Want Something Different...

[bmonki]

Cool, thanks for the link!

I'm liking the look of http/www.plantedta...tii_Green_Gecko in two or three spots near the front and a mix of http/www.plantedta...oryne_usteriana and those rather nice amazon swords in the back, poss another bit of wood with a different plant (anubias maybe) the other side too...would all those be maageable do we think? wheres a good place to get them in the uk for cheapness? I'm in surrey if that helps

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm in the US, so I couldn't help you with that. I can buy the C. wendtii at Petsmart. ;-P That one should be available just about anywhere. Not sure of the other one, which, btw requires a bit more light.

 

[bmonki]

apparently our light is a 35w fluorescent tube... dunno if thats low or high or what lol

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Generally the cutoff is 1 Watt per gallon. Less than that is low, more than that is high. But there are more factors than just Wattage. This is just an easy starting point.

 

[bmonki]

ah ok, roughly 45 gallons, so we're low light then

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'd say medium-low.

 

[greenmumma141]

I was told that 40-90 watts is pretty basic, and you just need the basic ferts. Anything close to 120 watts is when you have to start with co2 and such.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That all depends on the volume of the tank, as well as what plants you are planning to grow. Some are more demanding than others, just like with fish. There are undemanding, beginner plants. And then there are much more challenging plants.

 

[bmonki]

our tank is relatively shallow at 18" so i would hope the lighting level would be enough for the plants i mentioned in previous post?

cant believe the difference in the fish now theres a proper plant in there, they all congregate around it!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup. It's like putting a Christmas tree in the tank. They all want to get close to it, because there might be a present under it for them. lol


Honestly, the real plants, I believe will offer a much different feel to the water. Real plants carry certain microorganisms that fake ones won't and some of these are actually food for the fish. And for baby fish, these are essential for the fish to live on early in their life.


The light you have should be plenty fine for any "low" light plant, and probably even work for "medium" light plants as well. There's only one way to really find out. ;-)

 

[Ruskull]

do you just buy the plants from an lfs? i wanted a new bit of wood so maybe the one that grows on wood would be a good starting place?

Buy a nice big long piece of wood that suits the tank and tie some Java Fern to it. I use brown thread and before you know it the roots & leaves cover it right up.

 

[Ruskull]

ooh thats really really nice! does that need ferts then?

I would feed it ferts, you don't really want to try and grow them without. But you end up getting more and more and more

Java Fern grows fine without ferts, high lighting or CO2

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Correct, no ferts necessary for java fern... I have a bunch of them... and I only bought ONE! And I've never added any fertilizer other than fish poo. ;-) That same fertilizer is great for my impatiens as well.

 

[Ruskull]

Lol EA. Fish poo is a great fertilizer no doubt. He/she can also add Anubias as they don't require high lighting, ferts or CO2 either. The problem with Anubias is they cost a lot and grow very slowly. Wisteria, Elodea and many Crypts also do well without special lighting, etc.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I've got two anubias, and I love them. One of mine actually bloomed this year! Still is blooming, actually, but I think it is close to done now. Its much closer to the top of the tank than the other one - sitting on a piece of mopani that i've used to create a shelter for my neons.