Anyone Read The Tropica Guide?

[Ps3Steveo]

Just had a look and any tank with HC in it has the equivalent of at least 3.5WPG, one small tank had 8WPG lol, why? Ian has grown HC with about 1.4WPG I think? I know the WPG rule shouldn't apply and all that but its just a rough measurement..

 

[ian]

It's pretty much an old school thing with light and plants. We know that light is important, however, the rest of the square (not triangle) is pretty much as important. I found with the HC that flow and distribution of C02 was the most important (Obviously light helps, but it's not the be all and end all). As we now know, HC doesn't grow 'upwards' because its reaching for light. It grows upwards because of a hormone response in the plant, the hormone manifests as Ethylene. Poor flow to the substrate suppresses the ability of the plant to rid itself of the gas and results in a buildup of this gas. Hence why people struggle to grow HC.

With good flow and C02, HC will carpet under most light.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

I know it just made me laugh when I saw the lighting specs lol.

 

[StandbySetting]

Probably to do with growth rates, but there is a threshold point at which plants can no longer photosynthesise, as Ian says HC is pretty adaptable but it does appreciate nutrients a lot more than other plants do, I suspect that it has a higher metabolism than a lot of other species, especially seeing as it grows quite fast.

 

[ian]

I suppose if Tropica are wanting show tanks in weeks then they will just stick 8wpg over a tank and full on C02. They probably don't even stock the tanks until the day of the shoot. In Amanos complete works, you'll see he doesn't run 'highlight' over his tanks.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

When it comes to wpg, both smaller and larger tanks need additional light. The reason that smaller tanks need extra light has to do with their being so shallow and the nature of how light is dispersed as it moves farther from the source. Basically, in a shallow tank the light hits the bottom before it spreads out much. As a result you need more watts to get full coverage for all the area needing the light.

The easiest way to understand this is with a flashlight. Stand 100cm (3ft.) from a wall and shine a flashlight at the wall. Note how big the circle of light is on the wall. Then back up a step or two and you will notice the circle of light is larger (though not as intense). Its the same idea in a shallower (smaller) tank.

 

[lljdma06]

Probably to do with growth rates, but there is a threshold point at which plants can no longer photosynthesise, as Ian says HC is pretty adaptable but it does appreciate nutrients a lot more than other plants do, I suspect that it has a higher metabolism than a lot of other species, especially seeing as it grows quite fast.

Similar to hummingbirds...