zooking12 said:
Well, I'm trying to revive some anacharis that was not in the best shape when I bought it. I also have some Ludwigia, some blue hygrophila, some regular hygrophila, and some cardinal. I have no idea what kind of light I have currently, but I will look into buying a new one as I'm quite positive its over a year old. And I have no idea how the plants are doing, as its been only a week. I plan on rescaping it soon. Thanks for the help. And for the substrate I want to put a very thin layer of black sand on the top. Will that affect the plants?
Look for Full Spectrum Daylight or Warm Daylight
And you can have other Kelvin numbers but I use 6,500K or near that number ( Color temperature )
It is the closest to Noonday Sun in the tropics.
Check hardware stores for best value. Or Walmart.
If you can post a pic of the current bulb with a clear shot of the writing, that will help a lot.
If it is a single T8 that type can still work, but you'll perhaps adjust the plants you plan to buy, or not
You want at least 3" of substrate, so you may need a thicker layer of sand. Also if you plan to layer over gravel, the gravel will eventually be on top, so make sure you like the color.
I use straight sand. You can use organic potting soil capped with a good layer of sand, plants go crazy, but it can be messy if you move plants and get soil in the water ( algae bloom ).
Google Walstad Method for info on that.
I use straight sand with root tabs. It's cheap and it works. Eco Complete is nice, but pricey for a big tank. There are stickies at the top of the freshwater >Planted sub forum about a lot of details.
