Plants Basics

[mayurkirti]

I looked for some information under plants forums, but everything looked like its for advanced plants hobbyists.
Someone donated me few plants and I am trying to figure out the best and simplest way to take care of them. I dont have any special arrangement for the plants. I have planted them in the gravel and keeping the tank light on for as long as 15 hours a day. The tank also gets some indirect sunlight from the large living room window during the day.

Is this enough? Does anyone recommend simple improvements? I dont know much about CO2 injection and I am very conservative of new stuff.

Thanks!
-Mayur

 

[Curiosity101]

Here is a good write-up someone did today [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=298133"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=298133[/URL]

But basically...
8 hours of light is enough for most plants.
Unless you have at least 2W of light for every gallon of the tank then you shouldn't need any carbon or fertiliser supplements unless the tank is really heavily plants.

 

[waterdrop]

But (to put my own twist on it and respectfully mentioning that I quite agree with C101's points) I'd consider starting at only 4 hours of on-time for the lights at first, progressing very slowly up through 6 and eventually on to 8 hours, all along making sure you are watching the trade-off between whether you're beginning to see algae or whether the plants are not looking well. And, although at below 2w/g light you could ignore carbon and ferts, its fairly easy these days to do some liquid carbon and some ferts, as simply a few partial capful toss-ins after the fish are fed.

C101, that link is perfect for Mayur! What a great article by Aaron!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Curiosity101]

C101...that's the most interesting nick name so far. I think I'm pleased

And I do completely agree with waterdrop there. I have 1.2WPG over my tank but due to my high plant mass I dose ferts and liquid carbon. Just to keep the plants ticking over nicely.
However as WD (see what I did there giving you a nickname too, hehe.) said, it's a balancing act. I started on low doses and worked my way up to something that kept the plants happy and algae at bay.

And I know...I read through it and was like . I'm sure those plant guys function on a different level to us 'normal' folk.

 

[mayurkirti]

Thanks C101 and WD! I just looked at the light to find that its a f15t8. There is only one tube. After little research I found its a 15W light bulb. So that means I am getting 1.5WPG in my 10G tank. Do you guys think I need to add any supplements beyond this? The tank is not very heavily planted. I would say its moderate. I will try to get some pictures if possible.

Also, I am not sure how to go less than 12 hours of light in the tank since I am at work when I have the light turned on. Should I keep it turned off the whole day and then turn it on for 4 hours in the evening? Which would be from 8 to 12am ish.

 

[vinylman]

I think a handy tip is to watch your plants; many will start to close up their leaves when they've had enough light. Just make a note of how long the lights have been on when it starts to happen.

 

[Curiosity101]

Hmm, never new that. Explains why my Cabomba closes up halfway through the day! Good little tip.

 

[vinylman]

Hmm, never new that. Explains why my Cabomba closes up halfway through the day! Good little tip.

TBH, I never noticed myself for a LONG time, then when I was off work for a week, I noticed on some of my stem plants (don't have them now) that they'd start closing the leaves up at around 9pm (lights having been on since around 1pm). I'm sure not every plant does it, but I think it gives you a rough idea of how long to leave the lights on - probably saves a little dosh, too, in the long run.

 

[jonchall]

Also, I am not sure how to go less than 12 hours of light in the tank since I am at work when I have the light turned on. Should I keep it turned off the whole day and then turn it on for 4 hours in the evening? Which would be from 8 to 12am ish.

Hi mayurkirti,

I notice you live in Falls Church, VA, so you should have either a Lowes or Home Depot somewhere nearby. I would suggest picking up an inexpensive lamp timer for your light(s)--something like this is all you need. I will state, however, that these types of timers are not deadly accurate--you may think you are setting it to come on at 1 PM and go off at 8 PM, but in actuality they it comes on at 1:17 PM and goes off at 7:52 PM. However, for $6 it's quite close enough and within a couple of days use, you can adjust it fairly close to the exact times you wish. Also, from what I've read, it is good to keep your fish on a regular light cycle, so this would be an added benefit.

Best of luck with your new plants!

Jon

 

[waterdrop]

That's exactly what I use, cheap lamp timers like that, on a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening and off during most of the middle of the day. I've not found the lack of accuracy to be a problem since you mostly just want rough hour chunks for what's being done.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

You are correct that by simple calculations you are at 1.5 WPG, but the geometry catches up with you on a 10 gallon. Treat your tank like it only has 1 WPG and you will get a better idea of how plants will respond to the light. Where you are, only low light plants will truly thrive and you do not really need any ferts or CO2 for low light plants to do well as long as you are feeding your fish. Fish wastes will be enough to keep a few plants healthy under that nice low light. I have similar lighting and people are often surprised at how much will grow in that light and how well they will do. I am no plant guru like Aaron or some of the others but my plants usually thrive for me.