2.8 WPG in 10 gal sufficient?

Firstly, I am very aware about this "rule" you speak of breaking down and have long ago seen those sites. I've explained the concept on this site many times. That is why I can use a 20 watt light bulb on a 4 liter tank and not have it be insane. On a ten gallon, however, acts the rule isn't bent quite that out of shape yet. Light can increase or decrease gradually, there is no one point where something becomes high light - or very high light. I've spent years on APC and AB and TPT and I'm just telling you what I have seen.

I'm not sure who devised that "rule" breakdown you posted as there is no true "this means this" and "that means that" as far as I'm aware.

My 10g tank is considered high light at 3.6wpg (factor in the ah reflectors which have something like 168% reflectivity and its even higher). Often, anything over 4wpg can be considered "very high light." You can probably grow glosso in 2.8 wpg - and glosso is a high light plant. I'm not saying that 2.8wpg in a 10g is high light, but it certainly isn't low.

You know Harlock, I don't dislike you at all, but it seems everytime I post an opinion in a thread you have posted in, we get into some sort of debate. I don't have the energy for it :).
 
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WinterWind said:
I have this:

http://www.hellolights.com/201xcoraqpch.html

And I also ordered a 6700k 28 watt bulb which I am using for it.
Click to expand...
Compact fluorescent and power compact are the same thing - what you've got is great for plants :D. I asked because some 10g tanks come with incandescent lights, and 28W of incandescent provides very little light compared to fluorescent or compact fluorescent. PC lamps provide more light than T12s (what I think of as 'regular' fluorescent bulbs).
The number after the T refers, AFAIK, to how many eighths of an inch in diameter the bulb is - T12 = 1.5", T8 = 1", T5 = 5/8". It seems as bulb diameter decreases, light output increases; of these three, T5 provides the most light per watt. I believe PC bulbs are close to T5, and provide around three times the light output as a T12 bulbs.
I'm not sure where the dividing line between high, medium and low light is but, bottom line, I think with that fixture you'll be able to grow just about anything you like :)
 
Will I be able to grow micro swords in my tank?

2.8 wpg, no fertilizer in substrate (only medium sized gravel), and I add plantgro, and I also will have a DIY CO2 system. Will that be sufficient? I read that micro swords are quite demanding in substrate requirements and lighting.
 
That depends. They often require a nutrient rich substrate as they are heavy root feeders like most carpet plants. They also like a fairly high co2 content. You can probably gorw them, but they will grow very, very slowly. I've not had good luck with them in anything besides a tank which I ignored - and of course they grew like mad. Go figure?:)

As for the plants you first asked about, if it makes you feel better, I'm growing the plants you asked about in 2.9wpg, with no reflectors and the lights are 16-18" off the water.
 
I've got Echinodorus angustifolius - not exactly micro (~4" - 6" depending on conditions), but a small chain sword. I use a flourite substrate which helps provide iron, and there's a lot of light, ferts and CO2 in the tank. They're so prolific I regularly thin out older plants to make way for new ones. I haven't kept up with it lately, and as a result have a thick 5" lawn across the entire front third of the tank. Established plants put out multiple runners and produce a new plant every couple of days - these plants seem to be the equivalent of grass on land, the growth rate is insane :)
 
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