My plants are melting...

Thanks for the advice. I'll check around this site and make sure to double check their feedback.

I have a 20 gallon tall that I wanted to try to build an "Amazon Blackwater" biotope. The type of plants used can be close facsimiles to what is found in the wild. I plan on adding plants and some interesting looking drift wood and getting as close as I can but I'm not terribly stuck on small details. I've already strayed from a true biotope by having black sand as the substrate of this tank. Think of it as a Blackwater tank with some artistic liberites taken.

Any suggestions as far as plant choices with my current lighting would be very appreciated. I would definitely replace my stock lighting bulb for another more plant beneficial one. I currently have extra Coralife 10,000K and 20,000k bulbs for this size tank. Let me know which one is optimal.
 
Is anybody able to identify what happened to my plants? Maybe someone could confirm that they truly aren't aquatic plants?
 
Thanks Timwag2001.
I'm looking at the site right now. Do you happen to know of any low light plants that might might look good in that blackwater tank I was talking about? I was reading the description for some of the Vals and it sounded like the lower light tanks would restrict growth in a good way.

Have you ever seen anyone selling drift wood online? If not, I'm sure I could find a piece that works well in my tank. I'm unsure if the type of dead wood used plays a large part of compatibility in aquariums. Can I use anything I find?
 
Generally, you can use any wood in your tank as long as its completely dry and its not full of oils (example: never use pine in your tank). The big issue is that most woods will float practically forever, so your best bet is buying driftwood sold for aquarium use. Local pet stores around you probably have a decent selection if you do some driving, and it'll save you on shipping costs.

Vals are pretty hardy and don't need intense lighting. You could also go with a couple swordplants.

20,000k lighting won't grow plants. Even the 10,000k is a little too blue for plants, but I happen to like 10k lighting, so I'd go with that. My current lighting is a combination of 6500k and 10,000k. You didn't mention what the wattage on the new bulbs is. You'll need at least 1wpg, and better yet 1.5wpg, for adequate plant growth. Are the bulbs T5 or T7?
 
No problem.

I'm very new to planted tanks. I have so many questions to ask but feel guilty filling up the forums with a million questions that I'm sure have been answered a thousand times before.

Oh well, I'm everyone's problem now. :)
 
that's how we all learn. people around here are awesome. this is the 3rd aquarium forum i've used and is by far my favorite. everyone here is more than willing to help.
 
Hey Frosty,
I completely missed your post. Thanks for the info on drift wood. They are 15watt bulbs. I'll be honest, I have no idea if they are T5 or T7 bulbs. Whatever fits in a standard All Glass Aquarium Deluxe Hood.

It's a fifteen watt bulb on a twenty gallon tank. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that my lighting is inadequate.

By the way, I live in Montana so LPS are few and far between. Selection is thin out here.
 
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