Lighting question

[Nyte]

Hi everyone

I'm new here and have a few questions.

I have a 29 gallon aquarium that has been running for at least 4 years without real plants. I'm now trying to turn into a planted tank. I have 7 plants so far that range from low-high light needs. I accidently bought a few that need moderate to high light but I'm hoping my set up will be ok for them.

1. The lighting I have now is a 20 watt power glow AND a 33 watt Gro N Sho. Is this enough light?

2. Also, my reading about plants tells me that I should stuff the aquarium full of plants to combat algae which surely will become a problem soon. Is 7 plants enough? I only have one fast growing one, the rest are "medium growth".

3. I'm making lots of mistakes along the way and would like to put some flourite mixed with my current gravel in the tank. Is it too late to add this into my tank now that it has plants (as well as fish but they've been there for a long time)? Is it ok to mix this stuff with regular gravel?

Thanks so much for your answers and suggestions!

 

[guppygirl]

Ok. I will do my best to answer your questions.
Gravel: Oh, it's perfectly fine! In fact, I just did it with my 55. No probs at all!
Lights: Ok, using the Watts-per-gallon rule, you have about 1.8 wpg. So definitely not enough to do medium high lighting. You want 2-4 wpg for a planted tank. With the lighting you have however you could do low-light plants, but I much prefer the higher light plants.
plants: Yes, stuff, stuff, stuff. If anything, get some cheap nutrient-suckers like water sprite, hygro polysperma, hornwort, etc etc. Plantgeek.net can help you out identifying plants. A 29 is a fairly big tank, so the more the better!
BTW, drs. foster and smith is good for browsing different kind of lighting fixtures.
HTH!
Robin

 

[Nyte]

Thanks for your great info... looks like I'll need a very high output light.

So here comes my next question. Do you need a special flourescent fixture for a VHO or will a regular one work?

 

[guppygirl]

Well, I wouldn't reccomend VHO or HO, just for safety reasons, but it is a way to go. You could also just get a strip light with double or triple tubes in it. I'm doing this for my 20 gallon. You can also do compact fluorescents. Or, metal halides. (yep, alot of choices!! )
Oh. I think VHO needs a special fixture, but I'm not sure, I wouldn't know. Try browsing the net for it, you might get some useful info, for instance the Krib. link.
good luck with it!!
Robin

 

[opiesilver]

VHOs require a special ballast. For the agruement of cost vs output alone, you would almost have to go with power compacts.

 

[George Farmer]

You may be ok with your 1.8 WPG. If you change your bulbs (especially the Power-Glo) to full-spectrum and add reflectors you stand a good chance of growing most plants. I had success growing fairly high light demanding plants with 1.8 WPG, my Rotala indica and Alternenthera roseafolia both thrived.

If you do intend increasing your light levels then you will need to consider CO2 addition, otherwise algae may prevail.

I would also plant as heavily as possible from the start with fast, easy growers to stop algae, then slowly replace the easy plants with ones of your choice.