Ideal Light For 10G Heavily Planted Tank?

[Cich-Oh]

I was sold a dual 40w satellite with an actinic blub for 170 dollars at the LFS. After researching my buy, I'm finding that this is a light for reef aquariums. Did they rip me off? I will it definitely help me grow any species of plant?

 

[AdAndrews]

I was sold a dual 40w satellite with an actinic blub for 170 dollars at the LFS. After researching my buy, I'm finding that this is a light for reef aquariums. Did they rip me off? I will it definitely help me grow any species of plant?

It will be too bright for plants, algae will just flourish, and it will be a right mess.. It makes sence that it was made for reefs as they require high lighting, and wont get algae from it as there are no nitrates/phosphate in the system.

I would look for something like 2 wats per gallon, so 20w of light for that tank, that, coupled with dosing of nutrients, a nutritious substrate, co2 and plenty of flow will let you grow almost anything.

 

[RadaR]

I was sold a dual 40w satellite with an actinic blub for 170 dollars at the LFS. After researching my buy, I'm finding that this is a light for reef aquariums. Did they rip me off? I will it definitely help me grow any species of plant?

It makes sence that it was made for reefs as they require high lighting, and wont get algae from it as there are no nitrates/phosphate in the system.

Algae isn't caused/triggered by nitrates or phosphates whether it's freshwater or salt water.
Marine tanks concentrate on keeping organic waste down which may lead to algae problems. They do this mainly by skimmers, but activated carbon also works. The high flow also makes sure that decaying matter easily gets picked up into filters. When algae does appear in marine tanks then yes, lowering the N and P in the water does reduce the speed of the algae flagellates from growing.

Keeping 80W over a 10gallon would be insane. The amount of nutrients and CO2 needed would be huge. I'd rather have what AdAndrews has suggested, 20W.

 

[Mikaila31]

Yeah I would return it and you can make a hood from scratch or retrofit your old striplight for $30 max to house some spiral compacts. Most stores carry 6500K bulbs if you hunt a little. For a 10gal 2x9 watt bulbs would do the trick.

 

[AdAndrews]

Algae isn't caused/triggered by nitrates or phosphates whether it's freshwater or salt water.

i think you'll find it is, in an unplanted aquarium.

 

[RadaR]

Algae isn't caused/triggered by nitrates or phosphates whether it's freshwater or salt water.

i think you'll find it is, in an unplanted aquarium.

Yep. Nitrates and phosphates still don't TRIGGER algae blooms though.

 

[AdAndrews]

Algae isn't caused/triggered by nitrates or phosphates whether it's freshwater or salt water.

i think you'll find it is, in an unplanted aquarium.

Yep. Nitrates and phosphates still don't TRIGGER algae blooms though.

things would get trigered ultimately whether you like it or not, in any aquarium, so the best thing anyone can do, is to minimalise light and nutrients such as NPK.

 

[RadaR]

Triggered by ammonia and light. What happens then is already mentioned in my earlier posts.

When algae does appear in marine tanks then yes, lowering the N and P in the water does reduce the speed of the algae flagellates from growing.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, seems for a good time I've been reading in our planted section (and elsewhere too sometimes) that trace amounts of ammonia (often below what typical test kits would ever measure) and light are common "triggers" to start algae growth from algae spores. Nitrates, phosphates and many of the other 17 plant nutrients are all potentially involved in the nourishment of the resulting unicellular amoeboids or flagellates.

The trouble with trying to generalize about algae is that there are lots and lots of single celled varieties and even plenty of multi-celled varieties out there described by scientists. Its a little like the trouble you run into with bacteria, where there are thought to be about 150 million species (as contrasted with what? 5000 plus or so non microbe type animal species?) I guess, luckily, there are a relatively small number of very common algae types (witness the link to James's algae web page in the pinned planted tanks section) we can learn about and get better at combating!

Since algae spores are ubiquitous in dust, air, land, sea, inside our bodies, virtually everywhere, it stands to reason that only special conditions will perform the magic of getting them to "germinate" (or whatever the word is for algae!)

~~waterdrop~~