Lights and plants

[Mathew1991]

So as some of you may be away I’m looking to get plants

Do I need to upgrade my light?

And what setting should I have it on

At the moment it comes in at 4-11 with half brightness

And the light is just the standard that comes with the fluval Roma 125

The light is connected by the app
That is how I have it

 

[AlexT]

Oh wow! What a posh light lol, I never seen that before. Nice. What I do know, and others can correct me if I am wrong. You need most of the light to be "Daylight" one which I think you already have sorted as it's 50 per cent daylight and 50 per cent off.

Is this it https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/...sryJ-b6WrBk1nrrkUwgaAi1VEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Is this the Aquasky light? Either that or something very similar. Those are a lot of fun, aren't they?

Looks like you only have it on for six hours, which isn't enough time for most plants. 8-10 hours of light seems to work best for most in my tanks. How bright depends on how deep your tank is and what plants you are keeping. Assuming you don't have anything too out of the ordinary, I would probably start with 9 hours of 100%. You can program it to turn on gradually over half an hour or so, which is less stressful for the fish. If you're getting a lot of algae, reduce it by an hour, wait two or three weeks, and see if anything changes. If your plants are struggling, increase it by an hour.

 

[Byron]

So as some of you may be away I’m looking to get plants

Do I need to upgrade my light?

And what setting should I have it on

At the moment it comes in at 4-11 with half brightness

And the light is just the standard that comes with the fluval Roma 125

The light is connected by the app
That is how I have it

Some observations. The "Daylight" period is your prime plant light. This is the light that most matters to grow plants, and control algae. The dawn/dusk/blue periods are extras that need to be under control. Anything up to an hour in the morning before the "daylight" comes on and in the evening after the "daylight" goes off, corresponding to dawn and dusk. If these periods get extended, plants cannot use this light but algae will. Control of problem algae is the goal with lighting.

To the daylight. Plants do not really care how long they have daylight. If the daylight is sufficient intensity and the necessary spectrum for the species of plant, the plant will use that light to photosynthesize provided all necessary nutrients are available. As soon as any factor in this balance is missing, photosynthesis slows and will stop, and that is when algae takes advantage. There is no real minimum for the daylight, George Farmer suggests six hours is minimum, but some find only five is all they can manage. Again, algae is the guide. You can extend the "daylight" period but be careful, it is easy to upset the balance. Some years ago I worked my light period out to seven hours. For the past 7 or 8 years I have had no problem algae at all, and the plants thrive.

You can fine tune the brightness. This is not easy to predict, because everything involved in this light/nutrient balance depends upon the individual aquarium. The fish load, fish being fed, water changes, fertilizers, all factor in. A twig in one of these can unsettle the balance, so do it slow and if algae is not an issue, fine.

 

[Mathew1991]

Hi I’m not sure on the model but I think it’s Similar it just come in a white box with the tank but it’s definitely a fluval

I reduced it to 6 hours due to the amount of sunlight that come in the house as the tank is near a window and I was getting Algae so that’s why I reduced it

I was just looking at some java moss and ferns to start with

 

[Byron]

Hi I’m not sure on the model but I think it’s Similar it just come in a white box with the tank but it’s definitely a fluval

I reduced it to 6 hours due to the amount of sunlight that come in the house as the tank is near a window and I was getting Algae so that’s why I reduced it

I was just looking at some java moss and ferns to start with

These are slow growing plants, so that means less light intensity and less nutrient requirement. You really must get some floaters, believe me, their impact is phenomenal for all this.

 

[Mathew1991]

Ok what is the easiest floating plant

 

[Lcc86]

Ok what is the easiest floating plant

Piping up to advocate for elodea densa again cheap and cheerful, if it grows too well you can just snip off bits and bin the excess.

 

[Byron]

Yes, stem plants left floating usually work well. Wisteria can work this way, but not everyone has success with it. Pennywort was one stem plant I grew well (I never had very bright light, because of its effect on fish, so plants had to manage and not all would). But true floaters like Water Sprite, Frogbit and Water Lettuce.

 

[AlexT]

What lcc86 said because its usually cheaper, and once you are a month or two in, you can decide if you are a plant lover proper or you just want the essentials to support the fish. I am sure in a few months time you will have a better tank than the rest of us lot

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Hornwort is another floating stem plant that is remarkably hard to kill, even for me!

 

[AlexT]

Hornwort is another floating stem plant that is remarkably hard to kill, even for me!

I have hornwort, it's doing well.

 

[Mathew1991]

Still unsure with plants there seems to be so many jäva fern

I was looking at 1-2 grow plants as they won’t have snails it says
I want

Java moss
Java fern
And elodea densa

Could somebody be kind enough to find them on a uk website in the 1-2!grow I would be very grateful

Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

LIST OF PLANTS TO TRY
Some good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, H. ruba/ rubra, Elodia (during summer, but don't buy it in winter because it falls apart), Hydrilla, common Amazon sword plant, narrow or twisted/ spiral Vallis, Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).

The Water Sprite normally floats on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. The other plants should be planted in the gravel.

Ambulia, H. polysperma, Elodia/ Hydrilla and Vallis are tall plants that do well along the back. Rotala macranda is a medium/ tallish red plant that usually does well.

H. ruba/ rubra is a medium height plant that looks good on the sides of the tank.

Cryptocorynes are small/ medium plants that are taller than pygmy chain swords but shorter than H. rubra. They also come in a range of colours, mostly different shades of green, brown or purplish red. Crypts are not the easiest plant to grow but can do well if they are healthy to begin with and are not disturbed after planting in the tank.

Most Amazon sword plants can get pretty big and are usually kept in the middle of the tank as a show piece. There is an Ozelot sword plant that has brown spots on green leaves, and a red ruffle sword plant (name may vary depending on where you live) with deep red leaves.

There is a pygmy chain sword plant that is small and does well in the front of the tank.

 

[Mathew1991]

Taxiphyllum Altdns Moss


For floating we have :

https://java-plants.com/tropica-plants-uk/phyllanthus-fluitans-1-2-grow/

https://java-plants.com/tissue-culture-aquarium-plants/limnobium-laevigatum-1-2-grow/

These are good for attaching to big wood .

https://java-plants.com/1-2-grow-lab-plants/anubias-barteri-mini-coin-1-2-grow/

https://java-plants.com/uncategorized/anubias-barteri-nana-1-2-grow/

https://java-plants.com/tropica-plants-uk/bucephalandra-needle-leaf-1-2-grow/

https://java-plants.com/tropica-plants-uk/bucephalandra-pygmaea-bukit-kelam-1-2-grow/


These are all 1-2 grow plants

I don’t want them all but would any of them be ok

That is the email I got from the shop