Total Noob Questions On Lighting

[karin]

Hi.

I have a 60 gallon tank that is 24 inches high and has two 18 inch T8 bulbs one on each side. The top is split and covered by two hoods, two lights. That is approximately 30 watts for 0.5 wpg. I want to do low light/low tech plants... well I'm doing them now. They are doing okay but not great. What are my options for increasing wpg that isn't too expensive? What are my options down the line? Are my plants doomed?

Substrate: silica sand
Use flourish weekly
buried flourish tabs

Plants Italian vallis, hornwort, java fern, Wentis, java moss and anubias, water sprite, and two that I don't know what they are.

 

[lljdma06]

Hi.

I have a 60 gallon tank that is 24 inches high and has two 18 inch T8 bulbs one on each side. The top is split and covered by two hoods, two lights. That is approximately 30 watts for 0.5 wpg. I want to do low light/low tech plants... well I'm doing them now. They are doing okay but not great. What are my options for increasing wpg that isn't too expensive? What are my options down the line? Are my plants doomed?

Substrate: silica sand
Use flourish weekly
buried flourish tabs

Plants Italian vallis, hornwort, java fern, Wentis, java moss and anubias, water sprite, and two that I don't know what they are.

I wouldn't say they are doomed. Growth isn't going to be fast, but not doomed. Yoou might be surprised. You might lose the stemplants, but anubias java fern, some of the others should be fine. Crypts would be great with your setup. Once you figure out what does well, plant pretty densly. Down the line, get a nice fertiliser that doses macros. Down the line, stop performing weekly waterchanges. How long has the tank been setup?

 

[karin]

Tank has been set up and cycled since the end of march. Will keep working with it. Added more plants today, anubias frazeri, rubin red sword plant and pigmy chain swords. When will I know to start decreasing water changes? Is it just based on water stats? My stats have been spot on since the end of march but I do 20% water changes weekly. Can you suggest how I should plan to reduce water changes.

Thanks for giving me a bit of hope. I'm sure I'll lose some plants but excited that some should work.

karin

 

[RadaR]

When will I know to start decreasing water changes? Is it just based on water stats? My stats have been spot on since the end of march but I do 20% water changes weekly. Can you suggest how I should plan to reduce water changes.

Get some faster growing plants like stem plants. For example, hygrophila species, ludwigia species, hornwort, rotala species.
These will help soak up some ammonia (levels so small that our test kits dont pick them up, but they are enough for algae) and work in-conjunction with your filter.
Once you've got 75% of your tank covered with plants (mostly fast growing) then you can stop doing your water changes all together (maybe 3-4 a year). The reason for this is to stabilise the CO2 levels in the tank. Plants like things to be constant and stable. Water changes would interrupt the CO2 levels in the tank and algae would take advantage. Remember this method is only suitable to really low tech tanks that aren't adding CO2. Tanks with more light would need to continue weekly water changes because of the organic waste build-up as a result of the faster plant growth.
If the tank isn't well stocked with fish, then you'll have to add nutrients yourself. This can easily be achieved with a nutrient rich substrate or a substrate with good CEC (substrate made of clay that pulls nutrients from the water to the plant roots).