heff Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 I second the "low light is less maintenance" mantra. Everything happens much slower, which is nice when you don't have time to prune. I've got eleven different types of plants (not even counting my algae!) and I know there's probably hundreds of others that I could grow under my measley 1.4 wpg. I stumbled across this link (http://www.sudeepmandal.com/hobbies/planted-aquarium/low-tech-planted-tank-guide/) which made me more confident in my low-tech tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 the wpg rule doesn't really apply to all types of lighting and tank sizes...Light should be measured by a par meter but since most people dont have one of those expensive gadgets hanging around it could be tough to measure how much light your tank actually is getting... For instance a t5ho with reflectors even if you do the wpg thing is way off. 2 wpg of t5ho lighting is considered high light. So if your using t5ho lights try to stay under 2wpg or raise your light approx 8-12 inches above your tank to bring you closer to the low-med light category. and Vals will melt with excel.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDGE Posted December 5, 2010 Report Share Posted December 5, 2010 I can grow a variety of high light plants using 3x 48" HO T5 over a 75gal. They don't grow exceedingly fast like they used to in 4x 55 watt PC, but they grow and at a speed I prefer with a busy schedule. That being said. If you are staying with T8. Get at least 2 bulbs over the tank. 1x T8 doesn't give a lot of light for growth over a 20 gallon. my java fern leaves reached around 3" long and cryptocoryne wendtii was about 2" tall when I ran the standard 1x 15 watt bulb over the 20 gallon. root system was quite small as well. This windelov java fern was grown under 2x HO T5 over 10 gallon without CO2. leaves are roughly 5" long. The needle leaf was grown under 3x HO T5 over 75g at 2 bubble per sec CO2. The leaves are 12-14" long. I have the needle leaf growing in 2x HO T5 over 10 gallon without CO2. The leaves are around 5" long. All the bulbs are approx 3-4" away from the top of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 My advice do what works for you, test different things. Everyone has their own arguments and this can go All night weighing the pros and cons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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