Quick Question About Lights...

[b.c.f.c]

well ive been told to have 2 watts of light per gallon in your tank, if you go over this algea grows fast and its just generally not good.

for my 1 tank which is 18- 20 gal, (not sure exactly) ive got a 20 watt and my plants arnt doing too well ... so should i upgrade to a 40 watt or higher? (just tell me straight if im being totaly dumb )

 

[juicebox]

what type of plants do you have? do you have a good few inches of substrate in your tank?

if you upgrade to 2 wpgs, you'll need to inject co2 and probably add fertilizer.

 

[b.c.f.c]

i only have 1 plant which i was told was very much like a amazon sword as i wanted amazon swords but they didnt have any in at the time so i had a similar plant insted.
i was going to add Co2 in the near future , probly next week as this is when il next be able to get to my lfs and il add much more plants.
im not sure about fertilizer as of yet il have to look into that and il upgrade my lighting as soon as possible thanks for the quick reply.

o and at the back of the tank i have 2 1/2 inch of gravel and too the front i have about 1 1/2 inch of gravel.

 

[juicebox]

you either need substrate (laterite, flourite, eco-complete, ADA) a lot of fertilizer. i'd recommend substrate; it gives the plants the nutrients they need and is easier than fertilizing and using root tabs. it also lets your plants grow more. it might be tough, though, if you already have fish in your tank because you'll have to remove all the gravel, put the substrate in the bottom, and put the gravel back on top. if you plan on getting amazon swords, they use a lot nutrients.

everything else you're going to do sounds great. good luck!

 

[b.c.f.c]

which substrate do you reccomend and is it expensive?
i want to spend as little as possible 2bh as im only 15 and dont have a huge bugget
plus were do i get it from or can it be home made?
sorry about the questions but im new to all this tecnical stuff

 

[juicebox]

i recommend laterite or eco-complete. laterite's probably cheaper, though. you should have it at your LFS, if not try asking if they can order it. i'm not from the UK, so i can't really recommend any specific stores, sorry.

i'm 14, i understand your troubles with money!

 

[b.c.f.c]

i know it seems when i need some thing i never have the money

how expensive is substrate? as i need to know how much i need to rais .

 

[Kentfish]

which substrate do you reccomend and is it expensive?
i want to spend as little as possible 2bh as im only 15 and dont have a huge bugget
plus were do i get it from or can it be home made?
sorry about the questions but im new to all this tecnical stuff

I have recently re-furbushed my tank and used Red Sea Flora Base. It is excellent stuff, works and lasts well. You can find it here:

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=424

I'd recommend both this product and the supplier (he will happily answer questions if you get stuck)

All the best,

K.

 

[b.c.f.c]

how long will it last till you have to replace it ?
if i was going to get that 1 it looks like i will have to get 2 bags which is 50 quid, looks like il have to do some saving

 

[juicebox]

well, i don't live in the UK so i can't say much about prices or anything, but in the US a 55oz. (about 3.5 lbs.) bag of laterite costs $13.89, which is about 7.5 GBP, i think. of course, prices may vary from store to store. i guess you'll just have to ask the store workers.

 

[b.c.f.c]

well hopefully its resonable prices at my lfs, il have to have a look