Growing Conditions

[Dorkhedeos]

i was just wondering if anything could grow with 3000k light or less. im trying to figure out why my plants keep dying. i currently have a microsword in there, but its dying too. i just got some 5500k lights today and im hoping it works

 

[nicklfire]

I suggest you read the pinned artcle on the basics of lighting. Dennerle - Special-Plant 3000K Warm, yellow/orange. I doubt it could kill your plants all together but i'm sure it's not the best you could be doing for them. Theres many factors to why they could be dying. Are you running proper substrate, are you running enough light... (again covered in pinnned article) are you running co2 (which plants need to grow), are your plants getting the nutrients they need. This is a very common thing for people to jump into the planted aquarium hobby. Trust me i went through those frustrating times, even still to this day i battle with different issues that i have to continously do research on. That's the fun thing about this hobby you never stop learning. But we are definately here to help you out. My only advice is read as much as you can, first start on every pinned article. I myself have read those things over and over and over, and will probably read them more and more lol. Theres just so much information to know about keeping a great habitat plus keeping alive everything in it. Best of luck to you that would be where i would tell you to start.

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh the pinned articles are well worth a read. Do you know the proper name of the plant? Micro sword suggests Lilaeopsis brasiliensis which is a tricky plants to grow. So it might just be plant choice which is wrong, rather then the lights.

Re the K rating on the bulbs, the most important thing is to get ones designed for panted tanks. Dont just get any only bulbs, get ones designed to encourage plant growth in aquariums. And to be honest forget about the K rating, people fascinate over it far to much, it doesn't really serve a purpose other than is helping with aesthetics, i.e. the colour of the light and how the will show you plants and fish off.

Sam

 

[Dorkhedeos]

ive read the lighting one and thats where i got the idea of my lights being too weak as they are only 2700k, which is about the same as a normal incandescent light right? i bought the 5500k daylight bulbs because i was hoping that since they imitate daylight, it would help my plants live and grow. right now i only have a hood that accepts normal socketed lights, so i cant really run any of the tubes. i have sand for substrate and im just about to set up a co2 system. ill read up on more of the pinned articles once i get back home