth of flourish lol.. The giant bottle is only like $15 and its lasting forevery for my 3 tanks so I don't why using that much would hurt.
If I cut a stem off my giant like 16-18 inch sword itll grow a new leaf and grow like 3-4 inches every night when I turn the lights off lol.. Gatt say though it wont grow any taller
If I cut a stem off my giant like 16-18 inch sword itll grow a new leaf and grow like 3-4 inches every night when I turn the lights off lol.. Gatt say though it wont grow any taller
