Would like real plants ...
- Thread starter Derringer
- Start date
no ,you don't need a "planted" substrate. Do you know what your lighting is? how many watts and the K rating?
No - its not very bright though - its what had come with the aquarium. However I just ordered some lights off of Dr Fosters Smith ... will be 2.88 WPG.
What kind of plants are you looking for? also with that lighting do you plan to inject any co2 (diy or pressurized?)
Uhhh I dont know - havent really given it much thought - just an impulse type thing. Since I am a total plant newbie I think I would rather skip co2 for now and go with plants that wont need it if thats possible.
I have been reading and I think I might want to switch those tubes out to 6700°K ...
Any suggestions for tubes/bulbs? The unit I purchased is more designed for reef - it has 2 1000°K and 2 460nm Actinic tubes or some combination there of. I dont think I want those actinics -I keep reading they grow lots of extra algae???
you can keep the 2 10000K bulbs and replace the actinic with 6700K and that will give your plants/fish a nice color. For planted tanks the K rating they suggest is 5500-10000K. The reason why i mentioned co2 is with 2.9wpg one would want to include some carbon source for the plants so algae doesnt bloom. You can even try diy. Though diy is not really recommended for a tank that size, there had been a few successful with having great growth with it.
I don't think the actinics grow extra algae..but they don't give off the correct light for plants..and thus may contribute to algae.
I mix 10k with 6700 and plants are fineas long as the 10k is daylight bulb.. co2 as mentioned would be beneficial.
as well as possibly ferts..but first decide which plants you want. once you get the correct lights in place.
with this much light you should be fine for a lot of plants.
I mix 10k with 6700 and plants are fineas long as the 10k is daylight bulb.. co2 as mentioned would be beneficial.
as well as possibly ferts..but first decide which plants you want. once you get the correct lights in place.
with this much light you should be fine for a lot of plants.
How about some suggestions for a newbie - a handful of plants that are easy to grow/maintain without the need for CO2. I wouldnt mind haveing a piece of driftwood covered in taxiphyllum barbieri - I always think those look pretty neat in the photo gallery.
Others that caught my newbie eye ...
Blyxa aubertii
Anubias barteri 'Petite'
Hottonia palustris
Cryptocoryne walkeri 'lutea'
Ludwigia glandulosa
Vallisneria americana gigantea
Ludwigia inclinata
Ludwigia ovalis
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Myriophyllum aquaticum
Pogostemon stellatus
Proserpinaca palustris
Course I have no clue as to how or if they would work together at all.
Others that caught my newbie eye ...
Blyxa aubertii
Anubias barteri 'Petite'
Hottonia palustris
Cryptocoryne walkeri 'lutea'
Ludwigia glandulosa
Vallisneria americana gigantea
Ludwigia inclinata
Ludwigia ovalis
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Myriophyllum aquaticum
Pogostemon stellatus
Proserpinaca palustris
Course I have no clue as to how or if they would work together at all.