Timers

[Talon242]

Hmm... any suggestions for a good timer for lights.

 

[medge00]

any cheap one you can get at kmart, target, home depot, rite aid, longs, etc. they're all about the same.... unless you're looking for a special one or something

 

[TankGirl]

I have the cheap timers that you pull little prongs out or leave them in and they flip the switch manually, but I find them to keep somewhat irregular time (over 3-4 months the lights are turning off almost a half-hour earlier at night!) and I plan on switching to the digital models. They cost more, but keep accurate time, and you just program them, rather than relying on a physical switch. That is splitting hairs, though, any one of them, digital or not, will work for our purposes.

 

[Talon242]

Alright thanks, another quick question is there any special way to add the plants to the tank, or do you just put them in?

 

[TankGirl]

It depends on the type of plant. Some should not be buried in the gravel, some should, but not the rhizome, etc. Which ones do you have in mind?

 

[Talon242]

I'll probably start of with some java ferns, anubias nana, anubias bateri, and cryptocoryne beckettii.

 

[AquariumFreak]

Are there any light timers that will slowly dim the lights on and off?

 

[TankGirl]

Okay, the java moss needs to be tied to something for the best look, and I use cotton thread for this. Once the thread rots off the plant has taken hold on its own. The anubias can be partially buried in the substrate, but keep the rhizome above the gravel. Crypts just get plunked in the gravel, but they are heavy root feeders so a root tab is good for them unless you have a fancy plant substrate. Crypts sometimes "melt" (don't know how much you know about this, forgive me!) when moved from one tank to another, or if water parameters change much, but they will almost always come back after a bit.

I don't know of a timer that will dim, but that really sounds like a nice thing. I have two strips on my 44, with one large light and one smaller one, and in the evening the brighter light turns out first, leaving the smaller one in the back for a dim, moonlight effect.

 

[medge00]

some people who have multiple bulbs/fixtures on their tanks staggar the on/off times, so that it will be off, one bulb on, all bulbs on, one bulb off, all off.... HTH

 

[Talon242]

Thanks for all the responses they have been really helpful. Btw what is a rhizome?

 

[TankGirl]

Rhizome is the thickened area between the leaf stem and where the roots come out.