Hi TDI,
Sorry, what I mean is simply the mix of colors. If things are too green then adding magenta, orange or red tends to neutralize the overpowering green. You could put these in the middle row so that they are flanked by the aquafloras. A reddish bulb like Grolux is dim to our eyes so if you put it in the front row it might tend to give a "hollow" effect. If you've got 4 rows you just do an alternating pattern starting from front to back aquaflora-grolux-aquaflora-grolux.
Once the photoperiod starts, I would never shut it down until the end of the day. This
Grand Illusion about "siesta simulating thunderstorm" must be another result of the Dennerle marketing machine working overtime.
Think about this for a second: When lights go off plants re-configure their chemistry to stop using CO2 and to instead to consume oxygen. Is that good for your fish, especially if the CO2 is still being injected during the siesta? The CO2 level then rises while oxygen levels drop. This means a loss of CO2 stability which only encourages algae. Then the lights go on again and the plants have perform another reconfiguration to go from oxygen respiration to CO2 consumption. Another slight edge to algae which can perform this re-configuration in a fraction of the time it takes for higher plants. Once again the CO2 level drops as their consumption ramps up - CO2 stability takes another hit.
Short term changes in environmental conditions always favors the much less complex algae whose response reactions are quick. Long term stability favors the higher order plants. Just because plants experience thunderstorms and the resultant periodic loss of light in the rain forest, it does not automatically mean that they necessarily welcome this instability. What plants prefer and what they are capable of enduring are not always the same thing.
White tips and edges normally mean calcium or boron. Bacopa is normally bulletproof. The TPN ought to rule out boron. If you are using hard tap water that would rule out calcium. The only thing left is CO2. Add more mate.
Cheers,
PS: Wouldn't it be cheaper to just use dry powders?