Hi everyone,
I have a 25 gallon tank with 6 swordtails in it and 10 different types of plants. I built myself a canopy and added 4 energy efficient 15w(60w equivalent) bulbs. It is really bright and I am wondering if I should remove a bulb or too.
The fish look great under the light but everyone is saying 2-3wpg and I'm at 9wpg.
Sorry about the spelling and descriptions, I got a bag full of someone's extras and don't know all the names.
Crypticorn wendii
Vallisneria
java moss
java fern
hornwort
floating clover like plant with roots
red crypticorn
carpet type plant
and a very thick fern type
and babytears(someone said?)
Thanks
You don't use the incandescent watt rating.. use the 15 W. Plus, the "corkscrews" aren't perfect because of their design.
Even still, most of those plants are low to medium light plants... you could easily pull a bulb or two if you found algae was starting to become an issue
Thanks Big Daddy for your help
another question;
So if I am at 2.4wpg((15w x 4)/25g), will this mean my DIY CO2 will start being effective?
I also have some powder fertilizers but I have been reading in this forum that they aren't good unless I have a very dense aquarium with good roots. My aquarium has 20-30 plants in it but they are all a month old, the aquarium itself is 4 months old.
I am using:
mono potassium 1/32 ts (tea spoon)
potassium sulfate 1/32 ts
potassium nitrate 1/8 ts
and trace elements 1/32 ts
I appreciate any advice, I really want my plants to thrive, I have become a bit obsessed.
Thanks
CO2 is effective at ANY light levels. It is one of the macro nutrients, and having more available CO2 for plants is always a good thing. It is just NOTICABLY more effective at higher light levels ;)
Your dosing regime is actually probably a pretty good start. Start off with once or twice a week.... and adjust as you watch your plants respond.