Question by : Are LED Lights okay for Low-Tech Planted Aquarium?
I bought a PETCO Hex Freshwater Aquarium that is 2 gallons.My current planted aquarium setup has white sand substrate, aqueon plant food fertilizer, and LED lighting.I’d like to have a nice carpet of baby tears, but I’m not sure if that could even happen under these conditions.Will the plants like wisteria, anubias, baby tears, etc… grow in this setup?If not, what would you recommend that I change?

Best answer:

Answer by SFOtter
While I don’t know the type of LED lighting you have, like is it single or double bright, how many lumens does it produce, etc) there are some answers to your question. Baby Tears require a high light range or they get leggy, taller, and eventually peter out if the level is low enough. Your choice of white substrate is good since it will reflect the light back into the tank. Dark would have absorbed the light and not put it back into the tank. Did you get sand like beach sand or gravel? Sand can inhibit the root growth of some plants and doesn’t allow oxygen and other gasses to penetrate very well. If it’s fine sand keep it to a thin layer of less than an inch. If it’s gravel and not pebbles go with 1.5 – 2″. Never use pebbles. Plants can’t root in them and food falls between them where scavengers can’t get to it and it will foul the water. Wisteria and especially anubias are a good choice. Anubias usually don’t require bright light, grow slowly, and once established are tough as nails. Just remember they prefer to grow on rocks and driftwood. However they can be planted if you keep the “stem” on top of the sand. You could possibly use Anubia “nanna” or “petite” as a ground cover if you are careful about how they are planted.May I suggest you also consider Crypts. There’s a whole host of them out there from ones that hug the ground and only grow to about 1.5″ (great ground cover) to ones that grow 8″ or more. You should also consider Java Fern and it’s 3 forms (regular, lace, and Phillipine which has narrow leaves) and there’s always Java Moss. Yes it too can be used as a ground cover if you keep it trimmed down. These are just a few of the other low light plants that can take high levels of light also. Hope I have been of help.

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by HenryFigueroa

Question by Jake: Can you use single tube lighting for a thriving planted aquarium?
I am attempted to set up a planted aquarium and I looked online at the set I wanted and I saw that they involving moderate lighting. The tank will be 20 gallons and the plants will be wisteria, amazon sword, cabomba, hornwort, anibus nana, and some type of grass plant. Can these plants survive in a single lighting fixture. DOES INCREASING THE KELVIN MAKE UP FOR LIGHTING.

Best answer:

Answer by Taylor
Well 2 tubes make your fish sort of collapse, so stick to a third of a glowing tube.

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by MGSpiller

Question by Penny-the-reaper: Aquarium lighting for a 55 gallon planted tank?
i’ve been keeping fish for about 5 years now (im 14 , *blush**) and the simple plastic plants aren’t enough for me, i’ve determine i want to maybe grow some plants. i’ve read that a 55 gallon is fine with 80 watt bulbs. any one know a good brand of aquarium tops that are cheap yet will work?

Best answer:

Answer by TheRav1n
CurrentUSA is a nice brand as is Corallife on the inexpensive ends but still reliable. There are many other reliable brands out there. Stay away fom Odyssea (I’ve personlly had two of their lights catchfire)I like T5s, here are some decent ones.T5s:http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+16770&pcatid=16770http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+21969&pcatid=21969http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+22134&pcatid=22134

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Question by jafa: planted aquarium led lighting help?
i have a 4ft by 1.5ft by 1.5ft fish tank with a 4ft 36w t8 fluro tube.i was going to start a planted aquarium but was tolled i dont have enough light to keep plant with my light. i saw these led lights 6700k 190 leds, i thought it sounded ok.(there also a ruby/blue one) on ebay : http://cgi.ebay.com.au/220V-190-LED-Hydroponics-Grow-Light-135mm-Bright-WHITE-/250686451191?pt=AU_Lighting_Fans&hash=item3a5e13adf7just wondering if they plumbed good, how many? if not what are my alternatives.?i found this light it seems to be alot big but it is reddish/blue which would make the tank look purple http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ECO-225-LED-Plant-Grow-Light-Red-Blue-Hydroponic-Lamp-/220676071341?pt=AU_Seed_Starting_Hydroponics&hash=item3361519fad

Best answer:

Answer by Adam Smith
Kill him, my precious dont listen to them they whisper lie.The yellow paint say me to eradicate the blue paint

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by 小宗宗

Question by Michael T: BiOrb Aquarium: Use Intelligent LED Lighting System in a Planted Tank?
I’ve been thinking about getting the intelligent LED lights for my BiOrb aquarium… my tank is heavily planted and is doing well with the halogen light it is currently running with. If I replace it with the LED lighting system, will my plants continue to photosynthesize energy? If not, how tin I keep my plants healthy without a light source that enable photosynthesis? (I am asking because I am not sure if the lighting system enables photosynthesis or not)

Best answer:

Answer by Sarah
I’m sure the Intelligent LED light system will give your plants the ability to photosynthesize.

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A 10 gallon tropical fish tank and contains bush-nose catfish, guppies, white albino catfish, a neon tetra (they were 6 but all died!! and idk y), and this tank also contains a bamboo shrimp and also a fry guppy and it was there since the birth (wanted to c if it will survive or not, but fortunately did) … the tank under is for raising the fryz, and I’ve got 24 baby guppies, a gold snail, and 2 ghost shrimps in there.

This was my 4ft Freshwater Community Tank from a few years ago. It changed a lot over the time I had it, and the tank is now being used for Cichlids. This is just a moment in time where I liked how it looked. This was my first ‘real’ tank, and since starting this back in 2007 I’ve learned a lot more about aquariums and improved my fish keeping skills. Thanks for watching! -Jazz

my turtle tank update july 09

i’ve done 10g and 2.5g planted setups. i wanted to turn the 55g into one. of course diy, poor mans, low-tech route. oh yeah i dont do aquascaping. as long as it grows i’ll be happy. and i’ll just trim when they grow in. setup: 55g, two dual shoplights 40w/tubes = 160w = ~2.9w/g, plant/aquarium & sunlight tubes, open top, supersoil and (play)sand subtrates, two small powerheads, 100w heater, no filter, airstone (night use only), eggcrates. plants: anachris/elodea, ludwigia (ovalis or repens?), watersprite, various cryptocorynes, dwarf anubias, brazilian pennywort, unknown (stem) pennywort, microswords, corkscrew vals, unknown amazonsword, and possible glossostigma (hitchhiker), which would be the best xmas gift for 2006. *update: it is a glossostigma elatinoides. i dont think any xmas gift will top this lil’plant. fish: 2m/4fm orange guppies, 4 otocinclus, 2 amano shrimps, 8 lampeyes. possibly will add a few small angels to eat a few guppy fry. plant food: flourish iron and supplement, no co2 setup, just the once/day fish morning feeding. and night time oxygenation. those interested in this route. www.malloftheworld.com www.aquaworldaquarium.com www.aquaworldaquarium.com More links www.freewebs.com

In this video we discuss how to build a do it yourself aquarium co2 reactor, bubble counter, diffuser and the best recipe to use to generate co2. Co2 is used in planted aquariums and when used will produced great results. Your plants will look larger, greener and they will be all around healthier. Plant’s in an aquarium absorb co2 and convert it into oxygen during the day (when the lights are on). Please be advised that at night (when the lights are off), plants actually use oxygen instead of producing oxygen and no longer require co2. The ingredients for this (1.89 litres bottle) recipe are: -2 cups of sugar -1/4 tsp of yeast -1/2 tsp of baking soda -then fill the bottle 3/4th’s of the way full with water. -Shake the contents with your hand over the lid and then attach the bottle to the system The reaction will begin to occur within 24 hours. Once the reaction has started you will want to check your bubble counter that your mixture is producing about 1 bubble/second The mixture typically needs to be replaced every 3-4 weeks. If you notice the bubble count has drastically dropped below 1 bubble/second feel free to shake the container. *Warning* If you notice any fish bobbing near the surface it means they’re probably gasping for air and that there is to much co2 in the aquarium. For smaller aquariums beware of this and if it should occur add a valve to reduce the bubble per second rate.