Going to add some plants to my 125...have some Qs.

[JD7.62]

Like I said I plan on adding a few plants to my 125. Nothing major just simple things like swords, java fern and moss, and perhaps cabomba.

First off Im confused about lighting. It seems that in the books Ive read the general consensus is that 1-2wpg is fine for my choice in plants. However online Ive seen it as high as 3-4wpg.

Ive got dual 55watt PC and two 36" 30 watt flouro strips for a total of 170watts so about 1.4wpg. I know that isnt much but that is all I have. Will swords, the java fern and moss (I know they will cause Ive had a bucket full in my basement for a year now and they stuff is still alive!), and cabomba live? Also what type of bulbs should I get? 6500k, 6700K, 8000; what?

Remember this isnt going to be a "planted" tank. I just want to add a few plants here and there to spice things up for my monsters (dats, cichla, ray, bichir and a few others) Oh and yes I know you cant keep plants with rays but I have a couple of large pieces of driftwood in each corner and that is where Im planning on tying the plants to.

 

[dragonfish]

The fern should do okay,the swords seem to like a little higher lighting and are heavy root feeders. Java moss will probably take over tank, destroying all fish in its path. The cabomba tends to break apart pretty easy with rowdy fish or strong current and clog filter. Plus most cichlids like to tear them apart anyway.

 

[WyldFya]

Like I said I plan on adding a few plants to my 125. Nothing major just simple things like swords, java fern and moss, and perhaps cabomba.

First off Im confused about lighting. It seems that in the books Ive read the general consensus is that 1-2wpg is fine for my choice in plants. However online Ive seen it as high as 3-4wpg.

Ive got dual 55watt PC and two 36" 30 watt flouro strips for a total of 170watts so about 1.4wpg. I know that isnt much but that is all I have. Will swords, the java fern and moss (I know they will cause Ive had a bucket full in my basement for a year now and they stuff is still alive!), and cabomba live? Also what type of bulbs should I get? 6500k, 6700K, 8000; what?

Remember this isnt going to be a "planted" tank. I just want to add a few plants here and there to spice things up for my monsters (dats, cichla, ray, bichir and a few others) Oh and yes I know you cant keep plants with rays but I have a couple of large pieces of driftwood in each corner and that is where Im planning on tying the plants to.

1-2wpg is fine for those plants. 3-4 would be to get an accelerated growth rate in a fully established, and well maintained planted tank. Now for your lighting, (wpg is based on PC lighting) check here for basic lighting info. With 110 watts of pc, and 30 watts of fluorescent, you have approximately 125 watts over your tank putting you at 1.25 wpg. Stay away from cabomba and swords if you intend to root to the wood. Swords will not do well this way and cabomba will take far to long to root. I recommend that you stay to java fern, java moss, bolbitis fern, anubias and various other mosses.

 

[davo]

Stay away from cabomba and swords if you intend to root to the wood. Swords will not do well this way and cabomba will take far to long to root. I recommend that you stay to java fern, java moss, bolbitis fern, anubias and various other mosses.

Definately agree

 

[JD7.62]

Thanks for the replies guys!

For some reason I was thinking anubias were swords. Hmm...my Latin on plants (hell on anyhting for that matter!) is not the best. What are some of the common names of the plants you guys mentioned.

Also with the numbers on the different bulbs, what would be best for me?

 

[WyldFya]

The plants I mentioned above are all plants that will do fine with your lighting. The plants named are also the common names. Although the latin is anubias barteri 'nana' for instance, the common name is anubias nana.

 

[smockmock]

Also you could try water wisteria, it's a pretty easy going plant, that and anacharis will live okay if they are not rooted. java moss will grow pretty quickly and I don't think the lighting really matters much to it, other than more light = more growth. I just got some Java moss from a friend and I'm debating whether I want to keep it or not.