Is a 85Watt Fluoresceht light too much for a 20 gallon planted tank?

[jcsaad]

Plants in tank: Water wisteria, anacharis, Alternanthera reineckii, anubias. Currently the tank has a 15 watt fluorescent bulb which is extremely low ligh and so the plants arent growing at all.
Will the new light show me increased growth or will I have an algae bloom? (i add liquid fertilizer each week but no co2 injection)

 

[Viper]

You are going to need to add ferts and supplements and also inject CO2. By adding this much light, you are turning your tank into a high-tech one. If one of the components of a high-tech tank is not on par with the other ones, problems can occur such as serious algae growth.

 

[Viper]

I just saw your thread in the other forum. A good amount light for a low-tech system would be anywhere from .5 WPG (Watts per Gallon) to 2 WPG. Only some low-light plants are capable of growing under .5WPG but it is possible. You might even be able to get away with having 2.5 WPG and still remain low-tech. I should mention that low-tech means not required to add ferts, supplements or CO2. (Although they most certainly couldn't hurt if dosed correctly).

 

[jcsaad]

thanks for all ur help!

 

[jcsaad]

One more thing, if i reduce the amount of time the light is on can i still get away with 85 watts?

 

[Viper]

While interrupting the light can help with algal growth, in your case, it almost certainly won't be enough to fend off the algae. In all actuality, your options are to go with that 85 watts but be prepared to run a high-tech tank, or reduce the amount of light and run an easier-to-maintain low-tech tank.

 

[rkilling1]

What exactly is an 85 watt light?

Do you have a link?

 

[mgamer20o0]

just go with a couple cfl bulbs. too much light will just cause you more problems then good. it will make it hard to balance.