Help on lighting

[jonathanj]

Im just starting on live planted tanks and had my tank setup for few weeks know 5ft by 30inch by 30inch sump and got 2x 48 inch 54wott Jewel High light day t5 tubes on the tank

is this enough light for 2 Nymphaea red tiger lotus / 3x Anubias Barteri / Anubias Hastifolia / 2x Cryptocoryne petchii /2x Cryptocoryne undulates green and some Vallisneria spiralis

was thinking of taking tubes off tank and putting a 48-60 inch fluval 2.0 freshwater and plant LED unit on but don't wont to spend 200 notes if don't need to guys

 

[ian_m]

The 54W T5 tubes, especially with reflectors, will well and truly place you in very very high light region, in which you will be able to grow anything. At the same time if your fertz, CO2 injection, CO2 flow are not spot on, you will be in the "convert all your plants to algae" region.

 

[Zeus.]

5ft by 30inch by 30inch sump

So 750 Litres thats Big plus Sump? High or low tech? If high tech that will be a hard tank and use a lot of CO2 my 500l uses 6.5Kg a month but do have a high [CO2] but with a sump you will use more than with a canister filter as greater losses with sump.

2 Nymphaea red tiger lotus / 3x Anubias Barteri / Anubias Hastifolia / 2x Cryptocoryne petchii /2x Cryptocoryne undulates green and some Vallisneria spiralis

Thats not much plants for such a big tank !

At the same time if your fertz, CO2 injection, CO2 flow are not spot on, you will be in the "convert all your plants to algae" region.

+1

 

[jonathanj]

The 54W T5 tubes, especially with reflectors, will well and truly place you in very very high light region, in which you will be able to grow anything. At the same time if your fertz, CO2 injection, CO2 flow are not spot on, you will be in the "convert all your plants to algae" region.

Thank you Ian for reply and it would not benefit me buying the LED unit then over the 2 T5 tubes
My tiger lotus is almost at top of water already and got 2 new leaves at base but I lost few valls through like melting going brown but don't know if it was because the lights

How long would you keep lights on for Ian Im putting on at 12 midday till about 11-12 midnight

 

[jonathanj]

So 750 Litres thats Big plus Sump? High or low tech? If high tech that will be a hard tank and use a lot of CO2 my 500l uses 6.5Kg a month but do have a high [CO2] but with a sump you will use more than with a canister filter as greater losses with sump.



Thats not much plants for such a big tank !



+1

Sorry mate its the tank size that lol
my sump is 50inch by 18 by 18inch im not using CO2 mate as wonted low tech setup as mostly going to be for fish/ altum angels and big shoal of tetra
im just put a root tab by each plant and doing E.I dry ferts macro/micro

 

[Edvet]

Start with 5-6 hours a day, may be even only one tube. Try this for 6 weeks at last to see any effect.
Do half the EI ferts and do large waterchanges ( 50% once a week at least).
Do you know anything about your tapwater values?

 

[ian_m]

How long would you keep lights on for Ian Im putting on at 12 midday till about 11-12 midnight

Way too long, with that light I would limit of max 6 hours even with spot on everything (ferts & CO2) or else algae will take over. My lights are on 2 tubes for 6 hours and all 4 for 5 hours, but I have "spot on CO2" (I hope).

 

[jonathanj]

Sorry mate its the tank size that lol
my sump is 50inch by 18 by 18inch im not using CO2 mate as wonted low tech setup as mostly going to be for fish/ altum angels and big shoal of tetra
im just put a root tab by each plant and doing E.I dry ferts macro/micro

Start with 5-6 hours a day, may be even only one tube. Try this for 6 weeks at last to see any effect.
Do half the EI ferts and do large waterchanges ( 50% once a week at least).
Do you know anything about your tapwater values?

Thanks Edvet for help and will try the less lighting time and try 1 tube for week to see whot happens My 2 tiger lotus look like they love the lighting and time as really have grown in just 2 weeks

I use pure R/O water and use Tropic marin Tropical re-mineralizer to buffer back up Would you still do Half dosing as im taking all minerals out water with R/O water

 

[jonathanj]

Way too long, with that light I would limit of max 6 hours even with spot on everything (ferts & CO2) or else algae will take over. My lights are on 2 tubes for 6 hours and all 4 for 5 hours, but I have "spot on CO2" (I hope).

thank you again Ian looks like im trying to much to grow my plants to fast with more is better thinking with lighting and dosing

 

[ian_m]

Why are you using RO water, especially on such a large tank ?

You are much better to work with the water you have ? Plants (and fish) don't care (within reason) about water hardness...

 

[jonathanj]

Why are you using RO water, especially on such a large tank ?

You are much better to work with the water you have ? Plants (and fish) don't care (within reason) about water hardness...

iv used ro water for years because I keep softer water cichlids/fish and really do think it makes difference to colour on fish and breeding

my water out tap is 25-50 nitrate no3 and ph 7.6 -8 and on TDS pen my minerals are 276 ppm

 

[Edvet]

If you are buying tank bred cichlids they will be fine in harder water. Only in breeding you might need soft water. I prefer soft water too, but for the plants you need to ferts. So go low tech with soft water means: low light. ( slow growth so lesser demand on ferts)