# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Newbie Help!!!



## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Hi,

This is my setup:

29 Gallon
Emperor 280 filter
AquaClear Powerhead with filter
20 watt lighting/ comes with the aquarium
Alot of plants that I bought dunno whats there name.
Onyx sand

Ok. here is my question... Do I need to turn off the bubbles in the powerhead filter and just run it like without the bubbles? Two is my lighting sufficient enough? Three the plants are turning yellow green and One plant has red leaves and is now turning green... Do I need a fertilizer?... I am really a newbie and I don't know my Ph water or something like that I only put water conditioner thats all I did... Please Help.

Thanks


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Hi,

This is my setup:

29 Gallon
Emperor 280 filter
AquaClear Powerhead with filter
20 watt lighting/ comes with the aquarium
Alot of plants that I bought dunno whats there name.
Onyx sand

Ok. here is my question... Do I need to turn off the bubbles in the powerhead filter and just run it like without the bubbles? Two is my lighting sufficient enough? Three the plants are turning yellow green and One plant has red leaves and is now turning green... Do I need a fertilizer?... I am really a newbie and I don't know my Ph water or something like that I only put water conditioner thats all I did... Please Help.

Thanks


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Oh and I got a Rena 200 watt heater.


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Please recommend a fertiler that I just need to buy without the complication of measuring or adding alot of chemicals I prefer just the addon to the water.


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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Bebop, I'd like to help but you're not giving us much to go on. Without knowing anything about the water or what plants you have, it's hard to give any specific recommendations. What I can tell you is that your light is not enough to grow any but the lowest light plants (such as cryptocoryne or anubias species, java fern or java moss), and even they won't do real well in those conditions. I think your best bet would be to click on Aqua Botanic, at the left side of the top and bottom of this page, and go to the reference section; there are several good articles there that will give you a much better idea of what's involved in having a planted aquarium.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Well first off you are going to have a bunch of dead plants. 20 watts of light on a 29 gallon tank is just enough to see the fish and not nearly enough to grow plants. So until you get more light, say at a minimum of 60 watts all other questions are moot.

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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

will the eclipse 3 will do?


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

55 watts with a retrofit kit from AHSupply in the standard hood of a 29 gallon is fine to grow basic plants. 

I'm growing anubias, sunset hygro, cork vals, apong. ulvacues, java fern, compacta swords, crypt lutea, red melon swords, dwarf water lotus with that. No ground cover type plants however.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

What is your pH? if it is naturally high you will have to add CO2. If it is not too high you will still probably want to add CO2.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

The Eclipse 3 will give you just over one watt per gallon. 36 watts over 29 gallons. And the light distribution sucks on the Eclipse hoods. You are best off to get a glass top and a good light such as the JBJ that Robert sells. Or you could buy a wooden canopy and some AH Supply kits.

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## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

Rex is right, light distribution sucks on the Eclipses. All of the light is at the very front of the tank. Any stem plants you place at the back of your tank will lean to the front. They are also generally a PITA and the replacement cartridges are overly expensive.

Do you have any woodworking skills? Build a canopy and put a 1x55w kit from AH Supply in it. (www.ahsupply.com) They are top-notch DIY kits and they have wonderful service. If not, the JBJ Formosa lights that Robert sells are supposed to be some of the best on the market. Several people here on the board brag on them, and those people are quite experienced so I trust their opinions.

There is no magic potion of a fertilizer that you could just add one solution at water changes and get optimal growth. You could stick with some of the less picky species and then not have to worry about it much. Some plants are realtively maintenance free. Especially so if you have a good substrate.

What plants do you have in there? That would be a MAJOR help to us in helping you.









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15XH, 36W PC, XP-1, Onyx Sand, DIY CO2

Crypts ciliata and wendtii bronze and red, "sunset" hygro, green hygro, pennywort, wisteria and java fern and moss.


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Here is the list of my plants,

Dwarf Sagittaria, Moneywort, Crypt Balansae, Java Fern, Red Ludwigla, Sunset Hygro, Amazon Sword, Micro Sword, Cabomba....

Also I know a 2 bulb set is quit expensive will a single bulb will do or does it depend on the bulb... I am thinking of getting Aqua Glo lights anybody heard about this light?


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Ok here let me know if this will enough for my plants

1-65 WATT JBJ FORMOSA 65K daylight bulb on a 29 gallon tank.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

That setup will work fine. 65 watts on your 29 gallon tank. But I'm betting you are looking at the retro-fit kit for the Eclipse hood. You will still have the light distribution problems. But at least you will have more light to distribute. Or if you are just getting the strip light you will be fine.

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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

So what is the purpose of getting 2 bulbs are there plants that take so much light... Also how do you measure the K" in lighting?


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

Anybody know where I can find out the K" of Hagen Aqua Glo?


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

There are plants that pretty much require 4 watts per gallon. In planted tanks 2 watts per gallon is actually the normally accepted minimum starting point. K is discussed here in the board.

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## imported_Fred (Feb 1, 2003)

Bebop,
Set your powerhead up so there are no bubbles.

The reason for multiple lights, besides higher wpg is for better light distribution and to mix color spectrums.

Go to AH Supply the 1x55(~1.9wpg) will do for low and some moderate light plants. The 2x36 will give you ~2.5 wpg which should be fine for all your current plants although your Cabomba would prefer more light.

You could also do 1x55 + 1x36 etc for higher wattage.

Hagen does not measure K the same as other lighting manufacturers. It will do you little good comparing them to others.

Again GO TO A H Supply Be sure to check out the DIY hoods they have.

Another site to check out is Hello Lights

Fred


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

I'm shopping for lights fixture over the internet and there are few that I like but I'm confuse.... If the size says 24" is that mean the size of the bulb or the size of the fixture... In my 29 gal. tank I have a 30" hood with a 24" light... That is why I'm asking.


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## bebop (Jul 8, 2003)

how do you measure ph level is there a meter or something ?


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

You can buy a pH meter or you can use a pH test kit. You might want to do a lot of reading before you go any further into the hobby. It will save you a lot of frustration. And normally when you are looking at light fixtures the quoted length is the length of the fixture not the bulb. The reason that your 30" hood has a 24" bulb in it is that normally fluorescent tubes come in 1' increments.

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