# suggestions, troubleshooting ideas needed



## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm working on setting up a 29 gallon planted tank. I'm quite the noob to planted tanks and am beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the info. I started with wanting a biotope focused on betta habitat, southeast Asian, but decided that it would be easier to do an Asian themed tank, but would like to get as close as I can anyway. 

I'm going with a more low light/low tech set up. I have a rudimentary list of what plants I'm thinking about getting, but I'm not sure about quantity to put in the tank. I get the idea that more is better, but I'm not sure about how much of each would be best.
Hygrophila difformis,
Limnophila aromatica and Ludwigia ovalis (because of their nice colors), 
Java Fern
Pogostemon helferi (if I can get it)
Vallisneria spiralis 

for a foreground plant I'm really undecided I like dwarf hairgrass, Marsilea hirsuta (although more Australian from what I've read), and I've read about Utricularia graminifolia which I also kinda like.

Any comments, suggestions, etc. about any of these plants or ones you think would work better in this kind of set up would be welcome. =)


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## Fishguy10 (Aug 6, 2011)

Hello and welcome to the forum, it sounds like you are planning an interesting tank. 

How low tech/low light are you thinking for your tank?

If your lighting is too low, you may have difficulties growing certain plants from your list. First off, Limnophila aromatica (as well as most plants with really bright colors) generally require a pretty high amount of light to attain their beautiful colors. You may be able to grow it with less light, but it may not reach the color you are looking for. 

Pogostemon Helferi requires a decent amount of light as well. Some of these higher light plants also benefit tremendously from CO2, which I would imagine you are not interested in. The Ludwigia Ovalis would probably grow pretty well in a low-light setup, although it may take a little bit more light for it to color up nicely. 

As for foreground plants, I'm not real familiar with Marsilea hirsuta or Utricularia graminifolia, but I think that dwarf hairgrass might work for you. The other two might as well, but I think that they might require a bit more light and might be a bit more difficult. 

The Hygro, Java Fern, and Valls should be perfect in a lower light set up. As for other plants to consider, you might want to look into more Hygros like Hygrophila Corymbosa (or Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset' which is also called Hygrophila Polysperma 'Rosanervig' for an easier, colorful plant). I've never personally kept them, but they seem to be fairly undemanding and others have had succes with them. 

You could also try some Cryptocorynes. A lot of people really like growing crypts and a lot of them are from Sri Lanka which might fit into your theme. Crypts are generally fairly low-light, although they don't like being moved and can 'melt' after being moved. Usually the Crypt will bounce back and regrow in its new home. 

Hopefully this helps, there are a lot of really cool plants out there that you can try.


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## Slingo (Jan 2, 2012)

+1 to that

Sounds like you're starting in the right direction with a low tech. 

Just a forewarning that vallisneria will spread via runners throughout your tank, and I mean all over the place. I'd suggest boxing those in with large stones or even plexiglass/plastic in the substrate. 

Several crypts would look nice in there and are easy to care for. You might even try some java moss or other types of moss attached to rocks or driftwood. Subwassertang is another easy plant that looks unique. Good Luck.


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

Thanks for the welcome and suggestions!

I'm not looking to go totally "natural", but I have a CF that is a 10W, but I read that it is equivalent to a 40-50W regular flourescent bulb. I was considering getting another one if needed, but I don't want it to put me into needing a lot of CO2. If I do CO2 it would be liquid CO2 or a yeast/sugar type set up. So I guess I'm willing to do a middle of the road if necessary. Is it possible to color up the Limnophila or Ludwigia with this type of set up?

I am pretty sure about H. difformis, Java Fern, and Vallisneria (although I'm going to take Slingo's suggestions to corral it). I like H. corymbosa, but I am a little intimidated by the maximum height I found that it could grow. I found H. polysperma is listed as a noxious weed and I can't find a place that still sells it. I might do some Java Moss on my driftwood. 

Would Aponogeton undulatus get too big for my tank size?

Slingo, I noticed that you are in KC, nice to see someone from the area on here too. =)


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## Fishguy10 (Aug 6, 2011)

I use T5 lighting, so I'm not very familiar with CF lighting, but 10w of CF light seems a little too low for a 29 gallon. I would recommend adding another one. In my opinion, it's better to have a little too much light than not enough. By the way, what type of bulb is it? (brand and color temperature)

Don't worry too much about CO2. CO2 is really only needed in high-light tanks with fast growing and difficult plants. Almost all plants will grow without CO2, although some do benefit from it at high light levels. 

The Limnophila requires high-lighting and benefits greatly from CO2. It may not be the best choice for a low-light setup. I'm really not sure about the Ludwigia. I would think that it might survive in a low light tank, but I'm really not sure how much it would color up. 

H. Corymbosa does get big, but it might be perfect for a back corner or somewhere else in the background of the tank. If you do decide to get one, just make sure it doesn't end up shading the other plants. Java moss would probably be a good addition to your tank. Good catch on the H. Polysperma, I had forgotten that it is listed as a noxious weed. 

I'm really not sure about Aponogetons and I don't have any experience with them. I know that some of them can get big though. I looked up A. Undulatus and its max height looked to be similar to H. Corymbosa at about 18" or so and it seems to grow pretty wide. I also read that it has a dormant period during which it must be removed from the tank for a little while (possibly 2-3 months). I'm not sure how accurate this information is, but if you are up for it, you could try one in a back corner or somewhere else in the background. 

If you want to look up more plants, you could try the PlantFinder here. It usually has some good information.


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

The bulb I got is from Zoo Med, 6500K 10w. I have reptile clamp lamp fixtures already so I got a bulb that would fit into them. I'm not opposed to getting strip light, I just thought to use what I already have. I thought that although it is 10W the actual output to the plants is greater than than, but maybe 10W is really just 10W?


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

Yes, I love the Plant Finder feature, actually that's how I found this forum was through finding PlantFinder first then wandering here.


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## Fishguy10 (Aug 6, 2011)

I can't seem to find the bulb that you have. If your fixture is a clamp lamp and not a strip light, I'm guessing that the bulb you have is not a T-12, T-8, or T-5. Is this correct? Is it a Compact Fluorescent? 

6500K is usually a good color temperature for planted tanks. I'm not real familiar with clamp lamps, but what style of bulbs do they use?


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

Clamp lamps like what I have are designed to take just about any screw-in bulbs (incandescent bulbs, ceramic heater bulbs, UV bulbs, etc.) within in the wattage rating of course. As a result the light emitted is more of a spotlight.

I don't think the bulb I have is a T type at all, but it is a compact flourescent. I don't know if this will work, but I'll copy a link for the bulb. http://www.petco.com/product/111943/Zoo-Med-Ultra-Sun-Daylight-Compact-Fluorescent-Bulb.aspx


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## Fishguy10 (Aug 6, 2011)

Thanks for the link. I've seen those bulbs before, but I couldn't seem to find the specific one you have. When I was looking for lights yesterday I saw a lot of clamp lamps with heat lamp bulbs, but it's good to see that you have a compact fluorescent bulb. 

As long as you can get a fairly even spread with the light, or at least get enough light to the plants that really need it, you should be just fine. Does your fixture have some type of reflector or reflective coating?


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I use cfls all the time. For a 29 I would think you would be better off with 2. I usually use the 13 w or the 26 w. 6500. I get them at Home Depot or WalMart. Maybe start with one more 13w and see how it goes.


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

Yes, the lamp is metal and has a reflective coating on the inside-so sounds like I'm doing ok with the lighting. 

I had a questions about some of the colored Cryptocorynes. I was thinking of using them for a little color, but after seeing that the Limnophila and Ludwigia needed more light to color up, would that be the same for the red and bronze crypt too?


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

@BruceF, just curious what brand, etc. are you finding at Home Depot or Walmart? I don't get to Home Depot much at all, but I'm at Walmart a lot and all I can find as far as plant bulbs are incandescent. It's nice to hear that someone else uses the kind of CF I'm planning on using. I will probably go ahead an add another light- do you use CO2?


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

They do have them at WalMart. You might have to ask. I couldn't find them at all but they were there. 
I do not use co2 at all. 
I grow crypts without any problems.


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## Fishguy10 (Aug 6, 2011)

You should be fine growing colored crypts. Crypts don't need the high light that most stem plants require to color up.


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## tahdpohl (Jun 18, 2012)

hooray! I'm so glad the colored crypts will grow in my set up.


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## bradsd (Aug 19, 2010)

I would try micro sword for the ground cover instead of dwarf baby tears. You might try a red melon sword for the background to go with your crypts. One of my favorite plants is riccia for a floater and I like some Pennywort on top.


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