# planted tank questions



## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

I have a 55 gal with 15 fish and maybe 17 or 18 plants I have gravel as substrate and use a whisper and an emperor 400. I have some kind of swords and water headge i think and some java moss and dwarf hair grass. Should I start injecting co2 and remove my biowheels? I am currently using tetraplant florapride in the water. I dont know the names of all the plants as I am new to the hobby


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## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

sorry for the double post my internet messed up on me please delete one SORRY


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## mia55gallon (Mar 1, 2006)

*hy*

Hy syntax, Im a total Newb here but let me try an help a bit. Im sure the more skilled planters will need to know what kind and how much ligth you got b4 getting a good awnser...


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## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

two 20 watt GE aquarays they are in just a regular hood nothing really special the sit end to end and not side by side


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You have very little light at this time, even low light plants need at least 1.5wpg. I would seriously think about upgrading the wattage before thinking about C02.


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

Hey syntax357, first off welcome  as Trena mentioned you have a very small amount of light, and even low light plants such as anubias Sp. and Crypt sp. arnt even going to do well, they would more or less just be staying alive, rather than growing. So sorry to say thats the bad news you really need more light.

Lucky for you though there is good news also! you have a 55 gallon, 55 & 75 standard tanks are one of the easiest to make a lighting upgrade to from the "stock" strip light that most have starting out. Shop lights just happen to be the perfect size and they are CHEAP! I would recomed going this route for the time being until you get some expierence and decided if you want to go full blown "high tech" Probably one shop light along with your current light would be just about right for a low tech, non CO2 setup  After that you will want to sort out nutrients and such, Tom Barr wrote a good article a while back on his site about Non CO2 methods that is very good, you might want to check that out at barrreport.com 

~Matt


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Matt has a good idea. There is so much to learn before we can be successful at growing real plants and not just algae. If your lighting is not too high everything that will happen in the tank will happen a lot slower, giving you more time to figure out what is wrong and correct it. Anubias, ferns, moss, and crypts plus maybe valisnerias and sagittarias make a very beautiful aquascape too, while you are learning.

When you decide you want to make things happen faster, you can always add another 40 watt shop light, and DIY CO2, just to see what that involves. Soon after that you will almost certainly decide to go with pressurized CO2 and a AH Supply light kit, and you will then be a high tech aquatic gardener!!


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## almond (Mar 5, 2006)

how actually do youo calculate the amount of light need for plants in the tank?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Like almost everything else in this hobby there is no exact way to calculate how much light is needed. We just have guidelines, and those tend to drift from year to year as more people learn more and get more experience. So, generally, you need 2+ watts of fluorescent light with good reflectors and bulbs with K rating of 5000 to 10000K for tanks over 40 gallons or so. For 10 gallon or smaller you need more than that, and for huge tanks you might need less. If you have 2.5 to 3 or so watts per gallon you usually can grow almost any plant, but the algae enjoys that light too. If you have 5 or more watts per gallon you almost have to run alongside the aquarium to keep up with both the pruning and the algae problems. Keep in mind that those are very approximate numbers. People do grow plants with less than 2 watts per gallon, down to close to 1 watt per gallon and some even report no problems at 5 watts per gallon. Very low light does reduce the number of plant species you can grow successfully - I think most people would agree with that.

The above represents my opinion and is applicable today and today only. I may change my mind tomorrow.


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## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

*ok changed my lights*

I removed the aqua rays and replaced with two 40 watt sylvania shop lights kinda gives it a yellowish glow now. I plan on getting 2 different bulbs and making a canopy for the tank. Will this be sufficient light for the plants?? I just dont like the yellow color


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

80 watts is barely sufficient for some plants. You need to look at the "plant finder" on this site and look for low light plants. Some are anubias, ferns, mosses. There are a lot of 4 foot fluorescent bulbs available, so you can find some with much higher K ratings, say 6000+K, and that will be less yellow. If you are handy with tools you can also make a reflector for those lights that will capture more of the light and direct it to the tank. That is a fun project if you like that sort of DIY project.


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

hmmmm, maybe you want to clarify a bit, if you added two shop lights.... each would have two 40 watt bulbs each for a total of 160 watts NO floro. lighting correct? 

Or did you just add a single shop light? either way you will have enough light to start out with and get some nice plants growing  If you did just add a single shop light I would go ahead and keep the light you had on also. 

As far as the yellow color, try to find some bulbs with a better K rating, I find that 10,000 Has a much more crisp white color that is much more pleasing to the eye than say 5500, I use Philips Alto brand.... I dont remember exactly what they are at the moment..... I think they are called "Daylight deluxe" its a 6500 K bulb.... that is pretty decent in color, I think they may also make one that is 10,000 K which I think would be better.


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## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

my plants are slowly turning yellow and if I read correctly I need some Iron, But I have been using florapride at water changes as recommendednow the plants seem to be in worse condition. Is it safe to move them to a 10gal so I can get them back to better health by using diy co2 I just went and got 2 new bulbs they are the GE daylight 40, 3050 lumens 6500k 40watts hope this will be enough until I get my canopy finished


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## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

You didn't answer Mr Sanders question: Do You now have 80 watts of light--or 160 watts? It makes a difference....

I have a heavily planted 55gal. tank with 3 double-bulb 4' shoplights (240watts) hanging about 8" above it, injected C02 and a fert regime. You don't need all that, but it all goes together--light, C02 and nutrients....

The bulbs that I have are 3-Sunlight and 3-Plant Aquarium--all this was left overs from other projects....

The FloraPride isn't going to work. I started out with the Hagn version and moved away from it pretty quickly.

You need to get Your tank up to 2-2.5 watts/gal, and then some ferts (SeaChem Line or http://www.gregwatson.com and then see if You need DIY C02....

This hobby is expensive, so now is the time to decide whether You want to invest in it or not.....

HTH


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## almond (Mar 5, 2006)

Thanks Hobbycalif,

guess the final decesion will still have to depend on the kind of plants im keeping.


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## syntax357 (Apr 2, 2006)

ok here is what I have now 2, 48 inch GE daylite bulbs at 40 watts each bulb and 2, 20 inch aqua glo bulbs at 20 watts each bulb they are about 8 inches from the water. I am about to add a wet/dry filter to the tank. I have since stopped usint the florapride. the plants seem to be getting better. Also int he morning hours I let about 2 hours of sunlight into the tank no algea yet


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