I recently picked up a T5 HO light fixture and am wondering if the standard bulbs that it comes with will be able to support some basic plant life. Im just looking to add some floating plants for now and go from there. Any help would be great.
Can i keep floating plants?
- Thread starter Slippery K
- Start date
T5 HO fixtures generally provide more than enough light to grow pretty much anything. In fact, potentially too much light, depending on how it's mounted, what size tank it's on, what type of fixture it is (i.e. how many bulbs?), and whether or not you're running CO2, among many other potential factors.
Right now im just using the standard bulbs that came with it (6,000k natural white light, and roseate 650 nm). I also installed the optional legs so it sits roughly 4" above the canopy. I dont plan on adding any C02 or any additives for the plants, should that still be ok?
It should be plenty bright enough, for sure. You'll just want to watch out for potential algae blooms, especially if you're going to be running the light for long periods of time (12+ hours). If you do have algae issues, you can always put the light on a timer, and/or suspend it higher above the tank, though.
Thankyou for the input jclyde13, exactly the response i was hoping for. Im just waiting on the lfs to get in some new shipments of plants. I think my biggest concern is snails over algae though.
Water lettuce is an awesome floating plant. I scoop a few handfuls out every week, sucks up nitrates like a boss.
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I was thinking of adding water lettuce or another floater. But wouldnt that block the light and make the tank look too dark?
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Any floating plant can darken your tank a bit if you let it grow too densely. You just have to remove some of it every once in a while.
I really like water sprite as a floating plant. It grows a lot bigger, but when it gets too big for the surface, you can plant it down in the substrate, and it will grow just as well fully submerged. It's also interesting to see how the leaves change shape between its emersed/floating form and its submerged form. And the other plus is that each leaf can produce 5+ offspring at a time, so it multiplies readily. Just a neat plant to have, imo.
Honestly i like the dark effect plants can give. Eapecially if they're free floating and not anchored down to anything. I find it gives a nice shaddy effect. Almost like a nice summer day when you see the shadows from the clouds creeping down the road.
I tend to buy those water lilies they sell at chain pet stores that come in little dry bulbs.
They shoot up and make lilies, eventually flowering.
If it shoots up too many sprouts, I'll trim.
Also, I found these larger bulbs at home depot garden center, different colored lily flowers for about 8 dollars, comes in a net with soil, made my tank cloudy for a day, but it is rapidly sprouting shoots.
Looks lovely.
They shoot up and make lilies, eventually flowering.
If it shoots up too many sprouts, I'll trim.
Also, I found these larger bulbs at home depot garden center, different colored lily flowers for about 8 dollars, comes in a net with soil, made my tank cloudy for a day, but it is rapidly sprouting shoots.
Looks lovely.
