HELP with Grass!!

[parsons483]

I have had this set up for I say going on two months. The grass don’t seem to be taking root and for the last two to three weeks there has been reddish brown algae. Any kind of advice would greatly be appreciated. Ps. The grass floating around is from me cleaning the filter

 

[goatnad]

I have had this set up for I say going on two months. The grass don’t seem to be taking root and for the last two to three weeks there has been reddish brown algae. Any kind of advice would greatly be appreciated. Ps. The grass floating around is from me cleaning the filter View attachment 309514View attachment 309515

A bit more info on the tank will help. Fish you have, what kind of lighting, substrate, are you dosing ferts?

 

[parsons483]

A bit more info on the tank will help. Fish you have, what kind of lighting, substrate, are you dosing ferts?

There is no fish in it yet I wanted to get the grass rooted in first. For substrate I’m using soil capped off with black sand the only lighting is usually only what comes from the window and sometimes the led light

 

[ZxC]

Not enough light, algae will grow in window light, plants will not.

If the LED is one that comes in a tank hood, it likely will not be able to grow the grass either.

 

[parsons483]

Not enough light, algae will grow in window light, plants will not.

If the LED is one that comes in a tank hood, it likely will not be able to grow the grass either.

Yeah that is the kind of led light it is. What would you recommend for it?

 

[ZxC]

Looks to be a 20ish gallon high tank??

4 x 13w CFL bulbs.
2 x T5-HO bulbs.
2-4 x T8 bulbs.
Finnex 24/7.
Fluval plant 3.0.
Beamswork DA-FSPEC.

Lots of options.

 

[parsons483]

Ok thank you. Those are bulbs what would I need to put them on ? The tank did not come with the part for the lights because it was second hand

 

[ZxC]

Ok thank you. Those are bulbs what would I need to put them on ? The tank did not come with the part for the lights because it was second hand

Usually a good mix is a 3000k - 6500k plus a pink plant grow bulb.

 

[Fresh2o]

Looks to be a 20ish gallon high tank??

4 x 13w CFL bulbs.
2 x T5-HO bulbs.
2-4 x T8 bulbs.
Finnex 24/7.
Fluval plant 3.0.
Beamswork DA-FSPEC.

Lots of options.

The first one listed are inexpensive bulbs can be fitted into fixtures that accept screw in type bulbs (typically incandescent). These fixtures include (incandescent) aquarium hoods, desk lamps, and clamp on dome style lights.
The second and third are tube style fluorescent bulbs that fit into appropriate fixtures (high output T-5 size and normal output T-8 size, respectively).
The last three are LED fixtures that should be able to produce enough light for supporting a grass carpet.
Lighting is only one facet for growing plants. Sufficient nutrients and a carbon source in the right amounts are needed to support demanding plants.

 

[parsons483]

Will this one work? and yes it’s a 20gl

 

[goatnad]

Will this one work? View attachment 309554 and yes it’s a 20gl

Probably not. For one it is very short and isn't really going to give good coverage. Also its only 6 watts which means its not really putting out a lot of light at all. I went with the finnex planted+ 20" and 30" for my 10 Gallon and 20 gallon long tanks and they are working great. The 20" is 17 watts and the 30" is 29 watts. Your 20 gallon is probably 24" long so you need a light that will be 24". It is around $80-90 so if price is an issue then you might want to look into CFL's or even the ip65 led floodlight 6500k 10-20 watt. You should be able to get the floodlights for less than $20. I used 2 30w ones for my 75 gallon tank and they were awesome. They did die after about 1 year to 1 1\2 years. CFL's will be super cheap (something like $3-5 per bulb)but they will need to be replaced every 6-8 months depending on your light cycle.