Low light planted tank and cycling- will this work?

[Alliel]

I'm looking at setting up a 140L planted tank - it's about 3 feet long.

I have been reading about light and CO2 systems, but I'm not looking to do anything too whiz bang (and also I'm new to this) and I think I may be able to get away without a CO2 system.. and possibly any lighting.. ? I'm not fussed at all by slow growth.

I am happy to stock it with "basic" low light plants in it, and it will be situated on a kitchen bench where it will get SOME natural light. I currently have a 10L betta tank in roughly the same area, with some plants in it which are looking really healthy and good. I'm wary of giving it too much light, and

In terms of fish, I'm not 100% sure but at this stage I'm thinking a sorority of female betta.

So that's one question - is a 140L tank with plants do-able without CO2 and lighting, or should I really sit down and work out how to balance everything? I'm just aware that while to me this seems like a huge tank, it's tiny compared to what many people here have!

The other question is aroudn cycling. I am fish-in cycling my betta tank at the moment and all is going well. I'm happy to do this with the 140L tank also. But how does cycling impact on the plants - is it irrelevant? Tha'ts another reason why I'm hoping I can do no CO2, because if I'm donig water changes etc, it's going to just keep disrupting the balance of nutrients and minerals etc. Should I just cycle the planted tank as normal and let the plants take care of themselves?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Hi Alliel,

Welcome to AA!

What are the dimensions of the 140L (~37g) tank? What's more important than length is the height because that has the most impact on your light level (PAR). Light intensity reduces significantly the further it has to travel from fixture to substrate in distance.

A low tech, low light planted tank is a great starting point. Some people are quite content with staying at low light because it offers the most leeway in terms of balancing, less chance of algae, trimming, ferts, no CO2, etc. Plenty of nice looking low tech planted tank examples online.

But to answer your question, a low tech tank is doable in a 140L but I wouldn't rely on "some natural light." You'll need at least a light fixture capable to sustain and grow low light tolerant plants. Using natural sunlight often leads to algae. IMO, it's better to have a calculated light level that's on a timer to have a consistent photoperiod each day.

Look up PAR vs. Distance in planted tanks. And lighting with PAR instead of watts.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368

And yes, cycling a tank with live plants is beneficial. Plants obtained from an established tank are coated with beneficial bacteria. They help seed the tank to get the cycle done faster. Further, they help by absorbing toxins and nitrates.

 

[Alliel]

Hi Brian, thanks for the welcome! I've spent hours poring over this forum in the last week or so - and have admired your tanks!

The dimensions of the tank are 90cm (l) x 35cm (w) x 45cm (d). Which in inches is approx 35 (l) x 14 (w) x 18 (d).

I just read the link you posted (thank you!!) and while I understand the way that the amount of light reaching various parts of the aquarium diminishes with the distance it has to travel, I'm still confused as to what kind of light I really need. According to that post, a low light aquarium tends to have around 15-30 micromol per PAR.. but at such a low level, that amount of light is going to be available even if it's quite far away. Ie, if I get a weak-ish light fixture, it's going to give me somewhere in the realm of 15-30 micromol per PAR if I position it somewhere above the tank, without having to worry about exactly where, and exactly how much is reaching what areas.

.. is that right?
Does that mean that I should get a low level kind of light? And just hope for the best?

Sorry for all the questions! Nothing like a whole new hobby to make you feel like a complete idiot! I'm competent at some other stuff in real life, I swear

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

There's some PAR charts on the thread a linked to. Depends on the type of lighting you go with. T8's usually don't have reflectors so their PAR output is less, but you can see the difference with a single versus a double bulb fixture. A single bulb t5ho with a good quality reflector should perform just as good as a dual bulb non-reflector t8.

There's also LED options. Some companies post their PAR data while some don't. It's hard to figure this one out if there's no PAR posted. But sometimes research might shed some light. Since you're in Australia, it's harder for me to make recommendations because I'm only aware of LEDs we have here. But I think a fluval aquatic life & Plant LED, should be good for your tank.

But what's your budget on lighting?

I found this Australian site by googling. You should poke around online, there might be some better options.

http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=87&cat=LED+lights

 

[Alliel]

I ended up going to the aquarium yesterday (and Saturday.. may be a bit obsessed) and spoke to one of the guys there - he set me up with a t5 light which will be fine for me. He was very helpful and showed me the various plants that would be able go grow with the single and twin units, and I decided on the single.

I can't remember exactly what it was (I'm at work atm) but it's similar to this: T5 High Output Twin Fluorescent Light Unit (90cm) -
The aquarium I went to doesn't have products etc listed on their website unfortunately.