Lights

[ParadiseGuerrero]

If i want to grow plants roughly how strong a light would i need for a 90L tank (30cm deep)? Is it only the watts I need to check or is there anything else?

thankyou for any help- The only thing i know about lights is how to flick a switch ;p

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Ultimately, any light will work for growing aquatic plants. The only thing is that the lighting will determine other factors, including whether or not you need to fertilize and add CO2, and which plants are best for your set-up.


Typically, low light is best for beginners, IMHO, because that leaves you without needing to fertilize nor add CO2 for the plants. It also leaves you with a very narrow group of plants that will grow happily in that set-up. Low light, low tech (no addition of anything else) plants are: anubias spp., java fern java moss, amazon swords, crpytocoryne spp, and waterweeds (elodea/anacharis). These plants generally will grow slowly in this type of set-up, but they will grow. (Waterweeds will grow fairly quickly.)

 

[OldMan47]

The first thing that you need to check is the light requirements for your plants. The lighting needs can be anywhere from typical aquarium lighting, meaning almost no light, to a very bright light.

Low light plants can be grown with great success in a tank like yours with a mere 20 watts or even less of fluorescent lighting. I breed lots of livebearers and use tons of java moss. The stuff will almost grow in the dark and makes great fry cover. Some more conventional plants for low light are the Anubias group, most of the Cryptocorynes and some of the stem plants like elodea.

Check the growing requirements for plants that you buy, some will die if planted directly in a substrate and are instead tied to objects above your substrate and then allowed to root themselves.

If this is your first venture into plants, I would recommend a trick that I have learned. When you go shopping for plants, look hard at the cheapest ones they have. Cheap means that not much individual care went into growing them and they were easy for the original grower to grow. That means almost no care and the things grow. Typically this will set you up to succeed with your own plants.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If this is your first venture into plants, I would recommend a trick that I have learned. When you go shopping for plants, look hard at the cheapest ones they have. Cheap means that not much individual care went into growing them and they were easy for the original grower to grow. That means almost no care and the things grow. Typically this will set you up to succeed with your own plants.

+1


Add to that the fact that if you can't grow them successfully you haven't wasted much money for the learning process.