lighting id help

[alexpie001]

no, i have lots of big fish

 

[alexpie001]

will the plants grow?

 

[jcardona1]

no, i have lots of big fish

then you dont have lots of co2. fish do not provide large amounts of co2 contrary to popular belief, at least not enough for demanding plants and keeping algae in check, that is why you have lots of algae. adding a strong light fixture is only going to make your problem worse

 

[alexpie001]

will the plants grow?, i want to add lots of java fern to float on the top

 

[jcardona1]

yeah theyll grow, but so will the algae

 

[alexpie001]

what do u suggest i do then, i just added alot of extra bio filtration today and would like some floating plants. i have had the lighting since i had the tank

 

[jcardona1]

reduce your lighting levels by running less bulbs, raising the fixture, or using normal output bulbs, OR, add co2. java fern is a low light plant so you really dont need that much light

 

[alexpie001]

I have a reasonably large tank that is deeper than normal so i need strong light to keep it lit. It is 220 gallons and is 75cm deep

 

[alexpie001]

And are you saying that co2 will stop algea growing?

 

[jcardona1]

yes, but youre getting algae because you have too much light, and java fern does not need that much light. and yes, co2 will get rid of your algae. either that or reduce the intensity of the lighting