New to plants

[newlywed]

I'm getting ready to set up my 55 gal tank and would like to add some real plants. I've read through the posts and OMG...waaaay too much information! I do not want to concentrate my efforts on the plants and would prefer to concentrate on the fish. So, I need some suggestions for adding some very low maintenence plants to the tank. I'm not sure about lighting. I have 2 24" hoods and the lights that came with them. It is my understanding that these hoods can only handle a certain wattage and if I need 2 wpg then I would need 110 watts. Can I achieve this using factory hoods? I'm not exactly sure how many watts are in the hoods but am sure that it is not near enough. Will I be able to grow plants without buying new fixtures? Will the balasts hold a higher wattage bulb?
Also, I'm getting ready to set my tank up and start the cycling process and was wondering if plants would help or hinder the process. Any suggestions there?

I know that's a lot of questions and I really appreciate any help that you can offer!

 

[William]

You can't accomplish that with the hoods you have. You could buy a few more facotory lightstrips, but their so overpriced that you could easily go to www.hellolights.com and get a retrokit and get exactly what you need.



When you do get your lights, tho, if you want low-mantinance, go Javafern. Easy, rugged and pretty

 

[newlywed]

Thanks William! I was afraid of that! I'd really like to spend my money on fish instead of plant equipment so I guess it'll have to be the artificial kind!

 

[ferret]

AHSupply.com has lights that can be retro-fitted into existing fixtures and hoods. You need to have a bit of know-how to wire them up and attach them, but they come with some fairly straight forward instruction, and they have photos on their webpage showing how to set things up. You'd need to measure your lights to see what you'd be able to fit in there.

Java Ferns will grow under almost any sort of light, as well as Java Moss. Most other plants are going to require a bit more. I imagine you have about 48 watts right now (Two 24 watt fixtures). Just a guess, but thats their standard wattage for 55 gallon hoods.

 

[TankGirl]

My 55 came with two 15 watt bulbs originally. In that tank I grew java fern, crypts and aponogeton. There is nothing wrong with trying with them, especially if you are not interested in spending money to upgrade lighting. Once you increase lighting, you often get into algae issues and nutrient issues, so if you are new to this then start simple, and once the bug bites you (probably will ) you can upgrade, and really explore what can be done with plants.