Lighting Question

[mamcamhtm123]

Hey...i am relatively new to the hobby and got a great deal on a Solana 37gal cube tank. It came with a metal halide 14k, 150watt light. I wanted to create a moderately heavily planted tank, but I wasnt sure if 14k was the right temp. I'd rather not spend another 80 bucks for a 6500 temp light.

Will I be ok with 14k?

Also, will I need CO2 supplement? 150watt for 37 gal is a lot per gal. The tank is in a pretty well lit room, maybe leave the 150watt light on for 4hrs towards the end of the day (after the living room dims a little). Or just deal with C02 - tablets?

Another thing - I may have made a mistake, but I mixed flourite, pool filter sand and crushed coral for the substrate - will the crushed coral be a problem for plants?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mike

 

[lljdma06]

Unless you really want to go with pressurized CO2 and a fert regimen, you should consider reducing your light intensity. And even if you wanted to do this, I would still consider reducing the lighting intensity. The color temperature isn't really important, it's a matter of what you like looking at, so you don't have to swap out the 14k bulb. To lessen the intensity, you could try suspending the light higher above the tank. But, I think the lighting is still going to be too high. I've not suspended many lights for aquariums, so I don't know how far off hand you'd have to go to get the intensity that would be more managable without having to purchase a new light.

No, crushed coral probably wasn't the best idea. While I've heard some Walstad-style low-tech tanks will add a touch of bonemeal for Calcium in the soil mix for their tanks, a touch is a different thing from mixing three equal parts. Just how much crushed coral are we talking about? It's going to drive up the pH and hardness. While some plants are quite hardy and will adapt, others may not like it so much.

llj

 

[mamcamhtm123]

Thanks...

It's a pendant light, so I can raise it up quite a bit. I'll give that a try first. It was a 15lb bag of crushed coral.

I really dont want to take that out now - I knew I should have just used all flourite.

Will I be reduced to adding some offsetting peat to the filter area and more frequent water changes?

Should I just go with plants that work in the harder water and fish that live in higher ph/harder water?

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks...

It's a pendant light, so I can raise it up quite a bit. I'll give that a try first. It was a 15lb bag of crushed coral.

I really dont want to take that out now - I knew I should have just used all flourite.

Will I be reduced to adding some offsetting peat to the filter area and more frequent water changes?

Should I just go with plants that work in the harder water and fish that live in higher ph/harder water?

Arggghhh. That's a lot of crushed coral. With the peat addition, then you just get into the whole manipulating the chemical properties of the water thing and it opens up a whole can of worms. Trust me, as daunting as it sounds, it will actually be easier to change the substrate then to play chemist.

Oh boy.

Hmmm. Possible solution. You can try to turn it into a planted African cichlid tank. You are very limited with plant choices though, as the plants will get beat up,but it may be worth a try. Anubia, java fern, it's got to have pretty tough leaves. Maybe a larger Vallis or Sagittaria. It's something to try at least if you are insisting not to swap out your substrate.

llj

 

[mamcamhtm123]

I think I'd rather just go with African Cichlids and the hardier plant species than change out the gravel (i like cichlids anyway). I love the way it looks, hopefully that will be a good compromise. I was hoping for a flowing moss wall, etc...but hey.

My girlfriend is really confused...she just wants to put all types of fish in there and I'm struggling to explain what the issues are lol.

Thanks for the help.

 

[lljdma06]

I think I'd rather just go with African Cichlids and the hardier plant species than change out the gravel (i like cichlids anyway). I love the way it looks, hopefully that will be a good compromise. I was hoping for a flowing moss wall, etc...but hey.

My girlfriend is really confused...she just wants to put all types of fish in there and I'm struggling to explain what the issues are lol.

Thanks for the help.

I hear ya. I would highly recommend that you go pay a visit to African cichlids and get the scoop on what to keep. A 37g is a good size for some setups. They should be able to get you started. I don't know how high you're going to have to raise that light, though, might want to monitor this thread to see what others say. My guess is quite a bit to get the lower intensity you need, though I will say, some African setups encourage algae. No lie!