Low PAR with co2

[Soilwork]

Hi

How common is this approach on here? Anyone prefer to keep PAR on the lower end 40-50 micromols?

If so what can you grow or are you growing under this?

Mainly curious after reading this thread for the umpteenth time.

http://www.barrreport.com/forum/bar...-aqua-forest-and-nice-low-par-values-who-knew

Cheers

 

[zozo]

I do know nothing about numbers, i have no means for spending lots of cash on a par meter.. My plants are my par meters.. So i tried a few to find out how it goes and if light is enough. So i found out that my high tech setup, the way it is setup aint bright enough for colorfull bushy stemplants. It contains to many shaded spots due to the vegitation on the elevated hardscape and floaters.

So it's still high tech tossed the idea of growing difficult colorfull plants and mainly growing ferns, buce, some hairgrass, crypts and a sword.. Since these are mostly relative slow growers i go very lean on co2 with about 0.5 unit pH drop. Compaired to the low tech it still has more light and grows the same plants significantly faster.

I think high par and high co2 and dificult planting is something for surface free tanks without to much shading. I think i have relatively high par above the high tech, but it's the way it's setup preventing the light from hitting the substrate.

But if you look at how little co2 water contains naturaly, than adding co2 no mater how much it is, plants will always benefit from it regardles the par you put in.

 

[Soilwork]

Thanks zozo. I am actually interested in numbers

I was reading tropica's description for Pogostemon erectus. It says intense light helps it to stay compact for longer. But is there a difference between compact and zero growth? I mean the plant is healthy and has lots of roots in the substrate but it's gained little light in weeks. Also my rotala wallichii was growing fine when first planted (tissue culture very small) but has stopped. I've been playing around with light and it hasrbt really been of great consistency but i was using a 60cm Chihiros A series on full power. After obtaining a shred of PAR data for this fixture at 30cm height I decided to hook up another one but they are both running at setting number two. Already my wallichii is growing again and I'm sure the pogo is reaching up too.

Now obviously this could be the case of less light and the plants are no longer limited but I've been using EI (although daily) and my co2 seems on point.

Either way the plants seem to be growing but my Monte Carlo won't carpet it just goes straight upwards but this has always done this on all light setting. The edges of the leaves are also brown.

The above thread says that carpets were grown at 40par with red plants etc. I was wondering whether I was delivering too much par with one A series on full power.

I got the par rating from here

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums#/topics/1112802?page=1

But my tank is including fixture height adds another 15cm to overall height.

I think I need a par meter

 

[zozo]

I was reading tropica's description for Pogostemon erectus

Here did you hit a particular nice indicator plant when it comes to light.. I tried to grow it in my low tech under relative low par.. It actualy grew rather good with Glut added and it slowly died after i stopped adding this. My water parameters are relatively soft with a rather high pH at around 7.5 to 8.0. That's what i have to do with, so i have no idea if would do beter or worse in other parameters. But my low tech is extremely low on natural co2. According the chart +/- 2 ppm.. I did read reports of people growing it low tech, no idea if it had higher par in these situations or may be glut as well.

Anyway if this plant is growen under low par it will shed all the leaves from it's lower stem.. Never grew it with added co2 but it did hold on with glut.
I gues it'll do this shedding as well if growen dense and bushy in high tech and lower parts gets blocked from light.

Since i'm not adding glut anymore i do also not have this plant anymore, t completely died off...In my high tech i'm growing pogostemon stellatus emersed. It has some submersed growth close to the surface, but not enough light and to much shade to make it grow submersed form deeper down.

I think I need a par meter

Last time i looked it was $ 1500 for a decent one able to use submersed..

 

[Soilwork]

I'm using co2 and EI although I'm not really if I'm honest. I'm not religious enough with my dosing and i feel like I need to be conservative.

Tonight I'm going to mix EI properly and dose it properly.

My water is the same. Very soft pH 7.6. The plant will not grow at all lol. I've had it under higher light. I'm trailing it with lower. I'll see how I get on. I'll probably lose some of the colours in my other plants and maybe exacerbate the problem with the Monte Carlo.

 

[zozo]

I'm not religious enough

I suffer from the same, my head is way to chaotic for a strickt regime.. I add my own mixed ferts once a week.. In the future i would like to try some high par setups with lots of colorfull plants. Just to challange myself to know if i can pull it off.. But i suspect a dissaster.. Master of dissaster is my nickname anyway.

Also i'm a jungle adic.. With all respect for the people able to create beautyfull tidy trimmed corolfull scapes.. As much as i love the looks for me it also feels kinda unatural like a walk in the park or even sometimes an art gallery, this feeling always steers my thoughts away from it.. This is a feeling i have to overcome by experience i guess if i ever succeed..

 

[Soilwork]

I know what you mean. I just want to get the plants to grow normally first then I'll worry about how the tank looks haha. I suspect it's just a case of one or a couple of nutrients bottoming out. In my case most likely nitrates.