• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Do I need better lights?

avd

Seedling
Joined
8 Sep 2010
Messages
3
The light tubes on my tank are due for replacing, but I can't decide whether to stay with the T8, change them to T5HO or to just get a new light unit altogether. I've read the tutorial on lighting and get the impression that 1-1.5 w/usg is okay and as what I have I think 1.6w/usg that I don't need to change, but the plants don't seem to be doing very well at all.

Tank is an Aqua one Aquastyle 850, 165L measurements are 84lx44wx58hcm
The bulbs in it are 2 x T8 8000k25w and 1 xT8 15000k Tripower 20w. I've stuck silver foil gaffer tape behind the tubes to reflect the light.

I have Tropica plant substrate and FE CO2 and use EI dosing, 50% water change each week. I use an Easy Aqua Super Mist Atomiser and a Hydor Koralia powerhead 900l/hr to push the CO2 around

EI that I use is Macro- 500 ml water, 6 tsp Pot Nit, 3tsp Pot Phos, 12 tsp Mag Sul
Micro- 500 ml water, 2 tsp Trace
I dose Macro 62ml on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Micro 62ml on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Nothing on Sunday. 50% water change Monday before dosing.

Plants at the moment are

Aponongeton longiplumulosus red
Bacopa australis *
Hygreophila pinnatifida *
Limnophila sessilifora *
Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis' *
Staurogyne repens
Cryptocoryne various types

At the moment nothing seems to be growing very much apart from the ones markes * and these seem leggy, presumably due to lack of light. I also have BBA or Staghorn algae which I can't seem to get rid of. Do I need more fast growing plants to use up the nutrients before the algae? I've tried a 3 day blackout and that made no difference, so I got CO2 as I read that fluctuating CO2 was the cause.


If I keep the T8, does anyone know of cheaper ones, the lengths are 20w 58cm and 25w 75cm. They seem to be special lengths, no doubt to keep your custom for their tubes.


This is the light unit I was thinking of changing to (90cm), but is it too much light? Even if I replant with more demanding plants? They do a 2 tube hood, but would this be any better than the light level that the T8's give me?

http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquar ... bulbs.html

The other option would be to replace the ballast to T5HO controllers and tubes, but I can't seem to find the right length tubes they all seem to be too short or too long. I also wondered whether these would give off a lot more heat than T8's, I don't want a fire!

Another option would be to keep the T8 lighting and alter the filter. At present there is a inhood trickle filter, this works great for filtration and oxygenating the water, but I suspect that it gases out the CO2. My drop checker take 4.5/5 hours to get to lime green at 2 bubbles/sec. I never see any pearling on the plants. Should I keep the T8's and get an external filter and inject the co2 into the filter intake? Keeping the plant types that I have with this option.

All I want is a planted tank that looks healthy and not full of algae and week plants, is that too much to ask? I've spent weeks reading around the forum and at the moment my head is spinning from all the info. :crazy: Please can anyone suggest how to achieve my dream? Sorry its a long post, :oops: but I tried to give all the information that could be needed!

Thanks

Ann
 
Hi, I have the same tank. If you have algae at the moment you don't want to be increasing your light. I run pressurised Co2 and dose Ei at slightly less levels than you.

The thing that got my tank pointing in the right direction, it's still far from perfect, was doing away with the trickle filter. I fitted an eheim 2078 without modifying the hood, and installed an inline diffuser. My lights are on 6 hours per day.

I still have to have the Co2 on for three hours before lights on but that is work in progress.
 
As above mate, light is the only limiting factor in your tank so until you can resolve your co2 and flow issues that are most likely causing the algae adding more light is asking for trouble. It is generally accepted that plants arent fussy about the type of light, kelvin ratings are more about appearance to the human eye.
With lower light you will just have slower growth.

It is irrelevant how much ferts and co2 you inject if it isnt getting to where it is needed. You need to be sure that there is a gentle but continuous flow around your entire tank... plants should sway. Powerheads are a good way to add additional flow that can be moved around easily to find a spot that works for your tank.

Pictures always help to give more accurate advise :)

Youll get the tank you want eventually, no one has instant success with planted tanks. Even Amano has said he only has success now because of the hundreds of failures!
 
You say the ones that are growing are marked with "*" although the crypts are not marked, so I'll presume not growing. Crypts are considered to thrive in lower light conditions.

As already posted above, sounds more like a flow/distribution issue than lighting.

BBA would suggest fluctuating co2 levels, which cements the previous comment. Staghorn is usually down to poor maintenance.

The legginess, I'm sure I read some post about it possibly being the plants are not reaching for more light but trying to break the surface for co2, or did I dream that one? :oops:

Photo's always help. ;)
 
The powerhead that runs the trickle filter is 1000l/hr, I know they never work at that rate though. The powerhead that pushes the CO2 around is 900L/hr. The tank holds 165l before displacement. Co2 is on 2 hours before lights and off 2 hours before lights.

I change 50% of the water/week, gravel vac at same time and clean the impeller in the powerheads and the spraybar in the filter. Change filterwool each week and give half the filter media a swish around every 2 weeks, the other half the following two weeks.

The plants do seem to move gently with the flow. The crypts don't seem to grow very well as I was removing the leaves to try and get rid of the algae on them. The algae doesn't seem to branch like staghorn so maybe its BBA.

Here's some photos

p2280123.th.jpg
p2280124.th.jpg
g][/url]
p2280124.th.jpg

[/img]

At least I can grow algae :(
So if I replace the existing lights with the same T8 tubes and get a new external filter and inject the CO2 into the intake, what size filter would I need? Would the spray bar on a new filter be enough to push the co2 around the tank if I mount the spray bar along the back just under the surface? Is it best to extend the spray bar so that is the full length?

Thanks for your replies so far!

Ann
 
I used to run a koralia with my trickle filter. Like you the plants were swaying nicely but I also had similar algae to you which I'm sure was caused by the CO2 being unstable due to the trickle filter. I also had BBA on the sibstrate.

As I said, I currently run an Eheim 2078 with the inline atomiser on the output, and a full length spraybar. The misting shows me the CO2 distribution. Since using this set up,other than a bit of GSA on an anubias plant and some slight hair in the moss (which is slowly disappearing), things are moving quite well.

Ideally if you only want to run the filter and no additional pump heads you want something listed at around 1600LPH for your tank.
 
Thanks for the links Ceg4048, I thought that the legginess was growing for the light as terrestrial plants do. Now I know better!

Ann
 
Back
Top