lighting

[swinneyw]

this weekend i went shopping for new lighting i got a shop light 48 inch with 2 lamps i thought they were 40 watts but all i could find were 34 watt this gives me total 68 watts i previously had 34 watts its a lot brighter now all my plants are low light java fern anubias and amazon swords and java moss will this be alright and give my plants better growth thanks for yalls input :newbie:

 

[coach_z]

with more light your plants might grow a bit faster but a lot of that growth depends on other factors such as co2, fertilizers, tank size, algae potential and much much more.

how many gallons is your tank? and do you use any sort of co2 or fertilizer suppliments?

-chris

 

[swinneyw]

i have a 55g i use flourish exel and flourish w iron

 

[coach_z]

you are not going to see any huge amounts of growth with those plants and those lights but that setup sounds fine to me. Low-light plants plus low-lighting and those additives you are using should yield you a nice hassle-free tank.

The only change/addition i would suggest is to use regular Flourish as a supplement as well. And maybe, with time (and when you run out of those other liquid ferts) switch over to dry fertilizers, they are more cost effective in the long run.

good luck!

 

[swinneyw]

could you give me the name of some good dry ferts thanks

 

[thrak76]

Here's a couple sources:

Planted Aquarium Fertilizer

&

Green Leaf Aquariums

 

[swinneyw]

thanks

 

[Riiz]

i have a 55g i use flourish exel and flourish w iron

How often do you dose?

 

[schaadrak]

Let's not be too quick to add dry ferts and CO2 to a low-light, low-growth set-up. You have well under 2WPG with a setup that the WPG rule was invented for (T12 fluorescent lighting and a standard 55gal aquarium). You could easily shift the balance in algae's favor.

I would see how the plants do with your new lights first. With the lights and plants you've got and depending on your stocking levels, you may not need to dose any extra fertilizers.

 

[GCL]

:iagree: