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Plants for Fluval Spec V Supplemented By Natural Lighting?

2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  retrocity 
#1 ·
Hello, I'm new here and this is my first post to the forum.


I have just ordered a Fluval Spec V to replace the betta bowl (1 gallon) on my desk at the office. The bowl sits (and the tank will sit) on the edge of my desk, a few feet from a large floor-to-ceiling window in an urban office building with western exposure. The natural light is sufficient to support java moss in the bowl, as well as a layer of algae on the side of the bowl (despite my weekly heavy water changes). I have read that the LED lighting that comes with the Fluval Spec V is only sufficient for low light plants, but am wondering whether the natural light that it receives, when augmented by the LED lighting, would support plants that require moderate lighting. At present, I do not expect the LED lighting to be turned on during weekends or holidays. Any suggestions regarding hardy plants that might do well in this setup would be appreciated. The tank will house my betta, and perhaps some shrimp. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
You could try anubias, very hardy - they are almost impossible to kill! Java fern, a banana plant... You could try some stem plants like anacharis and hygrophila. If you are going to have substrate, you could to amazon sword as well. Hornwart and wisteria will grow quickly under the right conditions and may help to keep algae from growing (since the plants will be eating up all the nutrients).
 
#4 ·
The spec V filter puts out a lot of water, so anything that'll grow big and full to slow down the water movement would be nice near the outlet.

Your betta would like floaters, like frogbit or water lettuce, or floating stems like hornwort. Those three are also nitrate sponges.

Some of the smaller crypts would be nice, like parva or undulata.

If you start getting algae on the glass, a nerite snail will take care of that.
 
#5 ·
I have DHG and Micro Sword in my Spec II at work with the stock light, and I've had decent success with them (I do add some liquid fertilizer). I definitely like the micro sword, and think it would grow well in most conditions.

In the past, I've had the tank under an overhead drawer that had it's own light as well, but my current desk does not have one. I keep the light on a timer that runs from about 8:30 AM - 6 PM including weekends. If possible, I would suggest this to allow light on the weekend (unless the power is off/not allowed). Some other plants I have/have had in the tank include anubias nana petite, java fern, java moss, red ludwigia, dwarf SAG, and various floaters in the tank.
 
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