So I could get one of the coral bulbs for my light strip and have different results.
Java Fern anger
- Thread starter lovemybarbs
- Start date
So I could get one of the coral bulbs for my light strip and have different results.
The "stock" lighting you have is good for "viewing" fish and some low light plants. Once you start dosing ferts, you'll be upgrading your light. That is the dark side of planted aquariums.
Java ferns do brown; that is the nature of them.
Java ferns do brown; that is the nature of them.
Yeah, stock lighting hoods rarely are adequate for planted tanks. You cant put a 'stronger bulb' in your hood. All bulbs that would fit give similar outputs. To get a stronger bulb youd need to get a longer bulb or additional bulbs, both of which would require a new ballast. Or just get a whole new light setup that comes with multiple bulbs. I'd suggest plenty of DIY things but doesnt sound like your interested in those (thats just fine since your dealing with things that could injure/kill you or burn your house down).
However with just a single bulb sometimes the brand of bulb will make a difference. For example the Aqua Glo I dont think is a good choice but I could be wrong. This is kinda bluish-green aqua looking color correct? I doubt it has much red in the spectrum. I'd suggest a daylight bulb for a single bulb (like 6,000-10,000K usually) or one thing I have had decent luck with is a T6 aqua-flora plus. It gives a nice bluish/purplish tint (better than some other plant bulbs that are pinkish) and suppose to be a little more efficient due to the T6 sizing of the bulb. Its got reds and blues the plants need and very little greens. I replaced a stock bulb on my 20g with a 15W Aqua-Flora Plus and had some low light plants growing (very slowly) in it for about a year. Even grew a couple amazon swords. Ferts were fish/food waste only (and plenty of it with guppies and snails). Dont expect a huge difference between one brand to another, but sometimes, especially with only a single bulb, the bulb choice can make a little difference. Good luck.
However with just a single bulb sometimes the brand of bulb will make a difference. For example the Aqua Glo I dont think is a good choice but I could be wrong. This is kinda bluish-green aqua looking color correct? I doubt it has much red in the spectrum. I'd suggest a daylight bulb for a single bulb (like 6,000-10,000K usually) or one thing I have had decent luck with is a T6 aqua-flora plus. It gives a nice bluish/purplish tint (better than some other plant bulbs that are pinkish) and suppose to be a little more efficient due to the T6 sizing of the bulb. Its got reds and blues the plants need and very little greens. I replaced a stock bulb on my 20g with a 15W Aqua-Flora Plus and had some low light plants growing (very slowly) in it for about a year. Even grew a couple amazon swords. Ferts were fish/food waste only (and plenty of it with guppies and snails). Dont expect a huge difference between one brand to another, but sometimes, especially with only a single bulb, the bulb choice can make a little difference. Good luck.
irishspy
There is a stargate in my aquarium.
I could be* wrong, but I think that's meant for marine aquariums.
*(Read: "probably am." :lipssealedsmilie: )
That's the kelvin rating, used to describe the bulb color. I wouldn't worry about it, as long as the light is mostly white it will grow plants. However, they don't really provide any benefit over the cheaper generic lights you see at your local hardware store. So unless you like the color, save some money and buy the cheaper lights.
this is java fern we are talking about ..right??
they will do fine with less than 1 wpg..I have ythem growing like crazy in 20's and 29's and a 55 with std light..there is some residual sunlight that hits some of the tanks..but generally they will grow slowly in this light.
you should not need fertilizers and it is not uncommon for the plants to adapt to a new tank..this adaptation can take time to happen..
yes they will do better tiwh a bit more light but I find that in 3 wpg with co2 and ferts ..they don't fare as well as in tanks with low light nd no co2 or ferts.
there are other plants you can use in these low light tanks that do well.
so if you don;t want to upgrade your light then go to low light plants.
they will do fine with less than 1 wpg..I have ythem growing like crazy in 20's and 29's and a 55 with std light..there is some residual sunlight that hits some of the tanks..but generally they will grow slowly in this light.
you should not need fertilizers and it is not uncommon for the plants to adapt to a new tank..this adaptation can take time to happen..
yes they will do better tiwh a bit more light but I find that in 3 wpg with co2 and ferts ..they don't fare as well as in tanks with low light nd no co2 or ferts.
there are other plants you can use in these low light tanks that do well.
so if you don;t want to upgrade your light then go to low light plants.
My experience is opposite, yes they get by in low tech (and better than most) but 3wpg, pressurized co2, and daily ferts exactly describes my 75G and they grow like tankbusters and are much nicer looking than my low tech java ferns.
And the 18,000K rating is probably meaningless with those bulbs, hagen pretty much just makes up many of those numbers. If you put the Aqua-Glo and Power-Glo side by side they look very different but both have identical 18,000K rating. In any case the bulb is lacking in the red spectrum compared to most.
Okay. They appear to be growing with the fishing line. This one actually looks like it has a stem or another leaf growing out of the tip of the leaf.
This one I had to pull out of the wood. It was nothing but a stem, but it has shoots.
This is the one I'm concerned about.
This one I had to pull out of the wood. It was nothing but a stem, but it has shoots.
This is the one I'm concerned about.
