2.8 WPG in 10 gal sufficient?

The water wisteria will be fine, not sure about the others. Since 2.8 is fairly nice i'm assuming they'll do fine.
 
i have a shallow 20 gall with 20 gallons of hv green specrtrum light which probubly is still not equivilant to your light, as long as it is not incandesant, and i grow valls fine. too fine.
 
The watts per gallon rule breaks down on ten gallon aquariums. That would be a lower light tank, despite having 2.8 watts per gallon.
 
Are you using compact fluorescent spirals, T8 or T12 fluorescent tube(s) or incandescent lighting? 2.8WPG may be fine, it depends what type of light you're using.
As Harlock said, the 'rule' doesn't really apply with small tanks. I believe it was also started using T12 (standard NO) fluorescent bulbs, so PC, T8 and T5 bulbs throw the numbers off as well.
I've got a 10g with 30W of PC spirals - spirals don't give off as much light as straight PC bulbs (you lose light due to the shape) but 2-15W bulbs seems to grow Cryptocoryne wendtii, water sprite, Hygrophila polysperma and Rotala indica quite well.
I'm using 2-15W spirals and 2-13W spirals over my 14g and my Crypts are doing well but I'd still say it's a low to medium light tank even at 4WPG. I couldn't begin to compare this 4WPG to my 65g which has 4.6WPG of regular PC lighting - you can just about hear the plants in the 65g growing ;)
 
I don't think 2.8wpg is "lowlight" for a ten. I'd say more like medium to upper medium. You could probably grow glosso in that much light. At any rate, all of those plants will be fine.

Of course, what "level" light it is depends partly on what reflector setup, if any, you have. 2.8wpg of output is not the same if you've got no reflectors because much of the light is being lost to ambient spread.
 
I asked about the val b/c all the other times I had them, they browned and rotted, but that was when I had only 1.5 WPG. Hopefully I will be able to keep them alive in my new lighting.

I do have a reflector that came with the light strip. It says that it is a polished aluminum reflector.

How can I tell what my light is, as in T8 or T12 or whatever? On the box, it says "compact flourescent".
 
Leopardess said:
I don't think 2.8wpg is "lowlight" for a ten. I'd say more like medium to upper medium. You could probably grow glosso in that much light. At any rate, all of those plants will be fine.

Of course, what "level" light it is depends partly on what reflector setup, if any, you have. 2.8wpg of output is not the same if you've got no reflectors because much of the light is being lost to ambient spread.
Click to expand...
Actually, by the watts per gallon rule:
  • 1 watt = low light
  • 2 watts = medium low to medium
  • 3 watts = medium to medium high
  • 4 watts = high light
So, you are saying that a 10 gallon basically follows the watts per gallon rule, but it does not. Smaller tanks, and larger tanks for that matter, tend to break down the watts per gallon rule. Here's a link to a guy using 8 WPG in 10 gallon tanks and growing anything (high light). Here's a link to a discussion on smaller tanks and intensity of lighting and why smaller tanks don't follow the WPG rule. Another link that actually goes into some detail regarding Takashi Amano's lighting habits and points out the break down of the watts per gallon rule in both large and small tanks.

Someone (and golly I wish I remember who now) posted a very enlightening link to a page that explained lumens per gallon and why this breakdown occurs. I'm not picking on you, I just think the OP should realize that 2.8 WPG over a ten may not actually have the results they are hoping for.
 
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