[HungrySpleen]

hello im new to this frorum and have a question regarding my tanks lighting

i have a 40 gallon setup with a Glo t-5 HO 2x39 watt lights 18000k per bulb
1 butterfly
2 congo tetras
1 vailed ram
1 dojo loach
2 bristle nosed plecos
2 male guppies
2 golden wonder killi fish
1 crown tail betta

and about 25 plants

the plants in my tank do not reach up for light they just kind of lay down and grow where ever they want to why do they do this?

is it to much light or bad reflectors?

thanks for any help

 

[Wasserpest]

What plants do you have? Some plants grow like that, Pearlweed for example.

A picture would possibly help to grasp the issue better.

Sometimes it is a sign of too much light, but it doesn't sound like it in your case. Another interesting idea would be the light color (color temperature). If you are only running PowerGlo bulbs, you might want to throw in a LifeGlo or any other "white" bulb with ~6500K to see if that makes a difference. It is possible that the blue (purple) spectrum encourages horizontal growth. Most run these bulbs only in combination with other (white) bulbs.

 

[HungrySpleen]

id do photos but my camera is broken

i have
2 undulatas , growing flat out across the gravel
3 swords
3 water sprites , not growing at all
about 15 anacharis , growing in whatever direction they see fit except up
9 dwarf sagittaria


15 lbs of flourite with 25 lbs of reg gravel for substrate
aqua clear 70 filter and air stone for circulation on opposite side of tank

plants have been in tank for about 7 months now and only minimal growth from any of them cept the swords.

 

[Hoppy]

Plants need light, nutrients, CO2 in order to grow. You have more than enough light, but do you have CO2 and do you fertilize the water? What is your substrate?

 

[HungrySpleen]

Plants need light, nutrients, CO2 in order to grow. You have more than enough light, but do you have CO2 and do you fertilize the water? What is your substrate?

flourish excel, trace for fertilizer and flourite/gravel mix for substrate

couple fert sticks under some plants

 

[Darkblade48]

What about macronutrients? Are you dosing NPKs?

On a side note, I would recommend getting pressurized CO2 over Flourish Excel for your tank. Pressurized CO2 is cheaper than Excel in the long run, so it is something worth considering.

 

[Hoppy]

Why not spend an hour or so on the Fertilizers forum here, reading the sticky on fertilizing methods? It will be time very well spent.

 

[HungrySpleen]

What about macronutrients? Are you dosing NPKs?

On a side note, I would recommend getting pressurized CO2 over Flourish Excel for your tank. Pressurized CO2 is cheaper than Excel in the long run, so it is something worth considering.

What about macronutrients? Are you dosing NPKs?
i have no idea what you are talking about so i guess i have some reading to do. thanks for the help

 

[lauraleellbp]

Macro nutrients are the nutrients that plants need the most of; Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). roud:

Spend some time wandering around the forums like Hoppy suggests, and you'll get your brain blown... but it'll all start to make sense after you've had time to let it settle in a bit. :hihi:

www.RexGrigg.com has a pretty good "primer" on fertilization, too.

Welcome to TPT, btw!