# Increasing light- avoiding algea



## dawidmNS (18 Jul 2011)

Hi guys

Ive got question, at this moment ive got 2x39W, tank without algea 2 weeks after battle. Everything looks good and plants are growing nice. I wanted to add 1 more 39W light to make it 3x39W. What should I do else to avoid algea? Increase co2 to keep green colour on drop checker? Im using EI method so probably it would stay the same?

Thanks for all advices

Regards
Dawid


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## fishfingers (18 Jul 2011)

if you shorten the timeing period that your lights are on. eg if they are on for eight hours a day now then drop to six hours a day when you put the new bulb in then slowly increce the time till your back at eight hours this should avoide any issues with the dreaded alge 

regards ste


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## dawidmNS (18 Jul 2011)

Thanks Steve

Will do it like you said  hope everything will be fine


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## foxfish (18 Jul 2011)

I was just wondering why you want to increase the light?


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## dawidmNS (18 Jul 2011)

To increase the plant growth, am i right?


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## ceg4048 (19 Jul 2011)

dawidmNS said:
			
		

> To increase the plant growth, am i right?


What foxfish was getting at was that you will also increase the algae growth if CO2 and flow do not support the increased energy levels. More light means more problems and therefore, while adding more light increases the growth rate, it does not automatically increase the plant health.

You are advised to leave well enough alone. A mere 2 weeks without algae means next to nothing in the grand scheme, and you should concentrate on growing healthy plants long term before adding more light.

Cheers,


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## dawidmNS (19 Jul 2011)

I thought 0.65W per litre will be good and not too much, at this moment Ive got 0.45W per litre.
So make it up to 0.65W or like you are advising leave it like that? 

ceg4048, you said it will increase the growth but not inrease the plants health, so it might get worse or how should I understand it?

Regards
Dawid


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## foxfish (19 Jul 2011)

Lots of folk spend a lot of time battling against algae especially when the tank is first set up, if you are having success at the moment then I would strongly advise to leave the lights as they are.

My tank is 500mm from water surface to substrate, I run two 39w T5s for 6 hours a day & experience very good growth with very little algae only having to clean the front glass once a week & no visible nuisance algae on any of the plants.
Concentrate all your efforts on water flow & Co2 & if you still feel the need to add more light then just be aware of the issues involved - in my mind decreasing light & maintaining healthy plant growth is a way forward   

At one time & only about 10 years back I had a 250 w metal halide illuminating the same tank, I eventually had the light about three foot above the tank & only on for four hours a day but I still had algae  :? 
It took a lot of folk to convince me that less light was good not bad LOL.


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## ceg4048 (19 Jul 2011)

Increasing the light forces a higher metabolism, which means a faster growth rate and faster use of nutrients and CO2. If CO2 levels as seen by the plants do not match the rate of growth commanded by the higher light then the plants suffer deficiency and malnutrition.

In most peoples tanks, there is an inefficiency of flow and dissolved CO2 that causes this deficiency. So as soon as they increase the lighting levels they get problems.

CO2 and nutrients are the fundamental ingredients responsible for growing healthy plants. Light is simply an accelerator. When you see a brightly lit hydroponic garden or even an outdoor garden brightly lit by the sun it _appears_ to be a no-brainer that plants need a lot of light, but what people don't realize is that these plants have access to CO2 in the air that is 10,000X more available to these plants than plants submerged under water.

Therefore, your obsession should be about feeding the plants and about ensuring that you can deliver the required nutrients to the surface of the leaf by having good flow/distribution and adequate levels of CO2 and nutrients. You should worry much less about how many watts per liter you have because increasing the WPL typically results in increase starvation.

Cheers,


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## dawidmNS (21 Jul 2011)

Thank you for all these info, thats really helpful! I will stay with 2x39W as you are advising. 

Ceg4048- I was reading few if your posts in other topics, especially about the flow and EI, your knowledge is really impresing and you should think about writing a book about plants   

Thank you guys once again.

Regards
Dawid


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## foxfish (21 Jul 2011)

Hi Dawid, if you use the search button you can find plenty of info about PH controllers, to be honest they do sound like a good idea on paper but there does seem to be associated issues.
Have a look here  viewtopic.php?f=37&t=824&start=0&hilit=Advice+on+a+ph+controller


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