Plant Lighting Question

[Asmodaues]

Im new to planted tanks and want to make sure i have the correct lighting.

Tank is a 20gallon, play sand base. 2 primrose, 1 anacharis, and 1 aquatic combo from petco. Currently my flourescant light is a 8,000k full spectrum daylight.

Will this be enough and how long does it need to be on a day? I have a timer programmable surge strip if needed to set a timer. I work 730am to 530pm.

 

[Akasha72]

I can't help with the technical side of things - wattage etc as I don't understand it myself but I can tell you that I have two T8 tubes in my tank, one is a 'daylight' tube and the other is for 'plants'. I have set my timer to switch the lights on for just under 2 hours in a morning and 6 hours on an evening. I read something years ago that said staggering the lighting period in this way can help control algae. Keeping the lighting period at no more than 8 hours will also help keep algae at bay whilst providing enough lighting for the plants.
 
Can I also suggest that you add a good quality fertilizer and a simple liquid Co2 ... if you do this you should have healthy plants with optimum growth

 

[Byron]

Is the fluorescent tube a T8, or T5?  This makes a big difference in light intensity.  As for the spectrum, I would suggest one closer to 5000K to 7000K which will provide more red (red and blue are essential for photosynthesis) and also some green which helps too.  The best tubes for this are the aquarium type, like the Hagen and ZooMed brands.  I can go into specifics more when I know the type.
 
As for the duration, I tend to let the algae govern this.  If algae begins to increase, the light is usually too much (can be intensity and/or duration).  I would start with around 8 hours.  One of my tanks gets 7 because the light is a tad brighter due to the water depth being shallower, thus more light reaches the bottom.
 
The siesta approach, of having the tank light on for a few hours, then off for a couple, then on again will control algae sometimes, but this is not good for the fish or the plants either.  The reason it controls algae is that is it the CO2 that is being controlled; the "siesta" period allows CO2 to rebuild and thus the plants can use it when the light comes back on.  But the issue is that this interferes with the circadian rhythm that all fish and plants have; it is better especially for the fish to have one continuous period of tank light, and of course one period of complete darkness, with "dawn" and "dusk" separating these.
 
Byron.

 

[Asmodaues]

This is my bulb.

 

[Byron]

OK, you need to replace the tube, that's all.  I have had that tube, it is to be honest next to useless.  As you have T8, one good tube will be perfect.  You can go with the Hagen Life-Glo, or the ZooMed UltraSun.  Just make sure whichever is T8, as these are also available in T5 but T5 will not work in your fixture, and would be too much even if they did.  Either of these tubes, on for 8 hours, should be good.
 
Which brings me to the named plants.  What exact is "primrose?"  
 
On the Anacharis, which is the plant Egeria densa, here is some data I wrote elsewhere:
 
A nice beginner plant in that it is both easy to care for and also easy to help set up a "plant" style cycle tank, allowing for addition of fish. Anacharis is a fast grower, and commonly agreed upon as a very good ammonia sink. It does not require much light or the addition of fertilizers, although having both wouldn't hurt. However, because it is a fast grower you will have to trim it every so often as it can get up to 2 feet in length. Also, one can easily grow a bunch of these plants by trimming the top and planting the trimmed stem in the substrate, and it will continue to grow. Very hardy as well.

This plant prefers cooler temperatures than what is found in the normal community tropical aquarium, and frequently will fall apart within a few weeks if kept at warmer temperatures. A closely-related species, Egeria najas, does very well in normal temperatures (optimum 15-26C/60-79F) but is rarely available.
 
The "combo," any idea what might be in this?
 
Byron.

 

[Asmodaues]

Im glad I kept the stakes for future reference now. Heres a picture of both of them.

Im so glad i googled for help and found this page! Learning lots to better care for my fish.

 

[Byron]

As so often occurs with the chain stores, so-called aquatic plants are in fact more often terrestrial plants.  The Dracaena is such a plant.  It may last for a time submersed (in the aquarium), but at the first signs of it dying, remove it; when it begins to rot it can pollute the water.
 
The Ludwigia palustris may do quite well.  This is a marsh plant, but apparently takes to submersed culture very well.  The leaves may even turn a reddish colour.  If you change to one of the two tubes I suggested previously, this is more likely to occur.  It is difficult to say if the intensity will be sufficient to do this, but even if it remains green, it will still be a nice plant.
 
Byron.

 

[Asmodaues]

I will def keep an eye on it then. Thank you for that insight. Im starting to wish i had purchased more anacharis.

I plan to order the zoo med ultra sun this week. I have seen such a huge difference in the past 24hrs.

My cories are out more now. I watched them play for 2hrs this morning alone. They are out feeding now and im so excited to see them out more.

 

[Asmodaues]

Im looking at api for the liquid co2, can you recommend a good fertilizer? I also have in my amazon cart. A api test kit, the Zoo Med Ultra Sun Trichromatic Super Daylight 6500K Fluorescent Bulb T8 15 Watt, 18-Inch for the plants. Im digging my timed surge strip out tonight to make sure its still functioning correctly.

 

[Akasha72]

flourish do good ferts as do easylife. It's a case of what you can get in America. It's a lot different in the U.K
 
Both Flourish and easylife have their own co2 liquids designed to work in conjunction with their ferts

 

[Asmodaues]

Are you referring to flourish by seachem? Just making sure while im checking amazon.

 

[Akasha72]

yes, sorry. I couldn't remember the actual brand but I thought it would be easy enough to search for. I've heard very good things over the years about flourish and I'd use it myself if it didn't contain phosphates (I have a lot of phosphate in my tap water and so I don't need to add more)
 
They have a fert and a co2 (one of them is called excell but I can't remember which it is) designed to work together for optimum growth and plant health. I always think it's better to buy something that's designed to work together so that there's no chance of a chemical clash ... so to speak. I'm sure you understand what I mean

 

[Byron]

Im looking at api for the liquid co2, can you recommend a good fertilizer? I also have in my amazon cart. A api test kit, the Zoo Med Ultra Sun Trichromatic Super Daylight 6500K Fluorescent Bulb T8 15 Watt, 18-Inch for the plants. Im digging my timed surge strip out tonight to make sure its still functioning correctly.

 
I personally cannot recommend using the API carbon product (CO2 Booster I think it's called), nor Flourish Excel.  Both are glutaraldehyde, a highly toxic chemical, that even at recommended doses will kill some plants.  You don't need to be adding carbon anyway, there will be sufficient occurring naturally to balance the light and other nutrients.
 
The light is good.  If you need a timer, one of the small ones sold for lamps works fine.
 
For liquid fertilizers, the Seachem Flourish Comprehensive Supplement is the basic to start with; make sure you check the exact name as they make several products under the "Flourtish" tag.  Once a week, a day following the water change, will likely be sufficient.  You could also use the Flourish Trace as well as the Comprehensive; I have found an improvement when I combined these (on different days, not together).
 
Byron.

 

[Akasha72]

listen to Byron - he's far more experienced in these things than I am

 

[Asmodaues]

Would this be the correct one?
http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002A5X3W?keywords=Seachem%20Flourish%20Comprehensive%20Supplement&qid=1446489987&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3