(well 'til this plan's finished anyway)
So you have a plan after all?
well kinda. i suppose theyre 2 month plans ie i do a massive prune, shove some things about and plan to leave it till it grows out then assess the situation and tweak the plan again.
i'm not the type to draw out layout plans with keys etc.. by the time i had written it i would have changed my mind.
this may sound odd but i think of my tanks like big PC strategy games you know those 2nd world war games that take a year to finish.
the plants are the good guys the algae the bad guys and the finished tank the end goal. you cant just blitz the enemy in one go. it doesn't work that way. you make an initial plan, complete that. make another plan, fail at that, think of a new idea, give that a go, see it works. make a new plan for the next stage. blah blah... it goes on forever.
i actually would hate to say "my tanks finished" theres no fun in a finished tank. the fun is trying to get it there, failing and trying again.
whats the pink plant with big leafs
Tiger Lotus Lillys
10000K will penetrate deeper but in the relative shallows of an aquarium the difference will be negligable. I doubt 10000K will have much difference to 7500K - it is intensity that's the key, not colour temp. 10000K is not necessarily more intense than 7500K, just a different colour, probably more blue than green.
As I have stated in my articles, colour temp. becomes less relevant when you have enough physical light (& CO2 etc.) and therefore growth. It is more a matter of personal preference i.e. what shows off your tank the best for you. It is your healthy, growing plants that are preventing the algae, not tube choice.
Your tank wees all over the second UK AGA entrant IMO.
Colour temperature has nothing to do with intensity as already mentioned. It's just purely the colour of the light being produced. 6500k is good for freswater tanks becuase it represents slight overcast as would be found with overhanging trees etc. Marine tanks use 10000k as this represents full sun.
doh, i knew that already but had forgotten. thanks for that chart, very useful
the 10,000K is only in there short term till i buy some more tubes. they'll go soon after christmas
time for an update. the riccia is filling out well, all hairnets are now conceled and the "lawn" is coming on nicely.
dwarf riccia's slower growing but definatly getting there
and some of tom. my gibbeceps sailfin "King of the tank"
sulking and after another algae wafer!!
happier now