more newbie plant questions

[Dahlia]

In an attempt not to put too much in one thread I've been writing down all my questions in a notebook as I research and trying to find the answers myself. I'll try to break up how many I ask here at a time.

-Are crinum species sold for aquariums really aquatic plants, or are they terrestrial plants that tolerate water? I have crinums in my yard though they aren't the same species, so I was curious.

-Which high output bulb also has attractive light color to enhance the look of your aquarium and fish?

-Do any of you put tanks near or in front of windows to use the sun as a light source? Do the plants grow crooked (lean towards the window) even with bulbs as supplimental light if you do this? Does it just cause an algae farm? I figured maybe this was situational, where it would require experimentation and if the exposure was right for the plant load it might work.

-Do any of you keep the red-finned otto catfish? Do you like it?

-Do planted tanks experience oxygen loss at night due to the lack of photosynthesis and do the fish suffer for it?

-Do plecos mess up plants?

Hope the mis-matched questions aren't confusing! Thanks.

 

[Leopardess]

The crinum sp. i am familiar with are, in fact, aquatic plants.

If you have live plants, which i think you do, a light with a k rating of 5000-6700 is what is considered the best as far as growth goes, and seems to look just fine to me. I guess it depends on the look you like, with a warmer light vs. a cooler light, ie. lower k rating to a higher k rating.

Usually when a tank is exposed to direct sunlight, it results in an algae bloom and/or green water. I would not suggest it.

Red finned otos...hm...haven't heard of those...I have regular otos, which are the best algae eating fish for their small size.

If a tank is injected with high levels of co2, oxygen levels can become low at night, while the co2 is still running and the plants aren't using it or producing oxygen. If this is happening, you will notice that the fish will be at the surface of the tank in the morning, gasping for air. However, turning co2 off at night can create pH swings which can really be bad.

Plecos can sometimes dig up plants (accidentally, while they're rooting around) or can be a little too aggressive when cleaning more delicate plants. Plus, they get so darn big and clumsy.



Hoped that helped a little.

 

[Dahlia]

Thanks.

Is there any way to balance out the fish vs. night oxygen loss?

 

[SnakeIce]

that worst scenario is with all out co2 injection if I have my facts right normally plants use some O2 at night as a part of their nutrient use cycle but if you have enough circulation it shouldn't be a problem normally...

any system pushed to the max will have things like that to keep in mind but if you are just starting out with plants you can go with a lower maintenance low tech set up to begin with and make a foray into the CO2-high light stuff when you have some idea what you are doing

higher light tends to make things show problems with your routine care of the tank sooner so you have less time to figure out what is wrong

 

[MrGoodbytes]

Aww, you answered all but one.

The plants will grow towards the sunlight, because any light we put over our aquarium is still far weaker than natural mid-day sunlight. You will notice that when the sun shines right in you tank, if you haave even 3+WPG, it will look like the lights are off.

Graeme