7Enigma
Aquarium Advice Addict
ikon said:Purrbox said: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 ??
You will want to cut the entire leaf at the base. I'd let it float at the surface a bit but if it shades too much of the light just snip it off. You don't want to cut 1/2 the leaf or in the middle, that will just weaken the plant and invite disease.
If the plant sinks on its own I would probably just bury a root or two to keep it stationary, but definitely not bury the bulb. I'd treat it like a rhizome in other plants and we like to keep them above the surface to prevent rot.
Just dump the flourish into the tank. I try to aim for my filter output to disperse the liquid evenly. This stuff is no joke, its used to rid the tank of algae and can harm/kill your fish if you use too much (or its too concentrated in one area). If you have some spot algae issues then its a great idea to use a small baster or other pipet-like tool to shoot the Excel directly on the affected plant leaf/thing, but its normally better to just remove the leaf. Better for the plant, and you can be 100% positive that particular algae is gone from the tank (and not just dead).
HTH