# What settings for non co2 low light plants with AI Prime freshwater lights



## john6 (23 Mar 2022)

I am new to the planted tank and i am waiting for my plants to arrive on Friday, the plants i have coming are
Echinodorus Rose
Barthii 
Ozelot 
Palifolius 
Crypto Wendti 
Crypto Wilissi
Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis' 
Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink' x
Helanthium bolivianum 'Quadricostatus'
Lymphaea lotus
Its a 6x2x2 tank with 3 AI Prime freshwater lights (13 led's not the new 16)
What would your settings be for the plants i have and how long would be best to have them on for as i really dont know where to start with lighting except they are all (so i was told) low light plants.


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## ceg4048 (24 Mar 2022)

john6 said:


> I am new to the planted tank and i am waiting for my plants to arrive on Friday, the plants i have coming are
> Echinodorus Rose
> Barthii
> Ozelot
> ...


Hello,
         In all tanks, but especially non-CO2 tanks, lighting should be very low to begin with, probably 20% power. When you dump plants under water they have the priority of avoiding being drowned. Their physiology has to change in order to deal with the water. After a few weeks they can start to deal with the light, but more light does not result in healthier plants - and there is a penalty of algal blooms.

Cheers,


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## Wookii (24 Mar 2022)

john6 said:


> I am new to the planted tank and i am waiting for my plants to arrive on Friday, the plants i have coming are
> Echinodorus Rose
> Barthii
> Ozelot
> ...



Most of your plants (perhaps with the exception of the Reineckii) are low light slower growing plants, and AI Primes are pretty bright, so as @ceg4048 suggest, keep them low  to avoid giving algae an advantage.

As per your other thread, I would also add a load of floating plants, and let them cover a large proportion of the surface as they help to add rapid plant mass to the tank and also help shield the tank from any excess light.

As Clive suggests, I would probably be inclined to start at 20% on the Primes as they are so bright, if you get floating plants and they cover the surface within a few weeks, you can the increase the light output. You might also be able to use your Siamensis 53B as a bit of a canary, as its one of the easiest and fastest growers available, so you will be able to use its visible growth rate as a judge of whether you need to increase light a little more.

I'll be honest the Reineckii may struggle a bit at lower light, my Alternanthera Reineckii Mini couldn't handle lower light, low tech conditions, but was a monster in higher light high tech conditions. It you haven't bought it yet, you might want to consider an alternative, or if you have your heart set on it, make sure to position it directly under one of the primes if possible.


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## john6 (24 Mar 2022)

Probably a daft question but how would i stop floating plants from being blown all over the place on the surface as i have quite a turbulent surface for gas exchange.


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## andy198712 (11 Apr 2022)

make a floating ring and house them in that  I used a bit of air line and super glued the ends to gather, then laid it on the sink and poured hot water over it, so its sits flat (makes sense when you lay it flat and one side wants to kick up.)

Then put your floaters in that, or use acrylic tube and heat and bend, but haven't found that easily in the uk shops yet


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## kayjo (12 Apr 2022)

Floaters and turbulent water don't play well together.  I've tried coraling them with a ring as suggested with no success.  They waste away in days.  Without the water flow they thrive in my tanks.  Hopefully you can find a sweet spot where they will survive for you because they are very effective at blocking light and using nutrients (and they look good too).


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