Is this water movement okay for Water Spangles / Salvinia / Amazon Frogbit?

[BlazerBuddy]

I just got some Water Spangles, Amazon Frogbit, and Salvinia and I was wondering if my filter is making too many bubbles for them? I am not able to attach video files so I attached the best pictures I cold.
BTW, my filter is this- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L565N7H/?tag=ff0d01-20
Air Pump- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YHU6Y/?tag=ff0d01-20

Also, do I need to buy a led light bulb of some sort or can I just put it by my window?

 

[Dajuyu]

I just got some Water Spangles, Amazon Frogbit, and Salvinia and I was wondering if my filter is making too many bubbles for them? I am not able to attach video files so I attached the best pictures I cold.
BTW, my filter is this- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L565N7H/?tag=ff0d01-20
Air Pump- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YHU6Y/?tag=ff0d01-20

Also, do I need to buy a led light bulb of some sort or can I just put it by my window?

for videos you need to load it in youtube and copy the links here.

Put it by the window is good enough but is there a direct sunlight to the tank ? If there is you might be having algae issue soon enough .

 

[NannaLou]

I don’t have any light on my tank and it sits under a velux window. I do keep a translucent shade down most of the time and don’t have algae issues.
I’m not sure about the bubbles, but the water spangles in my tank have grown like crazy!!

 

[Byron]

I do not see any problems from the photos.

A tank light is advisable, however. I experimented with a tank in front of a west facing window for a year, with no overhead tank light, and found a few issues with this method. The plants grow toward the light source, which was obviously behind them. The fish were difficult to see against the light; a background on the tank would have reduced the light considerably, making things even worse. Daylight is not consistent, there are bright sunny days and overcast days, and even with the blinds closed permanently, algae control was impossible.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

I do not see any problems from the photos.

A tank light is advisable, however. I experimented with a tank in front of a west facing window for a year, with no overhead tank light, and found a few issues with this method. The plants grow toward the light source, which was obviously behind them. The fish were difficult to see against the light; a background on the tank would have reduced the light considerably, making things even worse. Daylight is not consistent, there are bright sunny days and overcast days, and even with the blinds closed permanently, algae control was impossible.

So what u want me to do is buy an aquarium light and not open the blinds?
Edit- Would this light be good for my aquarium?
Link-https/www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZD63QG6/?coliid=IAPEBV6EFX2MU&colid=210UDWU8FZZ6K&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Byron]

So what u want me to do is buy an aquarium light and not open the blinds?
Edit- Would this light be good for my aquarium?
Link-https/www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZD63QG6/?coliid=IAPEBV6EFX2MU&colid=210UDWU8FZZ6K&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

On the linked light, no where does it indicate the spectrum. It mentions white and blue diodes, but it is the composition of the "white" that matters. White light is composed of all the colours of the spectrum, like a rainbow. The balance of those colours in artificial light is critical. Aquatic plants require red and blue light for photosynthesis, and of these two red is the more important. Adding high green light does improve plant growth, but without the red (especially) and blue, photosynthesis cannot take place. The problem with so much LED light is that it is high in the blue with very little red, even in the "white" light.

In household lighting, we speak of warm white and cool white. Warm white means there is more red in the light, and cool means more blue. The colour temperature is expressed in Kelvin degrees; the lower the K number, the more red/yellow and "warm" the light, and the higher the K number, the more blue with less red and "cooler" the light. Mid-day sun is in the 5500K to 6500K range. My tanks have 6500K over them, one has two tubes so I have one 6500K and one 5000K which adds a tad more red. The 6500K has high red, blue and green wavelengths.

I would not recommend placing an aquarium in front of a window, as even ambient light entering through closed shades can upset the balance and cause algae. I had increases of black brush algae in my tanks two summers in a row before I realized it was due to the increased length of daylight and the brighter daylight entering the room in summer, even through closed blinds. I had the tanks in a dedicated fish room, so completely blocking most of the windows solved this, because it kept the increased daylight out, and that had been upsetting the balance in the tanks, causing algae.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I'm with @Byron for the need for an artificial light, simply because it is one more thing that allows you to totally manage all aspects of your small world in a glass box.
Currently, I'm well impressed with my Fluval Aquasky light bar. When setting up, I was able to boost the lighting for plant growth and when the threat of algae reared its bushy, hairy head, I was able to crank down the lighting. As it is, with the control it has, I can adjust the duration and timing of lights on and off and manage the actual spectrum of the light to suit the needs of the plants and/or me.
I've also tried the natural light approach for a while, with windows both sides of a tank. The plants did their best to grow towards the light, which led to uneven plant growth around the tank and, because I'm in Blighty, there were too many days when the lighting simply wasn't adequate enough.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

On the linked light, no where does it indicate the spectrum. It mentions white and blue diodes, but it is the composition of the "white" that matters. White light is composed of all the colours of the spectrum, like a rainbow. The balance of those colours in artificial light is critical. Aquatic plants require red and blue light for photosynthesis, and of these two red is the more important. Adding high green light does improve plant growth, but without the red (especially) and blue, photosynthesis cannot take place. The problem with so much LED light is that it is high in the blue with very little red, even in the "white" light.

In household lighting, we speak of warm white and cool white. Warm white means there is more red in the light, and cool means more blue. The colour temperature is expressed in Kelvin degrees; the lower the K number, the more red/yellow and "warm" the light, and the higher the K number, the more blue with less red and "cooler" the light. Mid-day sun is in the 5500K to 6500K range. My tanks have 6500K over them, one has two tubes so I have one 6500K and one 5000K which adds a tad more red. The 6500K has high red, blue and green wavelengths.

I would not recommend placing an aquarium in front of a window, as even ambient light entering through closed shades can upset the balance and cause algae. I had increases of black brush algae in my tanks two summers in a row before I realized it was due to the increased length of daylight and the brighter daylight entering the room in summer, even through closed blinds. I had the tanks in a dedicated fish room, so completely blocking most of the windows solved this, because it kept the increased daylight out, and that had been upsetting the balance in the tanks, causing algae.

Do you have some fish tank lights you would recommend?

 

[Byron]

Do you have some fish tank lights you would recommend?

No, because my one foray into LED was a disaster (and LED is the current thing). I tried five different units, all went back as none were adequate. There are good LED planted tank lighting units, other members can advise. I am still using T8 fluorescent which I've used since the 1980's so I understand it, and I have tried so many of the different tubes that I have exactly the lighting level I need for my fish, and I have plants tried over the years that grow with this moderate to low lighting. Acquiring T8 fixtures today is near-impossible, as I found out when my ballasts began going a couple years ago, so I bought "shop fixture" units from Home Depot and installed them in the old housing. I'm sure these will even be a thing of the past before long, or the good T8 tubes will be discontinued, and I'll be forced into trying LED again, but hopefully with better luck.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

No, because my one foray into LED was a disaster (and LED is the current thing). I tried five different units, all went back as none were adequate. There are good LED planted tank lighting units, other members can advise. I am still using T8 fluorescent which I've used since the 1980's so I understand it, and I have tried so many of the different tubes that I have exactly the lighting level I need for my fish, and I have plants tried over the years that grow with this moderate to low lighting. Acquiring T8 fixtures today is near-impossible, as I found out when my ballasts began going a couple years ago, so I bought "shop fixture" units from Home Depot and installed them in the old housing. I'm sure these will even be a thing of the past before long, or the good T8 tubes will be discontinued, and I'll be forced into trying LED again, but hopefully with better luck.

Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRB8ZWH/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Do you have some fish tank lights you would recommend?

Yup;

Fluval Aquasky Bluetooth LED

Operated exclusively via the FluvalSmart App on your mobile device, Aquasky LED allows you to control the light output of red, green, blue and super bright 6500 K white LEDs for infinite color blends. The light’s gradual 24-hour light cycle and multiple weather effects permit further...

fluvalaquatics.com

I was also a fan of the old fluorescent tubing and used a variety of tubes with spectrums specifically good for plants and also for giving a nice light colour for the tank. However, when I returned to the hobby after 13 years, it appears that tubes have fallen out of favour, with the direct consequence being that they and their associated paraphenalia are harder to get hold of. Looking back, even back when they were in vogue, tubes would need replacing on a fairly regular basis and also the starter units didn't last forever. Plus, I had to improvise a timer system for them to switch on and off.
As I've said, I can now change the spectrum of my LED lights and there's an in-built timer facility. There's also the option of some pre-set programs, or I can go completely manual, depending upon the plant (and my) needs.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRB8ZWH/?tag=ff0d01-20

Probably, but I suspect that, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Cheaper LEDs have a habit of burning out after a while and you'll end up with dead sections on your light bar. The model you show does appear to have two modes, but these appear to be somewhat crude and I see no indication of a timer facility.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

Yup;

Fluval Aquasky Bluetooth LED

Operated exclusively via the FluvalSmart App on your mobile device, Aquasky LED allows you to control the light output of red, green, blue and super bright 6500 K white LEDs for infinite color blends. The light’s gradual 24-hour light cycle and multiple weather effects permit further...

fluvalaquatics.com

I was also a fan of the old fluorescent tubing and used a variety of tubes with spectrums specifically good for plants and also for giving a nice light colour for the tank. However, when I returned to the hobby after 13 years, it appears that tubes have fallen out of favour, with the direct consequence being that they and their associated paraphenalia are harder to get hold of. Looking back, even back when they were in vogue, tubes would need replacing on a fairly regular basis and also the starter units didn't last forever. Plus, I had to improvise a timer system for them to switch on and off.
As I've said, I can now change the spectrum of my LED lights and there's an in-built timer facility. There's also the option of some pre-set programs, or I can go completely manual, depending upon the plant (and my) needs.

60$ for a ****in aquarium light!!!!! Is there anything under 25$ that is good?

 

[Byron]

Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QRB8ZWH/?tag=ff0d01-20

Other members with experience with this unit may be able to advise. I will just mention that I did try one unit much like this one, and I found that the red diodes caused a noticeable red streak down into the water, which was annoying to look at and I suspect not benefiting plants. The red and blue has to be in the "white" diodes, along with green. Individual red or blue diodes as in the middle strip do not in my view work.

 

[Byron]

60$ for a ****in aquarium light!!!!! Is there anything under 25$ that is good?

I don't see the tank dimensions in this thread, but I cannot imagine any light worth buying that will be under $25. LED is more expensive for good light.