Griz
Fish Herder
Yes, it is possible to have a planted tank with just over a half watt per gallon.
I have a 33g long tank with only a 20watt Aqua-Glo flourescent tube (Not ideal, I know, it's time to replace it anyway) and my plants have been doing just fine. How? Natural light. The tank is in a room which faces south and has 2 large windows which let in a lot of sunlight. No direct light falls on the tank but in winter, when the sun is closer to the horizon, it comes pretty close. I decided to post this because the common wisdom is that at least 2 wpg is required for a planted tank. I have found that with enough natural light, one can indeed grow plants with a minimum of artificial light.
I have an Amazon sword which has quadupled in size and is taking over the tank. I routinely remove 2 ft long leaves to keep it in check. It was 8-10 inches when purchased last October. A plantlet developed which has been replanted and is now 8 inches tall. I am also successfully growing a crypt and some java fern. The java fern is starting to look particularly nice. Two months ago I planted some Cabomba and some Val. The Cabomba is growing very well however the Val doesn't seem to be doing much. It isn't dying off, but it isn't growing much either. All of the plants are growing slowly but look very healthy.
I use Flourinette tabs and Flourish liquid fertilizer at a little less that the recommended dose. I use a generous amount of granular peat in my filter, I suspect that this may be helping the plants as well. The substrate is a 2-3 inch layer of sandy loam soil mixed with some peat and vermiculite, covered with and 1-2 inches of play sand.
There is a bit of algae is present in the tank but is not a problem really. It is generally confined to the sword plant and when I trim it, I just remove the older leaves which have the most algae on it. The glass only needs cleaning every couple weeks. The back corners of the tank are darker and don't grow plants very well so I have used rock and wood there. The fish seem to like hanging out in those dark corners under the plants. (My fish are listed in my profile)
I guess the moral here , and the reason for this post, is that a planted tank doesn't have to be an intimidating project with high wattage bulbs and CO2 in order to work. My plants certainly doesn't look as nice as some of the beautiful ones I have seen on this forum but they look very healthy and the Sword, Java fern and Crypt have been doing fine for more that 7 months now.
Disclaimer: Some of my setup will surely be critisized. (The substrate for example) But it has worked for me for over 7 months. You mileage may vary.
I'll try to post some pics tonight.
I have a 33g long tank with only a 20watt Aqua-Glo flourescent tube (Not ideal, I know, it's time to replace it anyway) and my plants have been doing just fine. How? Natural light. The tank is in a room which faces south and has 2 large windows which let in a lot of sunlight. No direct light falls on the tank but in winter, when the sun is closer to the horizon, it comes pretty close. I decided to post this because the common wisdom is that at least 2 wpg is required for a planted tank. I have found that with enough natural light, one can indeed grow plants with a minimum of artificial light.
I have an Amazon sword which has quadupled in size and is taking over the tank. I routinely remove 2 ft long leaves to keep it in check. It was 8-10 inches when purchased last October. A plantlet developed which has been replanted and is now 8 inches tall. I am also successfully growing a crypt and some java fern. The java fern is starting to look particularly nice. Two months ago I planted some Cabomba and some Val. The Cabomba is growing very well however the Val doesn't seem to be doing much. It isn't dying off, but it isn't growing much either. All of the plants are growing slowly but look very healthy.
I use Flourinette tabs and Flourish liquid fertilizer at a little less that the recommended dose. I use a generous amount of granular peat in my filter, I suspect that this may be helping the plants as well. The substrate is a 2-3 inch layer of sandy loam soil mixed with some peat and vermiculite, covered with and 1-2 inches of play sand.
There is a bit of algae is present in the tank but is not a problem really. It is generally confined to the sword plant and when I trim it, I just remove the older leaves which have the most algae on it. The glass only needs cleaning every couple weeks. The back corners of the tank are darker and don't grow plants very well so I have used rock and wood there. The fish seem to like hanging out in those dark corners under the plants. (My fish are listed in my profile)
I guess the moral here , and the reason for this post, is that a planted tank doesn't have to be an intimidating project with high wattage bulbs and CO2 in order to work. My plants certainly doesn't look as nice as some of the beautiful ones I have seen on this forum but they look very healthy and the Sword, Java fern and Crypt have been doing fine for more that 7 months now.
Disclaimer: Some of my setup will surely be critisized. (The substrate for example) But it has worked for me for over 7 months. You mileage may vary.
I'll try to post some pics tonight.
) but I've at least got the camera batteries in the charger now - hopefully tommorrow.
