SaFyQ448
New Member
Hi. I have a fluval light with blue and white. It's 18 watts. Can this grow my aquarium plants?
Grow Lights?
- Thread starter SaFyQ448
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Likely not that well, it may cause problem algae, depending though. What is the spectrum of the white diodes (assuming this is LED)? Can you turn off the blue?
Reason. Plants grow by photosynthesis, and red and blue drive photosynthesis. Red is the greater priority here, but both are needed. Adding green to this improves plant growth. Photosynthesis does not use the green, but it doesimprove plant growth. Probably because this mix is closest to the sun under which plants evolved.
A lot of LED is emphasizing the blue. Blue will cause problem algae if it is not balanced by the other two. The white light if it is a mix of red/blue/green with a colour wavelength in the 5000K-65ooK range is sufficient in itself, and the additional blue is best avoided.
If you can find the Kelvin or the CRI for the white, and if you can turn off/remove the blue...you might be well set.
OP
OP
SaFyQ448
New Member
Ok, so I bought it second hand, I don't know, I'm pretty sure it's LED. And I can turn off the blue. I can adjust both white and blue intensities.
I recently got a lot of plants, including corkscrew, anubis, elodea, and dwarf hairgrass, and I really want them to survive.
Try the plants with white light only. Have the light come on with a low intensity and increase slowly over an hour to full intensity. In the evening ramp it down over an hour. This prevents sudden light and dark, which can stress and startle the fish.
LIGHTING TIMES
Most aquarium plants like a bit of light and if you only have the light on for a couple of hours a day, they struggle. If the light doesn't have a high enough wattage they also struggle. Try having the tank lights on for 10-12 hours a day.
If you get lots of green algae then reduce the light by an hour a day and monitor the algae over the next 2 weeks.
If you don't get any green algae on the glass then increase the lighting period by an hour and monitor it for a couple of weeks.
If you get a small amount of green algae then the lighting time is about right.
Some plants will close their leaves up when they have had sufficient light. Ambulia, Hygrophilas and a few others close their top set of leaves first, then the next set and so on down the stem. When you see this happening, wait an hour after the first few sets of leaves have closed up against the stem and then turn lights off.
-------------------
Anubias doesn't use a lot of light and should be placed near the sides of the tank or somewhere that is slightly shaded if it gets algae on the leaves. You can tie or glue (use super glue) the Anubias plants to wood or rocks. Their rhizome should be above the substrate.
Hair grass struggles in most aquariums.
The Vallis and Elodia should be fine and can be placed along the back due to their length.
-------------------
LIST OF PLANTS TO TRY
Some good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, H. ruba/ rubra, Elodia (during summer, but don't buy it in winter because it falls apart), Hydrilla, common Amazon sword plant, narrow or twisted/ spiral Vallis, Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).
The Water Sprite normally floats on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. The other plants should be planted in the gravel.
Ambulia, H. polysperma, Elodia/ Hydrilla and Vallis are tall plants that do well along the back. Rotala macranda is a medium/ tallish red plant that usually does well.
H. ruba/ rubra is a medium height plant that looks good on the sides of the tank.
Cryptocorynes are small/ medium plants that are taller than pygmy chain swords but shorter than H. rubra. They also come in a range of colours, mostly different shades of green, brown or purplish red. Crypts are not the easiest plant to grow but can do well if they are healthy to begin with and are not disturbed after planting in the tank.
Most Amazon sword plants can get pretty big and are usually kept in the middle of the tank as a show piece. There is an Ozelot sword plant that has brown spots on green leaves, and a red ruffle sword plant (name may vary depending on where you live) with deep red leaves.
There is a pygmy chain sword plant that is small and does well in the front of the tank.
-------------------
TRUE AQUATIC VS MARSH/ TERRESTRIAL PLANTS
Lots of plants are sold as aquarium plants and most are marsh plants that do really well when their roots are in water and the rest of the plant is above water. Some marsh plants will do well underwater too.
Hair grass is not a true aquatic plant, neither is Anubias.
Some common marsh plants include Amazon sword plants, Cryptocorynes, Hygrophila sp, Rotala sp, Ludwigia sp, Bacopa sp. These plant do reasonably well underwater.
True aquatic plants include Ambulia, Cabomba, Hornwort, Elodia, Hydrilla and Vallis.
The main difference between marsh plants and true aquatic plants is the stem. True aquatics have a soft flexible stem with air bubbles in it. These bubbles help the plant float and remain buoyant in the water column.
Marsh plants have a rigid stem and these plants can remain standing upright when removed from water. Whereas true aquatic plants will fall over/ collapse when removed from water.
--------------------
IRON BASED PLANT FERTILISER
If you add an iron based aquarium plant fertiliser, it will help most aquarium plants do well. An iron based fertiliser is not just iron, it contains other nutrients as well, but the main ingredient is iron. The liquid iron based aquarium plant fertilisers tend to be better than the tablet forms, although you can push the tablets under the roots of plants and that works well.
You use an iron (Fe) test kit to monitor iron levels and keep them at 1mg/l (1ppm).
I used Sera Florena liquid plant fertiliser but there are other brands too.
LIGHTING TIMES
Most aquarium plants like a bit of light and if you only have the light on for a couple of hours a day, they struggle. If the light doesn't have a high enough wattage they also struggle. Try having the tank lights on for 10-12 hours a day.
If you get lots of green algae then reduce the light by an hour a day and monitor the algae over the next 2 weeks.
If you don't get any green algae on the glass then increase the lighting period by an hour and monitor it for a couple of weeks.
If you get a small amount of green algae then the lighting time is about right.
Some plants will close their leaves up when they have had sufficient light. Ambulia, Hygrophilas and a few others close their top set of leaves first, then the next set and so on down the stem. When you see this happening, wait an hour after the first few sets of leaves have closed up against the stem and then turn lights off.
-------------------
Anubias doesn't use a lot of light and should be placed near the sides of the tank or somewhere that is slightly shaded if it gets algae on the leaves. You can tie or glue (use super glue) the Anubias plants to wood or rocks. Their rhizome should be above the substrate.
Hair grass struggles in most aquariums.
The Vallis and Elodia should be fine and can be placed along the back due to their length.
-------------------
LIST OF PLANTS TO TRY
Some good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, H. ruba/ rubra, Elodia (during summer, but don't buy it in winter because it falls apart), Hydrilla, common Amazon sword plant, narrow or twisted/ spiral Vallis, Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).
The Water Sprite normally floats on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. The other plants should be planted in the gravel.
Ambulia, H. polysperma, Elodia/ Hydrilla and Vallis are tall plants that do well along the back. Rotala macranda is a medium/ tallish red plant that usually does well.
H. ruba/ rubra is a medium height plant that looks good on the sides of the tank.
Cryptocorynes are small/ medium plants that are taller than pygmy chain swords but shorter than H. rubra. They also come in a range of colours, mostly different shades of green, brown or purplish red. Crypts are not the easiest plant to grow but can do well if they are healthy to begin with and are not disturbed after planting in the tank.
Most Amazon sword plants can get pretty big and are usually kept in the middle of the tank as a show piece. There is an Ozelot sword plant that has brown spots on green leaves, and a red ruffle sword plant (name may vary depending on where you live) with deep red leaves.
There is a pygmy chain sword plant that is small and does well in the front of the tank.
-------------------
TRUE AQUATIC VS MARSH/ TERRESTRIAL PLANTS
Lots of plants are sold as aquarium plants and most are marsh plants that do really well when their roots are in water and the rest of the plant is above water. Some marsh plants will do well underwater too.
Hair grass is not a true aquatic plant, neither is Anubias.
Some common marsh plants include Amazon sword plants, Cryptocorynes, Hygrophila sp, Rotala sp, Ludwigia sp, Bacopa sp. These plant do reasonably well underwater.
True aquatic plants include Ambulia, Cabomba, Hornwort, Elodia, Hydrilla and Vallis.
The main difference between marsh plants and true aquatic plants is the stem. True aquatics have a soft flexible stem with air bubbles in it. These bubbles help the plant float and remain buoyant in the water column.
Marsh plants have a rigid stem and these plants can remain standing upright when removed from water. Whereas true aquatic plants will fall over/ collapse when removed from water.
--------------------
IRON BASED PLANT FERTILISER
If you add an iron based aquarium plant fertiliser, it will help most aquarium plants do well. An iron based fertiliser is not just iron, it contains other nutrients as well, but the main ingredient is iron. The liquid iron based aquarium plant fertilisers tend to be better than the tablet forms, although you can push the tablets under the roots of plants and that works well.
You use an iron (Fe) test kit to monitor iron levels and keep them at 1mg/l (1ppm).
I used Sera Florena liquid plant fertiliser but there are other brands too.
The manufacturer of the light will be named on the unit somewhere, so check their website for data on the white light. It may give the Kelvin, many do.
As for the rest, as Colin said, use the white and forget the blue. And have the "dawn" and "dusk" periods of gradual light changes. Timing the lights consistently every day is important for fish as well as plants.
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