What kind of lighting ? ? ?

[osxVictoria]

Okay so I've been browsing the forums for a while and thought I had the lighting thing figured out. This is my first tank and I was sure (before I even started setting up) that had a low-light setup. Apparently I'm killing my plants with too much light so I'll ask you guys here what category of lighting am I in and what kind of plants could I grow?

T8 15watt 5,500K bulb in hood
10 gal, fluorite substrate,
the tank is 12" tall with about 3" of substrate
I usually keep a 12hr schedule for my fish

any advice? ? ?

[shinycard255]

Try an 8hr light cycle versus a 12hr. More light = more nutrients that plants use. Also, you might want to try out some root tabs around the plants to see if that helps them out as well

[Hoppy]

You probably have about 40-50 micromols of PAR, low medium light, which is a very good light level to try for. If you have a good reflector, and not just the typical white plastic flat plate behind the bulb, you would have as much as 50% more light, which would be getting close to high light.

[osxVictoria]

Cool, okay.

[BBradbury]

Originally Posted by osxVictoria

Okay so I've been browsing the forums for a while and thought I had the lighting thing figured out. This is my first tank and I was sure (before I even started setting up) that had a low-light setup. Apparently I'm killing my plants with too much light so I'll ask you guys here what category of lighting am I in and what kind of plants could I grow?

T8 15watt 5,500K bulb in hood
10 gal, fluorite substrate,
the tank is 12" tall with about 3" of substrate
I usually keep a 12hr schedule for my fish

any advice? ? ?

Hello asx...

Your lighting is fine. It would be difficult to kill plants with light if you stick to lights that are specifically for aquarium use. When using T8s and 12s, you can use the old "watts per gallon rule", so lighting in the 1.5 watt per gallon of tank volume is in the moderate light range.

You have a small tank and that's a challenge to keep clean. You need to do weekly water changes. Remove and replace half the tank water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. Plants and fish do best in pure water conditions.

Your fish will supply the macro nutrients, but you need to add the trace elements (micro nutrients). You can get those at the local pet store, just dose according to container instructions.

Just a couple of ideas for you to consider or not.

B

[samamorgan]

Originally Posted by BBradbury

When using T8s and 12s, you can use the old "watts per gallon" rule

No.

[Hoppy]

Originally Posted by samamorgan

No.

Agreed! You can get a 20 gallon tank that is about 17 inches high and one that is about 13 inches high. Put a 30 watt light sitting on top of each tank, and the 13 inch high one will have about 70% higher light intensity than the 17 inch one. So, if you had 30 micromols of PAR (low light) on the 17 inch high one, you would have 50 micromols of PAR (high medium light) on the 13 inch high one, and it would need CO2 while the other one wouldn't. Both would have 1.5 watts per gallon.

[osxVictoria]

Originally Posted by BBradbury

Hello asx...

Your lighting is fine. It would be difficult to kill plants with light if you stick to lights that are specifically for aquarium use. When using T8s and 12s, you can use the old "watts per gallon rule", so lighting in the 1.5 watt per gallon of tank volume is in the moderate light range.

You have a small tank and that's a challenge to keep clean. You need to do weekly water changes. Remove and replace half the tank water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. Plants and fish do best in pure water conditions.

Your fish will supply the macro nutrients, but you need to add the trace elements (micro nutrients). You can get those at the local pet store, just dose according to container instructions.

Just a couple of ideas for you to consider or not.

B

I am doing weekly water changes and have seen mass improvement for my fish already, and my plants seems to be perking up

[samamorgan]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

Agreed! You can get a 20 gallon tank that is about 17 inches high and one that is about 13 inches high. Put a 30 watt light sitting on top of each tank, and the 13 inch high one will have about 70% higher light intensity than the 17 inch one. So, if you had 30 micromols of PAR (low light) on the 17 inch high one, you would have 50 micromols of PAR (high medium light) on the 13 inch high one, and it would need CO2 while the other one wouldn't. Both would have 1.5 watts per gallon.

Thank you This rule goes out the window even faster with nano or large tanks. It's impossible to quantify the rate of change of light waves with a volume measurement. That's like trying to convert sound waves to liters.