Some advice please

[rtigerc]

Some advice please.

Hi, i am new here so apologies if i have written this in the wrong section or if these questions have been answered previously.

I am setting up a juwel trigon 350 planted aquarium and have used carib-sea plant substrate as the gravel.

1 - Is the lighting that comes as standard with the tank going to be suitable for most common plants?
2 - I have installed a Rena Cor heating cable under the substrate - should this be left on 24/7?
3 - Should the CO2 be left on 24/7?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[George Farmer]

Hi rtigerc,

Welcome to TFF!

The Juwel Trigon 350 lighting is 90w T8 in total, so you have around 1 watt per gallon. This is enough to grow low-light tolerant plants but I would advise you changing the supplied tubes to full-spectrum types and fit reflectors. Check out the pinned lighting article here - http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=96754

and this thread - http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=22604

To grow more demanding plants you will need to upgrade the lighting and add CO2 injection. Liquid fertilisation becomes important too.

Heater cables do little for plant growth, except if you believe the manufacturer's claims. They do no harm though and leaving it on 24/7 should be ok if it is 50w or lower. You may wish to turn it off in the summer. Some run it on a timer opposite to the lights.

CO2 can be left on 24/7 but keep an eye on pH and fish behaviour as overdosing is possible. If you have a pressurized system then a solenoid linked to the lights is a good idea.