Need some advice

R

Rafini

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Jun 24, 2012
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Hey guys I have a 225 gallon aquarium 5x3x2 and Currently only have a large amazon sword plant which is doing very well, and two smaller pieces of java fern that seem to equally be doing well.
I am extremely new to planted tanks so I want to stick to the basic species like Anubis, swords, Vallis etc.
And I have a few questions

Firstly, What would be some good species that have the same kind of light requirements?
Its worthy to note that when I put in a pink colored small plant the Diamond tetra group I had kept picking at it and ripping it apart, I am sure its the color cause everything else gets left alone by everyone, and diamonds are plant friendly. My guess is they mistook it for the flake I feed them.

Secondly, I have 3 48" bulbs on the tank right now, One color max, one regular white, and then one thats just a random bulb I had lying around. I currently run about 8 hours of sunlight on the tank and my plants seem to be doing well.
I am awaiting the delivery of a finnex plant plus 48" fixture that I will run with probably the colormax and white bulb also. My tank is 3' wide so honestly you need a lot to light it up.

My question is, with the plant suggestions and the fact that I`ll have a Finnex plant plus, Which is basically an LED that emits the true 660nm spectrum ideal for photosynthesis. So essentially it is perfect because I wanted to switch to LED anyway but this way I can still grow undemanding plants. I can get them for just over $100 so its a killer deal.

My biggest question is, as a complete noob.
How many hours a day should I give my plants light for?
Honestly I have never kept planted aquariums before and so far I have stocked the tank with plant friendly species and tested the ground with some hardy plants but as I get my new light and want to get some more, I need to know some of the most basic things. I am not really interested in using Co2 or anything like that at this current point as I am new, so any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few quick pics of my set up, its kinda new and very different to the monster fish I had in there before.
lxx7Aub.jpg

Wxfc86u.jpg

APmYKoj.jpg


With a tank this big, until It has 100 fish in there it won`t look stocked.
Also if anyone is interested in the spec side of the light here is a link to the manufacturer website
http://finnex.ca/shop/led-aquarium-lighting/finnex-fugeray-planted-plus/
 
I generally keep planted tank lights on anywhere from 8-10 hours...usually on the lower side.

Interested to see how that Finnex works for you. I believe it's a higher-end fixture with a lot of power, but with a deeper tank like that you might be ok. I'm having trouble finding PAR data for that one specifically.
 
I am right with jpappy on this too. 8-10 hrs. My tanks are low light.

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In addition to anubias, swords, and vals, I would recommend crypts, java ferns, and mosses. Certain stems can also do well in low light. Wisteria, L. Repens, myriophyllum, to name a few. I've also heard bucephalandra will do well in low tech conditions. I only have a few newly acquired ones myself and they are growing in my high tech tank so I can't personally back that up. Plus they tend to be much more expensive than most other plants.

Also agree on the photoperiod. Although I've found I tend to get some algae when I go over 8 in most tanks.


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Thanks so much for you valued input guys, so 8 hours would be best?
From what I read about the finnex, its low energy use and also not one of the most powerful fixtures out there, They offer some marine ones that are really really powerful and I have seen that some other companies offer some really powerful high tech ones that I can buy in person, but I like the Finnex combination of moonlight + regular lights, relatively low energy consumption (especially compared to those coral growing lights) and apparently very good results at growing low to medium light plants.
 
Rafini said:
Thanks so much for you valued input guys, so 8 hours would be best?
From what I read about the finnex, its low energy use and also not one of the most powerful fixtures out there, They offer some marine ones that are really really powerful and I have seen that some other companies offer some really powerful high tech ones that I can buy in person, but I like the Finnex combination of moonlight + regular lights, relatively low energy consumption (especially compared to those coral growing lights) and apparently very good results at growing low to medium light plants.
Click to expand...

I've heard good things about the planted+ and all the finnex fixtures for that matter. Just keep in mind the size of your tank. It is a larger tank and the further the plants are from the light the lower the intensity. So halfway down you may have a higher par than at the substrate. Same thing works front to back in the tank. You may need to consider supplementing the planted+, I haven't seen the PAR values for it though so I'm not sure. Also buildmyled may be worth taking a look at if you haven't purchased the planted+ yet and end up needing something stronger.


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Sorry should have clarified that by "power" I didn't necessarily mean wattage...the PAR for those FW Finnex fixtures usually is pretty high for a planted tank's needs.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=338114

But given that your tank is about twice as deep, you should be ok sticking with a low tech setup and lower light plants.
 
Looking at the pics, I think you need more substrate. The roots need more room to grow.
 
Thanks guys, I do need more substrate for sure and its on my list, it is a lot deeper than it looks because I have 1cm thick glass rim around the bottom sides of the tank, so where you see its bare at the front is the little ledge that sticks up just over a cm. So there is a lot more room than it looks. Especially at the back.

My aim is to have the finnex above my plants at the back and 2 regular t5 bulbs on the front of the tank, so there will be way more than just the finnex. but the finnex will be there purely for the plants. does that make sense
 
Rafini said:
My aim is to have the finnex above my plants at the back and 2 regular t5 bulbs on the front of the tank, so there will be way more than just the finnex. but the finnex will be there purely for the plants. does that make sense
Click to expand...

I am no expert on lights, but I do know that plants do best at a certain "K" range (between 6000 to 10000K). I use mostly 6600K, but I do find that to be too yellow, so I always add a 10000K bulb to it (the 10000K is very blue), whick make the tank look better. My plants grow very well under that.
 
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