Lowtech lighting question?

[Lexis009]

Hello all! First of all I am trying to get into planted tanks, I have a 20 long and have a t8 17 watt full spectrum bulb
. I have gotten java moss, amazon sword, anacharis and creeping Jenny. I just want to know if my full spectrum light will be enough in the long run or if I should get a better light fixture, or if I can get away with replacing the bulb with another t8 that's for plants. I have used root tabs for the golden creeping Jenny and the amazon sword- of which has grown out a few leaves in the course of two weeks. The creeping Jenny is too newly planted to see any changes yet, and I have been a little confused over it since many sites say it is a low to medium light plant. These are the only plants I want in my tank and I just want to make sure they will make it.

 

[Lexis009]

Has anyone successfully kept plants with a 24" t8 17 watt successfully? Besides java moss?

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Java fern and anubia will survive with the full spectrum 17w but I wouldn't expect much growth from them.

 

[Lexis009]

Ok thanks, do you think a zoo med flora bulb would be better for the amazon?

 

[Cichlid Kid]

The flora bulb alone wouldn't be enough. It has the reds and blue that plants use but not the intensity. I have the florasun bulb along with a super daylight t-5ho dual fixture for med.- hi light plants.
For your lowlight plants the 17w flora along with a couple 6500k cfl's would work perfect imo.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Ok thanks, do you think a zoo med flora bulb would be better for the amazon?

Your plants sound like they're doing fairly well with the light you have. Once the bulb gets around a year old I'd try out a ZooMed bulb. They make nice lamps. Honestly, in a tank as shallow as the one you have a single light should be adequate for the plants you have and you can easily add a few more low light plants anytime you want.

Low light tanks like yours can be so much fun and usually don't need nearly as much attention as higher light tanks. That said, if you ever decide to get a different fixture you may want to look at the Finnex FugeRays on Amazon. They last for years and years without ever needing new bulbs and put out medium light which is great for lots of plants. No need to rush though. As long as your light bulb isn't over 12 months old it's fine. After all, your plants sound like they like it.

 

[Lexis009]

Thank you so much! I was starting to get worried because I have been researching too much lol, I just want to enjoy a lowlight setup before I get into anything more delicate, and I thought this light would be great when I got it because it looked really bright, but them I found out about wavelengths and watts per gal, then it got confusing and scary lol.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

As long as you have a full spectrum daylight your plants will be ok. So many people here are into bright lights. After a while they think that only really strong lights can support plants. lol There are so many different ways to set up a nice tank.

 

[Lexis009]

Yeah I have plenty of growth on my amazon sword, it has grown about four new leaves in just two weeks and the root system has grown a lot faster than I would have thought . On two of the new leaves are a tiger-like striping, do you have any idea if that is normal? They are bright green and growing, but just are a little different.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Tiger like striping. Are all the leaves the same shade of green? The plant may have been grown partially out of water and if so the new leaves will be different and the old leaves may eventually die off. In that case it's normal. It could also be a lack of proper nutrients.

I know you added root tabs but have you added any liquid ferts?

 

[Lexis009]

Yes, the new ones are a darker shade and are matching, they are also pointier, think aloe Vera type points, while the adult leaves are more lobed and are on longer stems. I'll try to attach a pic this afternoon, also am not using liquid ferts, I had heard that it would be unnecessary for low light setup?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

That does sound like the leaves are changing to submerged growth. It's a good sign.

Yeah, you can probably get by without feeding the plants but if you decide to try it out after q few months Seachem comprehensive would be the one I'd choose. You did say that you used root tabs, and honestly, that's what swords seem to need the most anyway.

I'm looking forward to seeing a picture of your tank one day. And if you ever want to add a few more plants you're light can grow quite a number of other types. Just look up low light plants or ask here anytime. Even in my high light high tech tank I have a bunch of low light plants. They're some of my absolute favorites and I had them growing for years under normal fluorescents just like yours. ^_^

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I didn't mean to lead you astray. I was always told that less than 1wpg wasn't sufficient to "grow" much. I never had any luck till I switched to t-5's or cfl's and was under the impression you weren't getting the growth you wanted. If you are though, sweet. I wouldn't change anything. Planted tanks are alot of fun, low and hi-tech. Enjoy!

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I didn't mean to lead you astray. I was always told that less than 1wpg wasn't sufficient to "grow" much. I never had any luck till I switched to t-5's or cfl's and was under the impression you weren't getting the growth you wanted. If you are though, sweet. I wouldn't change anything. Planted tanks are alot of fun, low and hi-tech. Enjoy!

Well, that's certainly true up to a point. He isn't really trying to push light hungry plants to grow quickly. Seems he's trying to have an easy slow growing planted tank to relax beside. Sometimes it's the easy tanks that take little work but leave the most time for enjoyment that are just what the doctor ordered. ^_^