That is a very nice lighting set up. It isn't overly bright for a planted tank though. It is still under 3 wpg. It depends on the plants you want to grow and how much you want them to grow. With the CO2, I would recommend running the 6 and adding some fertilizers. That would really help getting your plants to grow in better.
Finally got my tank going (56K warning)
- Thread starter Diamond Discus
- Start date
Hmmmm, I got all kinds of flack at the planted tank forum for buying 6...they said I'd never use more than 4 and that 2 watts per gallon was luxurient lighting for a tank this size.yikesjason;2500840; said:
It kind of bummed me out thinking I'd wasted money on lights I wouldn't use. I feel better about it now, thanks.I have to leave for a week and will probably leave them "as is" for now and when I get back I can try increasing the light and upping the fertz. I don't want to come home to a bunch of algae.
I run them for 10 hours per day. I just threw in about 500 Red Cherry Shrimp today. Hopefully if the algae stage decides to happen while I'm gone, they can take care if it for me.
Have a great time... and i am sure everything will be fine until you get back..Diamond Discus;2501027; said:Hmmmm, I got all kinds of flack at the planted tank forum for buying 6...they said I'd never use more than 4 and that 2 watts per gallon was luxurient lighting for a tank this size.
I have to leave for a week and will probably leave them "as is" for now and when I get back I can try increasing the light and upping the fertz. I don't want to come home to a bunch of algae.
Hi Jason, yes I am back. I turned off the co2 and cut the light schedule back to 7 hours a day while gone on vacation...I didn't want to have a problem and lose my Ghost Knife. I decided at the last moment to move him to the big tank. Sunday night when I got home I threw in some bristlenose too. I had a brown algae outbreak on the glass, but the plants were still clean. The bulbs I bought at Walmart were all bad except 2. The contortion vals are not coming back either. I'm going to have to order some more plants. I think for now I'll get a bunch of contortion vals (75)and one aponogeton ulvaceous. I can't find a red background plant I like or I'd order one.
Monday I fixed my CO2 reactor and got it running. I was nervous having it connected to the intake tube of the XP3 because I've heard it can create a vapor lock on the filter. The reactor just needed two new elbows and I used TFE paste instead of plumbers tape. It is not leaking at all now. I also added the other XP3 canister filter to the opposite end of the tank and a powerhead pointed mid level to help circulate the CO2 from the side that has the reactor. The Tom Surface skimmer was added to the XP3 intake of to clean up the surface water. It all looks great now. After a water change I moved all of the fish over to the big tank including the roughly 62 Rams I have left (6 to 8 of those are mine) that have not been delivered to the owners yet. (remember I am growing out 110 rams for our fish club members from fry). The fish love it, especially the Corydoras Sterbai...they have been swimming back and forth, up and down non-stop since Monday. They are hilarious. If one tries to go into the knife house, he is quickly nipped at. Casper is possessive of his cave (the python vacuum tube I siliconed then rolled in new dry substrate). He allows his best friend bristlenose in with him and they actually snuggle...It's a bit weird. Anyway he has nothing to do with the clear Ghost House tubes I bought him, I took them out this morning. In fact nobody uses them. If I took his dark tube out he'd just go under the wood and I couldn't see him anyway, so why make him uncomfortable. I'll let him have his dark tube. I installed 6 lunar lights so I can see him at night. That helps.
The plants are growing...slowly. One of the crypts was floating this morning due to a bristlenose digging project next to the log...but the rest have stayed well put.
I have a bunch of pictures...sorry about the multitudes of them...The rams are so cute, when I walk over the the tank they swarm up to me hoping for a treat.
I had to be inventive in trying to unscrew the reactor from the wall behind the tank...these tools worked. I'm sure there is a better tool but it's all I had.
The reactor working it's majic. It is making a lot of fine bubbles in the water. I'm not sure if that is normal or not?? Anyone know??
The swarm of Rams
some are colored up and some are not
cardinals and rainbows
more rams...they are everywhere!!
OK now to focus on the plants...the sword has a lot of new leaves as do the aponogetons. I see some new anubias and crypts are increasing their leaf size, but not too many new ones. Stemmed plants grow slower than bunched plants.
that is brine shrimp on the tank floor, I just fed them. The rams will pick it all up
between the driftwood
lots of green, hardly any brown leaves
Casper and bristlenose in the tube...
full shot...see the bubbles coming out of the reactor side
That's it for now...thanks for looking.
Monday I fixed my CO2 reactor and got it running. I was nervous having it connected to the intake tube of the XP3 because I've heard it can create a vapor lock on the filter. The reactor just needed two new elbows and I used TFE paste instead of plumbers tape. It is not leaking at all now. I also added the other XP3 canister filter to the opposite end of the tank and a powerhead pointed mid level to help circulate the CO2 from the side that has the reactor. The Tom Surface skimmer was added to the XP3 intake of to clean up the surface water. It all looks great now. After a water change I moved all of the fish over to the big tank including the roughly 62 Rams I have left (6 to 8 of those are mine) that have not been delivered to the owners yet. (remember I am growing out 110 rams for our fish club members from fry). The fish love it, especially the Corydoras Sterbai...they have been swimming back and forth, up and down non-stop since Monday. They are hilarious. If one tries to go into the knife house, he is quickly nipped at. Casper is possessive of his cave (the python vacuum tube I siliconed then rolled in new dry substrate). He allows his best friend bristlenose in with him and they actually snuggle...It's a bit weird. Anyway he has nothing to do with the clear Ghost House tubes I bought him, I took them out this morning. In fact nobody uses them. If I took his dark tube out he'd just go under the wood and I couldn't see him anyway, so why make him uncomfortable. I'll let him have his dark tube. I installed 6 lunar lights so I can see him at night. That helps.
The plants are growing...slowly. One of the crypts was floating this morning due to a bristlenose digging project next to the log...but the rest have stayed well put.
I have a bunch of pictures...sorry about the multitudes of them...The rams are so cute, when I walk over the the tank they swarm up to me hoping for a treat.
I had to be inventive in trying to unscrew the reactor from the wall behind the tank...these tools worked. I'm sure there is a better tool but it's all I had.
The reactor working it's majic. It is making a lot of fine bubbles in the water. I'm not sure if that is normal or not?? Anyone know??
The swarm of Rams
some are colored up and some are not
cardinals and rainbows
more rams...they are everywhere!!
OK now to focus on the plants...the sword has a lot of new leaves as do the aponogetons. I see some new anubias and crypts are increasing their leaf size, but not too many new ones. Stemmed plants grow slower than bunched plants.
that is brine shrimp on the tank floor, I just fed them. The rams will pick it all up
between the driftwood
lots of green, hardly any brown leaves
Casper and bristlenose in the tube...
full shot...see the bubbles coming out of the reactor side
That's it for now...thanks for looking.
