what's the truth about filtration???

LMOUTHBASS

LMOUTHBASS

My hypocrisy goes only so far
Jun 17, 2003
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Boston , MA
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Mark
i have been reading different things online about this -
i have a 55g with a openguin 330 and an AC500 - tank looks great
i keep crypts lutea , green wendth they are slowly growing
ihave only got 36 watts total on the tank :( i am working on getting more light
but have been hearing that filters create too much surface agitation and the extra oxygen will kill the plants? is this true - ? shoul i unplug my filters at night when the plants start absorbing C02? will this help them
also if i increase my lighting to 2wpg what will i be able to grow -
any thoughts on this?
 
Surface agitation doesn't create extra oxygen per se. It helps balance the air in the tank and above the tank. So excess agitation won't bring in too much oxygen unless you keep the tank in an oxygen tent or something.

Also plants use oxygen at night and use CO2 during the day.
 
Your filters are a non-factor unless you decide to inject CO2.
At your present wattage CO2 is not necessary, but would help with growth even at low wattage.
Surface disturbance only becomes an issue when one doesn't want to 'gas off' the CO2 they are injecting.
O2 does not kill plants at the levels you will find in your tank.

2 watts/gal. of CF Fluorescent would allow you to grow many different varieties. You probably won't get the real reds that you might want in some, but they will grow for you. Also, the 'ground cover' plants such as glosso don't grow horizontally, but rather want to grow toward the light(IME) at that wattage.
BTW, I have two 55's, one with 110watts/CF so I'm basing the above on what I've been able to grow.

Len
 
thank you tkos , len
tthat was most helpful!
i also feel better knwoing 2wpg will grow plants!!! i like my crypts a lot but i really want them to "fill out" and grow thick
i also want to have success keeping sword plants - i was thinking of lining the backl of my tanks with amazon and brazilian swords with my crypts towards the front -
have any suggestions for other background type plants
also thinking of mixing ,melon swords amongst the crypts -
i have a couple mixed in now and it looks great! it's cool to see a broad melon sword leaf pop up between the thinnner crypt leaf -
thanks
 
can someone give me a list of nice tall or full plants i can use to fill the back of my tank - something 2wpg will take care of ???? thanks!!!
i have a brazilian sword now thats doing ok
 
Your Crypts will grow fine in that light anywhere in the tank.
Just try to plant them where you want them to stay and leave them alone. I like to plant them about 6" or so behind the front glass or they will eventually grow against the front and squish up against it. Give them room if you can. Good fertilization(Fe daily and N@10ppm work well for me) is more important for them than light. And there are many shapes and colors.
For background plants, I like the C. Balansae, but you need a lot of patience with them as they grow slowly and take a while to fill out.

Len
 
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