# Dosing for low light (2x 30w)



## brian68 (4 Jul 2008)

I'm new to this game and am getting increasingly confused about the appropriate fert dosing regime I should be using.

I have recently set up a new 200L tank, put in fertilzer substrate, and recently introduced pressurised CO2.  The lighting system with the tank is 2x 30W 36" T8's - 'PowerGlo' and 'AquaGlo'.  I gather this represents relatively low light, and therefore a low tech type set up.  This is fine for me at the moment, i would just like to get a tank up and running that has a good-ish stock of plants in order to get the hang of it.  I have stocked the tank with a supply of about 100 plants (from Greenline Aquatic Plants), I am thinking of 50L (25%) water change fortnightly, and then topping up with some liquid fert.  Is this appropriate?  I am assuming that as a low light / low tech set up I don't really need to go overboard with the fert dosing.  Have I got this right?  Any advice appreciated


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## ceg4048 (5 Jul 2008)

Hi,
   Alow tech setup doesn't require any water changes either. 60 watts T8 sitting  over a 50G sounds fairly dim to me so you would only need to dose some TPN+ once a week or once every two weeks.

Cheers,


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## brian68 (5 Jul 2008)

Ok thanks for that.  Is this lighting sufficient for some relatively easy to grow species though? I appreciate T5's are much more powerful, but it doesn't look what I'd call 'dim'.  At the moment I haven't got the resources or the time to completely replace the lighting on a new tank.

Thanks again.


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## Matt Holbrook-Bull (5 Jul 2008)

most things will grow fine, just slowly thats all.  Plants like Glosso will struggle and go leggy in low light.. you might just have to fine tune your planting if you see things struggling.


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## GreenNeedle (5 Jul 2008)

> T5's are much more powerful, but it doesn't look what I'd call 'dim'.
> Thanks again.



Do you mean it looks dim or it doesn't?  I would've thought 60 over 200 should grow anything.  I have 30 over 125 and it is bright enough for me.

Andy


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## brian68 (5 Jul 2008)

Andy

No it doesn't look particularly dim to me, I was quoting 'ceg4048'.  As I say, I'm new to this game and this whole lighting question is a point that is leaving me a bit mystified.  I have bought a Fluval Roma 200L and the lights that come with it are as I say 2x 30w.  Having read this board for a few weeks I now realise these are T8's and as such not anywhere near as powerful as the T5's that many of the people on this board seem to use.  Having been into my local fish shop to check out converting to T5's it looks like Gordon Brown is telling me I need to stick with the T8's for at least the foreseeable.  The light they throw out looks fine to me, but reading this board sometimes gives you the impression that I wont be able to grow anything under them.  The point is I'm not necessarily interested in a high tech high speed serious growing set up, I havent got the time, money or inclination for that.  What I would like is a tank with a decent stock of plants, and if that means a relativley slow growing and relatively 'low tech' tank that's fine.  I have previously kept fish for 10 years and always had no joy whatsoever keeping plants alive.  Having read this board I now know why!

I appreciate the advice given from people off this board , thanks again.


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## GreenNeedle (5 Jul 2008)

The tank in the left of my sig was 0.6WPG T8 (for the phot, the plants were growing under 2.5WPG)
The tank in the right of my sig was 0.9WPG T5HO which is what I still use.  This will grow all low light plants and virtually all others apart from a few exceptions.  Carpeting glooso and HC would not be possible though.  they would grow but to their natural height rather than staying low for the carpet.

0.9WPG T5 will be in a similar range to 1.2WPG T8.  (allowing for the T5s to be more efficient and also your tank needing a little less light due to it being bigger)

All the low light plants will be fine for you, Crypts, Ferns, Mosses, Anubias, Egeria/Elodia, Cabomba, Ludwigia etc etc.

Andy


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