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A Question

Joined
9 Jun 2008
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What exactly can you grow with just 1.5WPG, Easy Carbo/Excel, TPN+, ADA Aqua Soil but no CO2 injection?

I know you can grow:

anubias
ferns
mosses
bolbitis
hairgrass
crypts
some stems
some swords
vallis

As well as the main question, I do have some other specific questions:

Can you grow E Tenellus in this condition?
If I upped the WPG to about 2.5 would plants like HC and Glosso be suitable?

Cheers
 
^ I've done that, but it's okay saying 'medium light' but what is medium light? More than 1.5wpg? more than 3wpg? who knows.
 
My big tank is less than 1 wpg and no CO2 at the mo and I have Ambulia (Limnophila sessiflora) growing well. In my other tank (abt 1.5 wpg and no CO2 either 'til I set it up!) I have Bacopa australis which is sending out new growth from the base and is reddening where it reaches the surface. I also have crypts, vallis, Amazon swords, Java fern, mosses and hygro "green" (the hygro is temporary). Alldoing well except the moss which is still not attatched after 2 months :rolleyes:
Hope this helps,
Jo
 
I recon you could grown anything with that setup, how big is the tank?
 
^ It's not really for a specific tank, I was just wondering. Do you really reckon anything could be grown? Even without co2 injection?
 
I've been wondering the same thing - thanks for posting :D
Thomas McMillan said:
I know you can grow:

bolbitis
hairgrass
Really - is that a definite fact? You are giving me some ideas...
Thomas McMillan said:
Can you grow E Tenellus in this condition?
If I upped the WPG to about 2.5 would plants like HC and Glosso be suitable?
I tried to grow E. Tenellus under 13w in a 25L with Easycarbo and it got algae all over it - suggesting there was too much light without CO2. Some persists in that tank under the crypts but doesn't do much - presumably not enough light. So I'd dearly love to know if there is an equilibrium or if E. Tenellus is impossible without CO2.

Add Pogostemon Helfrei to your list, it grows super well without CO2, almost better than with as a matter of fact :wideyed:
 
As I am trying to prove in my 'high light plants in low light setup' thread. The amount of light needed is an overplayed part of the jigsaw. It is the driver of how fast and what form the plant will take but not a definitive will grow or won't grow.

You would probably need to go as low as 0.5WPG T8 to start worrying.

The more light you have a plant will grow faster and more compact, the colouration may also be dependent. The lower the light it will grow slower and more leggy. Red plants may be mre yellowy/peachy.

They will still grow though. Higlight conditions are not IMO needed for plants like HC and glosso but if you try them in low light they will not carpet, they will grow much taller.

Therefore your question of 1.5WPG even if it is T8 means that IMO you have sufficient to grow anything. No CO2 will also inhibit the speed of growth a little but it will still grow most plants.

Although I do use pressurised in my low light setup as I see it you are adding Easycarbo so in theory yours should have even more consistent levels of C supplied. There are many examples of high growth in non CO2 supplied low light tanks just as there are in the CO2 enriched. LLj on TFF has many journals of Non CO2 tanks and they all have superb growth.

I think people need to start looking at high light as a requirement only to gain a desired 'effect/result' from certain plants rather than wether they will or ton grow as this leads others to assume they have to get high light or they cannot grow plants.

I think the equilibrium Ray talks about is a simple case of providing everything the plants need for thelight given, therefore wether light is low or high making sure that nutrient and C is at the level the plants require for the speed they are driven. this can of course mean that low light may have enough C and nutrient from the content of the water from gaseous exhange / fish waste or food / organic waste and anything the substrate contains already. Not all tanks are the same though even if they have identical size, light, fish, filtration etc. Its a personal judgement call here which is why it easier even in low light setups to dose (lean is OK) and add a source of C (CO2 or Excel/Easycarbo) to rule out any defficiencies completely.

AC
 
That makes a lot more sense now, thanks guys.

So a generic HC mountain scape could be achieveable without CO2 injection as long as there is enough light and TPN+/Easy Carbo dosing?
 
Thomas McMillan said:
That makes a lot more sense now, thanks guys.

So a generic HC mountain scape could be achieveable without CO2 injection as long as there is enough light and TPN+/Easy Carbo dosing?
Yes. Good flow will help maximise the available CO2 and nutrients. You just need to drop your light to the level where the HC finds enough CO2 from the EasyCarbo but not so little light that it goes stringy and heads for the surface. :D Easy. :lol:
 
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