Lighting To Ferts To Co2

[Nix]

Ok, just to fill in the gaps, I've had a in wall 29 gallon up and running for the past, oh lets say.....5 years now.

In that time I've housed 2 different pairs of angelfish (one of whom still lives there).

Well, I have one of those cheap rinky dink looking co2 systems on it ($30, from petsmart) however I haven't refilled it lately because I haven't really been keeping plants.

Well, I've been more focused on my reef the past year, and this tank has been somewhat neglected, nothing bad, fish are still healthy and what not, but I'm just not keeping it up to par.



In the past, my plants would do well, last roughly a month and begin to die back. Well, in the past week, my bulb burnt out. Little did I even realize, my bulb was only 20 watts. (From what I've read apparently that is standard for those cheap tank packages) Realizing how completely crappy that gallon to wattage exchange is (.7?) I've decided to make my ole 29 gallon look proud again.


Thats the issue, I'm not sure what kind of fixture I should be looking for. I guess I would be aiming for somewhere around 3 WPG. Having said that I've been working on my reef more recently, I'm looking to keep price at a minimum as well.

Now, I'm just assuming you guys are familiar with the co2 system I'm referring to, I can't seem to find it online, but yeah...it's not exactly high tech by any means. With lets says, 2-3 WPG would this be an effective unit still? (Better than nothing I suppose)


I plan on keeping relatively easy to keep plants, amazon swords, random stems, and maybe even some kind of moss if I go crazy with it.


With those factors being weighed, what kind of ferts do you see being required?


Also, I've just got average sized gravel as my only substrate, should I look into replacing that?


Can someone provide me some links to a fixture that'll do the trick?


Thanks for the help, I'm looking forward to your replies, and please help, my poor fish are stuck in the dark. haha

 

[Themuleous]

If you want east care plants, just get a second ballast and run two lights that'll probably be all you need. I wouldn't over complicate things by getting a specific fixture, you dont really need it.

Sam

 

[Nix]

thanks for the reply. Ok, I may go that direction, but I'm now thinking of buying a coralife 65W.


Should I avoid blue lights? Is only white light good for plants?

If so, I can get one with just white.


Would 65 watts be sufficient for my standard 29 gallon?


Help!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Nix

I would have a couple of lights if possible and try to get 30 watt globes or more. A 65 watt would be fine.
Avoid straight blue lights because they don't show the fish up very well and plants require blue and red light. A daylight (6,500K) globe is good or get a marine light with a 10,000K (K=Kelvin) temperature rating. It will give you a nice clear white light that is good for plants and viewing your fish.
Have your lights on for 12 hours a day and see how things go. If you get lots of algae then decrease the lighting period by an hour and see how things do over the next few weeks. If you don't get any algae, or only a bit, then increase the lighting period by an hour. You can have the lights on for up to 16 hours per day but the plants and fish like an 8 hour rest period.
Add some Sera iron plant fertiliser (liquid or tablet form) and the plants should go nuts.

 

[Themuleous]

thanks for the reply. Ok, I may go that direction, but I'm now thinking of buying a coralife 65W.

Should I avoid blue lights? Is only white light good for plants?

If so, I can get one with just white.

Would 65 watts be sufficient for my standard 29 gallon?

A 65w fixture woudl give to just over 2WPG, and with that kind of light if it were me I'd want CO2 to ensure the plants were given all they needed to grow. And good plant growth i the key to algae prevention.

Yes get a white light around 6500k. Don't get blue lights whatever you do! Keep an eye out of triphosphor lights as they have peaks in the right wavelengths for plants

I would have a couple of lights if possible and try to get 30 watt globes or more. A 65 watt would be fine.
Avoid straight blue lights because they don't show the fish up very well and plants require blue and red light. A daylight (6,500K) globe is good or get a marine light with a 10,000K (K=Kelvin) temperature rating. It will give you a nice clear white light that is good for plants and viewing your fish.
Have your lights on for 12 hours a day and see how things go. If you get lots of algae then decrease the lighting period by an hour and see how things do over the next few weeks. If you don't get any algae, or only a bit, then increase the lighting period by an hour. You can have the lights on for up to 16 hours per day but the plants and fish like an 8 hour rest period.
Add some Sera iron plant fertiliser (liquid or tablet form) and the plants should go nuts.

I don't necessarily agree with all that, yes plants require red and blue light, but a blue figure will promote algae, that why they are use for corals in marine tanks. A white light has a good mix of all the colours needed.

I also wouldn't run the lights for 12hrs, 6-10 is general more than enough, I certainly wouldn't go over 12hrs. Do however, reduce the lighting if you get algae.

Adding a decent fertiliser is a good idea, seachem flourish or tropica plant nutrition are both excellent.

Sam

 

[Nix]

Alright cool, I'm thinking I'll go with a coralife *(most likely) then. 6,500K seems to be the norm. I'll also avoid the blue lights, I figured it wasn't a good idea, but I thought I'd ask.

I found the Co2 (cheap) system I already have hooked up to my tank, keeping the co2 "producing" ingredients in high volume, would it be able to keep up with a 65W? Co2 System
(I know it's terrible)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with it, one way or another.

I'll look into those fertilizers you guys mentioned as well.

 

[Themuleous]

You'd need three of those kits to get enough co2 for a 29g tank.

Pressurised would be better.

Sam

 

[Nix]

Nuts, I was afraid you would say that.



Say in the hypothetical situation someone put a 65W bulb on a 29 gallon with one of those co2 canisters, what would happen?
(plus possible ferts)

 

[Nix]

"hypothetically"

 

[Themuleous]

Without decent plant growth you end up with an algae farm. That much light without co2 and the plants would soon exhaust themselves. There isn't anyway to get around it Im afraid

Sam

 

[Nix]

Ok, makes sense.

But what if................... I buy a diffuser like this [URL="http/cgi.ebay.com/Co2-Reactor-55-Gallon-Fish-Tank-C02-Regulator-Cylinder_W0QQitemZ250209960512QQihZ015QQcategoryZ66794QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http/cgi.ebay.com/Co2-Reactor-55-Gallon-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/URL]

and hook it up to my cannister? (or new DIY larger canister) effective?

 

[Themuleous]

The most efficient way to dissolve co2 is to put the outlet from the canister directly into the intake of the filter. The filter then chops up the bubbles and blows then around the tank.

If you dont want to do pressurised you can DIY a yeast kit for a few pence. Have a read of the pinned nutrafin thread Im sure there will be DIY guide on there

Sam

 

[Nix]

Alright, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. I think I'll try the filter disbursing method then.

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh worth a go. If its an external filter just watch that it doesn't fill with CO2 and stop it working correctly. If its an internal you'll not have a problem.

Glad to have helped

Sam