• 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

Light - how low can you go?

Annie G

Member
Joined
31 Jan 2022
Messages
35
Location
Devon
Hi
Without getting too technical I would like to know how little light UKAPS members use to grow plants? I’m thinking Anubias, crypts, buces in a low tech set up.

As an example I have a Kessil A80 situated at one end of a 150 litre tank. It has a long ramp up/ ramp down but is never on at its full intensity. It is on for 12 hours per day. There is a spot of bright light directly beneath it. However some corners of the tank receive little of this light . And yet.....the plants are doing well. Also I really like the transition from bight to gloomy - adds a bit of mystery.

Let me know your experiences, thankyou.
 
I'm actually surprised at how dark some plants will grow in. I had a tank with mostly anubias, moss and bucephalandra in and it had a massive amount of emersed growth that meant it was hard to even see the plants below, yet they survived and grew very happily (albeit slowly).
I'm a big fan of natural shadow lines, bright spots and murk, so have spot lights that I can angle on that little tank to mimic natural sunray.
 
Hi all,
Without getting too technical I would like to know how little light UKAPS members use to grow plants? I’m thinking Anubias, crypts, buces in a low tech set up.
Unfortunately it is really difficult to estimate <"PAR without a meter">, because our eyes are very good at adjusting to the ambient light level. I go about it via another route, I just add plants <"until they've utilised all the available light">.
I'm actually surprised at how dark some plants will grow in. I had a tank with mostly anubias, moss and bucephalandra in and it had a massive amount of emersed growth that meant it was hard to even see the plants below, yet they survived and grew very happily (albeit slowly).
Same for me the bottoms of all my tanks are <"dark and gloomy places">. This is what @Mick.Dk says <"Name some SUPER low light plants">

cheers Darrel
 
Carpet plants,well a few, aside a lot of sucess and lovely planted tanks used nothing only T8 tubes. High lighting isn't a deal breaker
 
Hi all,
Photon Cannon?
it means a light of insane output.
It was Clive's (@ceg4048 ) description of a <"high light user">. He has a <"way with words">.
;;;;;;;; Frying the carpet plants with photon torpedo bombardment is a favorite hobby of the Megawatt-Loving-Klingons..........
....... The problem occurs in plants when you have too much PAR. That's when algae wins. They could each care less about colors. In fact, the main job of these pigments is to protect the plant from too much PAR, and they do this by filtering out and rejecting excess PAR and UV by fluorescing away the excess energy. This is what we see so often when plants "color up" in response to higher light intensity. The pigments become visible because they plant has to produce boatloads of them to deal with Klingon Photon Death Ray fanaticism.
Although my personal favourite is his description of a canister filter as <"a pump in a bucket">.

cheers Darrel
 
Running solely on sunlight (east/southeast) the 8th week now :cool:,
since chihiro power adaptor breakdown. No problems so far… Tank is not heated, will try to use it as winter storage
57D04269-469D-48FA-9DB9-ED9C9B473832.jpeg
 
Hi
Without getting too technical I would like to know how little light UKAPS members use to grow plants? I’m thinking Anubias, crypts, buces in a low tech set up.

As an example I have a Kessil A80 situated at one end of a 150 litre tank. It has a long ramp up/ ramp down but is never on at its full intensity. It is on for 12 hours per day. There is a spot of bright light directly beneath it. However some corners of the tank receive little of this light . And yet.....the plants are doing well. Also I really like the transition from bight to gloomy - adds a bit of mystery.

Let me know your experiences, thankyou.

Hi @Annie G,

I have been able to run my tanks at very low light levels (also +12h/day) for a very long time with the sort of plants you have in mind, plus a lot more. Lots of plants can really get by with surprisingly low light levels. It's not exactly that the light intensity from my LEDs is super low - they are actually fairly high, but most of the time my surface is covered with floating plants (Frogbit, Pennyworth, duckweed and submerged plants that have leaves covering the surface).

As for the actual color of the light I just go with a setting that I like for ambiance and look. Unless you're completely off the spectral chart with your light, or trying to super optimize your growth in a high tech tank, it won't really matter.

Cheers,
Michael
 
Last edited:
I have been able to run my tanks at very low light levels (also +12h/day) for a very long time with the sort of plants you have in mind, plus a lot more. Lots of plants can really get by with surprisingly low light levels. It's not exactly that the light intensity from my LEDs is super low - they are actually fairly high, but most of the time my surface is covered with floating plants (Frogbit, Pennyworth, duckweed and submerged plants that have leaves covering the surface).
Hi MichaelJ

I am a big fan of duckweed. Unlike the incredible disappearing shrimp (where are they?), duckweed is the incredible appearing plant!
 
Although my personal favourite
Haha love it, here's my particular favourite.
I can only hope that this illustrates a lesson to all Klingons currently residing on Planet Qo'noS
That too much light combined with poor flow/distribution is responsible for failing plant health, and that as a result of their weakening, the plants are rendered susceptible to diatomic attack. Diatoms do not really care about silicates in the water. They are attacking weak plants.

If the diatoms return then you know that you have more work to do in the light, and flow distribution departments.


Klingon Home World Qo'noS green with algae due to to much light from their binary star system:
250px-Qo%27noS.jpg



Typical Klingons who consistently visit the website in Post #2 for advice on planted tanks...discussing how much more light they need and what procedure to remove silicates to use in order to rid their tank of diatoms.
220px-TOS-day_of_the_dove_klingons.png
 
Hi all,
I am a big fan of duckweed. Unlike the incredible disappearing shrimp (where are they?), duckweed is the incredible appearing plant!
Never a <"truer word spoken"> ..........., but we may have a thread for you <"Removing Duckweed (Lemna minuta) - any natural solutions?"> & <"When duckweed takes over">.
Thanks for the explanation about the photon cannon
I must admit personally I don't really care how bright the light I have is. If it is a photon torpedo? I just have a <"very thick layer of Duckweed">.

cheers Darrel
 
Last edited:
Hi Annie, atm if uncloudy, it gets light from about 10am to 3pm. but winter is coming...my guess wont be enough. will keep reporting in extra thread:)
Yes, it will be an interesting experiment.
 
Dear Annie,
please excuse my post above. a.)Since the system ran accidentially without artificial light now for 9 weeks, it is not an adequate reaction to your initial question. b.) i wont proceed the experiment, because sunlight has no too much decreased, if at all an hour or so, and also i want to be able to stare into the tank when i come home after work.

What i can contribute is the observation of slight growth and not stagnation, on eleocharis mini, juncus repens, helanthium tenellum, lilaeopsis and frogbit, during the two months without artificial light. (+CO2 injection and some tabs in the sand)
 
Hi Ernesto

Thanks for your reply. Perhaps worth re-instating the experiment in the spring?

I have recently planted Juncus Repens in the shrimp tank. I have never tried this plant before. I don’t use CO2. The lighting is 6 watts and the tank never gets any sunlight. I am hoping it will at least survive. Any growth would be a bonus.
 
Back
Top