Following on from other threads, I'm setting up quite soon and wanted to run the following plant list past you guys as I've not done live plants before (not goldfish proof!)
Back:- Crinum thianum, Vallisneria gigantea, Bacopa monnieri, Middle Back:- Limnophila sessiliflora ----------under consideration , Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis' Foreground:- Eleocharis parvula, Staurogyne sp Creeping:- Hemianthus callitrichoides ''Cuba''
Specials (back, middle and foreground) :- Echinodorus 'Aquartica', Echinodorus 'Rubin', Anubias barteri var. nana
I'm looking for 50% coverage, I'll have Hagen Powerglo and Arcadia Classic Daylight 30w tubes. Red Sea Turbo CO2 system (2 of) and I'll be planting in Caribsea Eco Complete. Set up is hard water with moderate flow containing Cardinals, Harlequins, Hatchetfish, Pygmy Corys, Bosemani Rainbows, Bristlenose, clams and Apple Snails
I've looked them up on Tropica but there's no substitute for experience.
Let me know what you think, its the last thing on the list to be confirmed but one of the first to buy :)
Oo, and any tips on good online shops welcome. My local lfs is a bit rubbish for plants.
Trea.
Rena Aqualife 120 x 40- 250l :
Plants: Vallisneria spiralis ''Tiger'', Bacopa monnieri, Limnophila sessiliflora, Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis', Echinodorus 'rubin', Anubias barteri var. nana, Java Fern, Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Green', Limnobium laevigatum
Fish:- 17 x Harlequin Rasboras, 3 x Bristlenose Plecs
3 Bed House - 637129l : 1 husband, 2 kids and 1 hairy dog
The list looks good to me - you've obvioulsy been doing your homework
Aqua essentials is very good and you can order direct from Tropica, I think.
1xTrigon 1903 Clown Loaches,14 Cardinal Tetras,8 Rummynose Tetras,6 Cory Trileneatus,6 Hatchetfish,4 otocinclus,1 SAE,1 Bristlenose,, 10 amano Shrimp
Anubius Barteri,Crinum thianum,Limnophilia sessiflora, Echinodorus Blehri, nymphaea lotus, Ammania Senegelis, Crinum calimustratum, java moss, 1xRekord 60Empty at Present
12 litre tank - 4 japonica shrimp, 4 Red crystal shrimp, 5 High Spot Rasbora
Anubias Barteri, Glossostigma Elatanoides, Ammania Senegalisis, Limnophilia Sessiflora, Bacopa amplexicaulis
make sure you get some ferts to add. Most of the plants you've chosen will do alright in low light - the limnophilia will get a bit leggy but will grow like widfire.
What lighting you got?
Ceretrea: I'll have Hagen Powerglo and Arcadia Classic Daylight 30w tubes.
I'll have Hagen Powerglo and Arcadia Classic Daylight 30w tubes.
Two T8 tubes to replace my old ones. I'm not sure if I need different ones? I haven't ordered them yet.
I've got Easy Life Profito on my shopping list too
cool - missed that bit, sorry.
So is that two 30 W to give 60 in total - that only works out at 1.1 WPG - so it's not a great deal of light - the plants you have chosen should be OK at that level but growth won't be too fast (which might be a good thing!). The limnophilia will definitely be 'leggy' and the hair grass may struggle a bit.
Trouble is, I don't know if I can use anything else. The Rena is pre setup for T8 as far as I'm aware...
Do T6 tubes output more? says 30w on website but more intense?
T6 are more intense, T5 even more so.
Could you add some more lighting to the tank - I did this on my Trigon originally, before I went to a suspended Mercury vapour:
Then:
Now:
Looks good, not confident with the DIY thing though.
Aqua Essentials sell Arcadia J5 Plant Pro Lamp 36" (which will fit my tank) at 45w each. Do you think these will be ok or do I have to check if my tank can handle the extra wattage??
Does the tank come with a fitting and your just buying the tubes to go in it? If so you have to match the tube output to the fitting wattage - i.e. a 30W control gear needs 30W tubes - you can't put different wattages in - if the control gear is higher than the tube it goes pop - if lower you wont get the output.
Yeah it comes with the fitting. Trouble is I don't event hink you could add anything to the hood of the Rena..its quite thin.
Dang.
Can you not squeeze a tube in somewhere - i'll have to have a look.
As to DIY - theres not much to it - just drill a couple of holes and screw in a tube clip - simple!
As a plan B I guess the low growing stuff is out. And prob the Limnophila sessiliflora too.
Are there alternatives?
Hmmm. just looking at the Arcadia I Bar...fits exactly like my current unit but with T5's.
Not found one I can afford yet though
Right, after much thought I decided to stick with what I've got initially. If the tank really starts to suffer I'll get the I Bar as its the easiest way of getting T5's in the tank without mangling the hood.
In the mean time I am looking for some alternatives to the hairgrass and Limnophila sessiliflora or it could be that they just grow slowly.
Edit: Tropica reckons Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' grows well in low light as a carpet?