LEDs enough light for live plants? Is Two at once too many?

[tiedyn]

Hi all! I have a 3 gal half moon w/ submerged filter & small round bubble stone/rainbow LEDs. i currently have lucky bamboo fully submerged in tank. i have heard it can rot leading to poor water conditions. i would like to switch them out for an Anacharis and Anubius, one of each. can my small tank support that much plant life, or will i be messing up the water quality. the tank gets zero sunlight... i will NOT purchase additional lighting or move tank. can my little LEDs provide sufficient imitation sunshine, or do i have no hope of keeping the plants alive.... is two too many and will LEDs provide ok light???

Thanks So Much for any info!!

 

[KevinM]

I use LEDs in my 29 gallon with plants, and they seem to being doing just fine. all of them have grown. Just keep your plants that need a little more light in the middle and yor low lights near the edges. Im going to go back to the hood that came wit the tank and get a plant bulb but the LEDs do look nice.

 

[tiedyn]

How about both plants in a 3 gal at the same time? To much, effects on my water quality?

 

[M1k3y_gumi]

More plants will give you BETTER water quality. Assuming they are aquatic plants and won't just rot.

 

[Zimmanski]

If its the tank and led bubbler I'm thinking of, your LEDs will definitely not do anything at all for your plants, or any plants, even low light plants. Your room lights would actually provide more for the plants. I'm pretty sure I have the same tank and LEDs you do, I used it as a hospital tank for a while.
The person who posted about having leds in their 29 gall has different ones than we do.
You could still do some low light plants(as long as your not planning to keep it locked in a dark closet!), just the LEDs you have wont do anything to help

 

[tiedyn]

Thank you for the info!

 

[aqua_chem]

LEDs are not all made equally. Depending on their stats, some might be barely able to sustain plants at point blank range, and some might be enough to do a reef with. As a general rule of thumb, the more expensive the LEDs, the more better off you'll be.

 

[Zimmanski]

This is the tank im pretty sure the OP has.
Tetra Bubbling LED Half Moon Aquarium Kit, 1ct: Fish : Walmart.com

Its not a bad little tank, I had fun with the one I had, but the bubbling LED just not life supporting.
OP, I know you said you didnt want to buy any more lighting but Walmart has some incandescent "plant Grow Bulbs" for about $3 each, if you have any desk lamps or ceiling fan/lights you could try switching them out for these, I dont know if it would help drastically but it cant hurt and when you turn them on they dont look blue, just in case you're in the store wondering about it like I was haha.

 

[tiedyn]

That is my tank! I think I will keep an eye on them for a while. I don't mind if theh don't grow much, I just don't want them to die! If they r struggling I will get bulb... Is that light bulb with fish stuff at store, or another department?

 

[Zimmanski]

Check the lighting section in walmart back by the hardware and paint, it'll be right around where they keep replacement light bulbs for normal household stuff

 

[aqua_chem]

Don't get incandescent bulbs. Get the daylight fluorescent bulbs. Incandescents are inefficient and don't have a suitable spectrum for plants.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Don't get incandescent bulbs. Get the daylight fluorescent bulbs. Incandescents are inefficient and don't have a suitable spectrum for plants.

Yep. A regular daylight screw in type fluorescent light bulb in a desk lamp would be enough to keep some low light plants. Otherwise, you're likely to to watch them wither away. It really needs to be a daylight.

 

[Zimmanski]

The incandescent bulbs I suggested are 60 watts and in the color spectrum for plants, but the fluorescent ones probably work too, I have no experience with that.