My tank is a 29 gallon tetra kit aquarium, and has been up and running with a few plants, and small fish for a month with little issue except for having to get a sponge filter, rated for 40 gallon because my adding more sand destroyed my back filter. I ordered more plants, (15 verities) and now knowing from you folks that it's best to only have lights on for approximately 6 hours to better control algae issues, my question is if plants grow and thrive with that little of light, or need I to keep lights on longer and deal with algae in different ways. At this time I only have slight indication of algae, but I want a lot more plants.
How much light does plants need?
- Thread starter JJays
- Start date
Welcome to AC, JJays!
Different plants have different needs for intensity & length of time lighting, fertilizers etc. As far as lighting goes it varies based on the amount of light your fixtures provide.
I'm a pretty low maintenance plant keeper. I belong to a plant club & have tried (& killed) many plants for free. Kind of like drug pushers, "try it maybe you'll like it", lol. I do best with low-medium light plants requiring mostly root tabs for fertilizers & ~6 hours of light.
I saw on your other thread you went with a "dirted" tank. I've never tried that, but it can have some issues from what I've heard & read. At first it can have ammonia spikes. Not good for fish but good for algae & not bad for most plants. Any time you want to move a plant all heck can break loose again when dirt comes up with the plant roots. It can cause cloudy water, ammonia spikes & algae. I'm a lazy old school wimp & don't want to try to deal with that & all the water changes needed to try & fix it.
Some people advocate a "split" light duration for some algae control using a timer. Say 2-3 hours on, a 2-4 hour lights off break then another 3-4 hours on again. Depending on your "at home" time maybe a breakfast time followed by "home from work" evening time. Either way, I like to give my fish a little tank light off but room light time to get ready for sleeping.
Tell us lots more about your tank, plants & fish please. If you can, post pics of your tank, fish, plants & lights, I & more folks will try to help you. Besides, we just like tank/fish/plant pics
Different plants have different needs for intensity & length of time lighting, fertilizers etc. As far as lighting goes it varies based on the amount of light your fixtures provide.
I'm a pretty low maintenance plant keeper. I belong to a plant club & have tried (& killed) many plants for free. Kind of like drug pushers, "try it maybe you'll like it", lol. I do best with low-medium light plants requiring mostly root tabs for fertilizers & ~6 hours of light.
I saw on your other thread you went with a "dirted" tank. I've never tried that, but it can have some issues from what I've heard & read. At first it can have ammonia spikes. Not good for fish but good for algae & not bad for most plants. Any time you want to move a plant all heck can break loose again when dirt comes up with the plant roots. It can cause cloudy water, ammonia spikes & algae. I'm a lazy old school wimp & don't want to try to deal with that & all the water changes needed to try & fix it.
Some people advocate a "split" light duration for some algae control using a timer. Say 2-3 hours on, a 2-4 hour lights off break then another 3-4 hours on again. Depending on your "at home" time maybe a breakfast time followed by "home from work" evening time. Either way, I like to give my fish a little tank light off but room light time to get ready for sleeping.
Tell us lots more about your tank, plants & fish please. If you can, post pics of your tank, fish, plants & lights, I & more folks will try to help you. Besides, we just like tank/fish/plant pics
If you want some really excellent information re everything about plants, head over here http://tropica.com/en/
I have used their fertilizers for 23 years.
I have used their fertilizers for 23 years.
Plants all have different needs..
Some need little lights, some need more.
Think about regular garden plants needing shade, partial shade or full sun.
My personal preference is to have lights on for longer during the day and normally 12 hours or such. If a shorter light(or photo) period is used, plant leaf formation will normally tend towards winter growth rather than summer.. which is my preference (there are other considerations in how long it will take a plant to start photosynthesizing too) and control the overall amount of light by dimming (or blocking natural sunlight or raising the light higher over the aquarium)
On top of looking for information from nurseries or local fish/pet stores, I would try to see if there is a fish or aquarium plant club within travelling distance to you.. they can be a good source of cheap plants and free, local advice .
Some need little lights, some need more.
Think about regular garden plants needing shade, partial shade or full sun.
My personal preference is to have lights on for longer during the day and normally 12 hours or such. If a shorter light(or photo) period is used, plant leaf formation will normally tend towards winter growth rather than summer.. which is my preference (there are other considerations in how long it will take a plant to start photosynthesizing too) and control the overall amount of light by dimming (or blocking natural sunlight or raising the light higher over the aquarium)
On top of looking for information from nurseries or local fish/pet stores, I would try to see if there is a fish or aquarium plant club within travelling distance to you.. they can be a good source of cheap plants and free, local advice .
See, I told you we all have different opinions & experiences, lol. & that's only from a few people...It's all a learning curve for your tank, not ours. But we can help you decide what has worked for us & what may work for you...or what to avoid.
Still nagging for some pics. We can help with IDs & how to grow them. (well, I've kiiled many plants but usually I get them for free).
In a vague way, where do you live? Near a big city? I'm on the west coast near SF. dougall & 2 tank are in the east. We all belong to clubs. They're a great way to meet people & get plants & sometimes fish & equipment too. They're fun! You don't have to go often to reap the benefits. Often you don't need to join to buy stuff, but usually to sell.
Still nagging for some pics. We can help with IDs & how to grow them. (well, I've kiiled many plants but usually I get them for free).
In a vague way, where do you live? Near a big city? I'm on the west coast near SF. dougall & 2 tank are in the east. We all belong to clubs. They're a great way to meet people & get plants & sometimes fish & equipment too. They're fun! You don't have to go often to reap the benefits. Often you don't need to join to buy stuff, but usually to sell.
