Lighting Confusion!

[Super Dude]

i got a 10 gallon aquarium. it's got a limnophila sessiflora, a cryptocoryne thing and some java moss. it currently has a single flourescent bulb @ 15 watts. i acquired another 10 gallon that has a 30 watt (2x 15w) incandescent canopy. i know that watt for watt flouro is better, but which would be better in this situation?

ps-i could add diy co2 if necissary. whatever's best for my plants.

 

[three-fingers]

Ditch the Limnophila sessiflora and replace it with something that likes lower light and I would say stick with the 15W florescent tube for best results.

Otherwise, if you must keep that plant, go with the 2x15w incandescent canopy and replace both of the bulbs with the 15w energy saving screw/bayonet bulbs and DIY yourself some sort of reflector for them. This would give you more light, but not as evenly spread around the tank. Also, due to the shape of the bulbs, it wouldn't actually give you the same amount of light that one 30w tube would. If energy saving bulbs bigger than 15w would fit in the space, then that would work fine too and give you more light.

DIY CO2 would be better than nothing either way .

Remember though, the higher the light, the higher the demand for CO2 and other nutrients, so you will need to add more, DIY may not be able to provide a constant enough supply and you may need to add decent (NPK + trace) fertilisers to avoid deficiencies.

A good flow of water in any scenario will benefit the plants too, so you may want to add a small powerhead to bring the tanks total rated turnover to 10x per hour. This often helps avoid algae, it isnt always needed at all, but it can help so I would recommend it.

The easiest option would be to ditch the Limnophila sessiflora, add more low light plants (the more you start off with the easier it is), use the single 15w tube, add DIY CO2, provide good circulation, stock medium-to heavily with fish any only add fertiliser if you need to.

 

[Super Dude]

i've had that plant for a while and it's growing alright. not the greatest, but still it's decent.

the incandescent canopy can handle up to 50 watts(2x 25w) this is obviously a little extensive, but i could find a happy medium.

where the limnophila is currently located would be directly under a bulb on the new canopy, which may help it's cause.

would the twisty fluorescent bulbs work better than incandescent ones? if so i could just take it down to home depot and trial fit some bulbs.

thanks.

 

[three-fingers]

Yes, much better than the incandescent ones .

 

[lljdma06]

Yes, much better than the incandescent ones .

I've had no trouble growing L. sessilifolia under a singer 15W T8 tube in a 10g. It even flowered. I found it more cooperative than cabomba at any rate, which I still cannot grow for the life of me.

Stick with flourescent (sp). But I bet you can replace the incadescent tubes with flourescent ones. The twisty ones for home depot would be alright, as long as you didn't exceed the watt capacity of the hood.

I'm running 28W of t5 over a 10g and treat the tank like it is low-light, so you may find that your plants will still grow slower even though you've increased the lighting. They will probably still grow better. The lighting will not be as even with the twisty bulbs as it sould be with a straight tube. Try to center your more light-hungry plants directly under the bulb, while placing the lower light plants away from the direct path.

llj

 

[Super Dude]

ok thanks. i'm gonna go with the dual bulbs.

at what wpg do you think i should blend some co2 into the mix? i know it's 2 in bigger aquariums, but it's different for 10 gals?