# Can you grow plants under an 15W T8?



## KeyboardWarrior (21 Mar 2013)

Morning people, I've decided to get myself a juwel rio 180 to have a go at my first hi tech planted tank but its going to take me a while to get all the bits together due to being on a budget. So in the mean time I'm going to get myself a juwel rekord 700 (70 litres) and save in the back round for the big tank. 

The tank comes with a 15W T8 light is this sufficient to grow any plants using the low tech method or is it just doing to be a waste of money? I could add a reflector? I'm doing lots of reading but any advise would really be appreciated


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (21 Mar 2013)

Also should I put my plants and substrate in while I fishlessly cycle my filter or is the ammonia harmful to the plants

I'd really appreciate your comments


----------



## Iain Sutherland (21 Mar 2013)

Your light will be fine for low tech plants fella and plants should go in just before filling the tank with water, they will help gobble up the ammonia... free ferts


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (21 Mar 2013)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Your light will be fine for low tech plants fella and plants should go in just before filling the tank with water, they will help gobble up the ammonia... free ferts



Brilliant thanks for the help Iain


----------



## kirk (21 Mar 2013)

I was using 2 x t5 tubes at 8watts = 16watts in total on our 2ft deep 2ft cube,Plants grew ok. My sons tank has a 15 watt tube no ferts co2 and his moss and plants are doing better than my high tech that has 48watts. So I think you'll be fine.


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (21 Mar 2013)

Thanks guys much appreciated just thought I'd check before I pick one up only to find its not much kop I've got a lot to learn when it comes to growing plants


----------



## kirk (21 Mar 2013)

We are all learning, when I first starting asking questions on here not that long ago, they were about lighting, basically I hadn't a clue I had been mislead by lfs telling me I need so many watts per ltr. Just glad I listened to some good advice on here from some people who are not easily fooled (sold things they don't need). Not only have I saved on expensive light units but have built my own saving money and saving on electricity.


----------



## Henry (21 Mar 2013)

Go for Cryptocoryne species, ludwigia, saggitaria subulata, aponogeton, hygrophila. They might not grow very quickly, but with a rich substrate, they will get along very well indeed. I've grown all of these in a tank with light from a north-facing window only!


----------



## tim (21 Mar 2013)

Technically not low tech, I was injecting co2, 15w t8 bulb 64 ltr fish box aquarium


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (22 Mar 2013)

Thanks for all the helpful replies its much appreciated. Picked up the tank today after work but ill have to wait till payday to get my plants and substrate which is another thread ill have to make soon. Thanks for the plant list ill look into them, I'm just compiling a list of appropriate plants using the tropica website. 

Tim that tanks brilliant have you got a thread? I thought injecting Co2 in a tank with low lighting was a bad thing? More reading it is


----------



## faizal (23 Mar 2013)

Hi  .Absolutely not. if you don't mind the extra work of more frequent water changes, frequent dosing & slightly more gardening rates than your regular non co2 tank. Injecting co2 into a low light tank gives your plants the added benefits of utilising the available co2 & yet keeping the rate of growth of your plants at a much managable level (since light sets the pace for plant growth).
I think the 15 watts T8 tube  over your 70 litre tank is fine too,...I am sure you've already done extensive background research by now but just in case you haven't had the chance,...then the hard to kill types of plants are the various types of anubias (anubias var nana, anubias nana petite, anubias lanceolata,etc) , java ferns, vallisneria nana, cryptocorynes, nymphaed rubra (nice red colored one),mini bolbitis, etc are nice plants to start with for your level of lighting.


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (23 Mar 2013)

Thanks for the tips buddy that's good to know I was under the impression that low light and co2 where a bad mix, I steadily getting there but I have got so much to learn still about plants ect I need to pick my substrate next as well as looking more into co2


----------



## tim (23 Mar 2013)

Hi keyboard warrior, no thread for that tank I'm afraid, it's been replaced with a 3 ft tank. I do miss the simplicity of that tank to be honest it was fairly stress free  co2 is just another building block for the plants to grow just with lower light you need less of it along with ferts and maintainence  as Faizal stated above plenty of plants you can grow under lower intensity lighting and with the addition of co2 you'll be surprised at how many.


----------



## KeyboardWarrior (23 Mar 2013)

Brilliant thanks for the advise tim it's a shame that you didn't have a journal for the tank it would have been a good read I check the others in your signature out last night and they look fantastic too


----------

