OK, K, K, K, K, K - I got a new light - shop light that hubby modified a bit for me; he put foil tape inside to reflect the light - it has 2 - 32 watt, 65K bulbs, and it hangs about 3" above my 45 gallon tank. I have no co2 and I do not wish to go there... what do I need to dose to have my plants thrive and the algae not?! I have wisteria, water sprite, dwarf hairgrass (I think that's what it is), red rotala, and of course, java fern/anubias. :headbang2:
ok..........
- Thread starter noodles62
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Unfortunaely I am wondering this same thing, I believe there is many cheap sources of co2 like one out of jello 
Excel will end up costing you more than a cheap Bio-Co2 system in the long run. But if you do go the Excel route, the dosing instructions are on the bottle. Liquid ferts are good way to introduce yourself to fertilizing, but with a tank that size, your wallet will quickly cause you to look into dry ferts.
Check out rexgrigg.com. Some good info on there.
Check out rexgrigg.com. Some good info on there.
You don't really need CO2 with the amount of light you have on your aquarium. Also, your Rotala will probably revert to green due to the low light.
Agreed... you have 1.42 wpg there. I don't think you should need ferts or CO2. What's your photoperiod?
Well, ATM I have the lights timed for 11:30 am - 9:00 pm - that of course is adjustable as needed. I want my plants to survive but not promote algea.....I'm so confused! :wall: LOL
That's a good amount of light for a nice low light setup. You don't need co2, and you don't need regular dosing. You might want to dose a trace mix like Flourish or TMG once a week, maybe once every other week.
Anything else will promote algae.
Anything else will promote algae.