Plants

[pinkfish-0129]

thats what im after

i would have real plants they look so nice and your fish will like them!

 

[Bobtastic]

i would have real plants they look so nice and your fish will like them!

I put live plants into my new tank (8 live plans actually) 6 of they seem very happy, but the other 2 (which are the same type) seem to be having a rough time of it... They are growing roots, but I think the fishings like them a little too much. So much so that they are using them as a tasty snack!

 

[rewlyn]

i would have real plants they look so nice and your fish will like them!

I put live plants into my new tank (8 live plans actually) 6 of they seem very happy, but the other 2 (which are the same type) seem to be having a rough time of it... They are growing roots, but I think the fishings like them a little too much. So much so that they are using them as a tasty snack!

with that many live plants is it much of a hassle

 

[fatheadminnow]

Technically, what I have read, is that the plants that you add to your tank should grow without adding any ferts.

After you have noticed that they are growing, it is then when you can start to add ferts to water to make them grow quicker.

This is what I read.

Personally I added ferts the same day I added plants.

-FHM

 

[rewlyn]

Technically, what I have read, is that the plants that you add to your tank should grow without adding any ferts.

After you have noticed that they are growing, it is then when you can start to add ferts to water to make them grow quicker.

This is what I read.

Personally I added ferts the same day I added plants.

-FHM

my LFS says that too

add fert when adding plants

 

[Fish Buddy]

The higher K rating is more blue in colour. Think of it like a rainbow. Blue is on top- with a higher K rating. Lower down on the rainbpw you get the warm reds and yellow colours and lower K ratings.

 

[rewlyn]

The higher K rating is more blue in colour. Think of it like a rainbow. Blue is on top- with a higher K rating. Lower down on the rainbpw you get the warm reds and yellow colours and lower K ratings.

ill keep that on board

 

[Tish Fank]

Technically, what I have read, is that the plants that you add to your tank should grow without adding any ferts.

After you have noticed that they are growing, it is then when you can start to add ferts to water to make them grow quicker.

This is what I read.

Personally I added ferts the same day I added plants.

-FHM

my LFS says that too

add fert when adding plants

sorry to jump in here, does all this need to be done without fish in the tank, like as part of the fishless cycle??

 

[fatheadminnow]

Technically, what I have read, is that the plants that you add to your tank should grow without adding any ferts.

After you have noticed that they are growing, it is then when you can start to add ferts to water to make them grow quicker.

This is what I read.

Personally I added ferts the same day I added plants.

-FHM

my LFS says that too

add fert when adding plants

sorry to jump in here, does all this need to be done without fish in the tank, like as part of the fishless cycle??

Plants and fertilizers do not need to be in a tank for any cycling at all.

Hope that is the answer to your question?

-FHM

 

[fishnoob88]

Is 15watts enough for the low light plants, in a 46gal? And how much is just to much? I would have to order my plants online and have no idea how many to get.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Is 15watts enough for the low light plants, in a 46gal? And how much is just to much? I would have to order my plants online and have no idea how many to get.

I say that would be okay.

If I were you, I would try to get a 20 watt bulb, but 15 should do.

if you have over 2wpg, then you are going to have to start thinking about injecting Co2.

So anything under 2 wpg, you should be okay.

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

Is 15watts enough for the low light plants, in a 46gal? And how much is just to much? I would have to order my plants online and have no idea how many to get.

OK, I'll take the bait and attempt to make some general statements (will probably be called onto the carpet by Dave, but hey! )... In my reading there are a couple of very general statements about lighting that seem helpful as background if you haven't heard them: One is that overall, light is like "the gas pedal" for your plant system (more light, more nutrients needed, greater risk of them running out, with various results.) Another (and I believe this comes from Dave, Aaron, Andy etc. from our good planted forum) is that if you know what you're doing, a fairly wide range of light will work ok, its not as hard and fast a thing as sometimes made out to be.

OK, that said, I'd venture that that -maybe- the planted guys might consider your 15w for 46g to be a bit low, even for low-light techniques. Personally I'm using 2x 15w (30w) for a 28g and definately considering it to be "low-light." So with 15w/46g, you are down at around .3w/g and I'd think you'd want to be somewhere around .8 to 1.8 or so w/g to be squarely in low-light range, whereas around 2w/g you start to cross over into the area where added CO2 becomes more crucial.

George Farmer's lighting article, pinned in the planted section, says all this much better and in more detail of course.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fishnoob88]

so if you don't go above 2wpg then you don't have to add anything to help them grow? or?

 

[fatheadminnow]

so if you don't go above 2wpg then you don't have to add anything to help them grow? or?

At 2 WPG; this is when you should start to inject Co2.

Anything below this, Co2 is not necessary.

You should still add trace mineral fertilizers.

I have about .7 WPG, and I add Flourish made by Seachmen, and my plants are growing like crazy.

-FHM

 

[aaronnorth]

so if you don't go above 2wpg then you don't have to add anything to help them grow? or?

going above 2wpg needs CO2, and heavy fertilisation.
medium lighting (ie 1.5wpg) doesnt need CO2, but it will need fertilisation
low lighting (1WPG) wont need CO2, and possibly no fertilisers. Maybe an addition of a fert once a week will do as generally the fish will provide everything.


Go for a kelvin between 6000-11 000k
I am saying a bit higher than FHM simply because i feel that 2800k is to red/ pink unless you have 2 tubes, so you can mix it with a white tube (8000k) to balance it out.

Also, the daimeter ('T' rating) can knock the wpg guideline way off the charts. 1wpg of T5 will be similar to having 2wpg of T8. Due to T5 giving more watts per square inch. T5's also penetrate deeper into the water column.