New Planted Tank, Advice Appreciated

[hybwolf]

Just finished adding plants to my tank, this is my first attempt with a fully planted tank. Any advice would be appreciated.
Trying to do a low tech tank, not really interested in Co2 injection if I can do without.

20 gallon high tank.

Coralife 24" double T5 with 10,000k lamp and a 6700k lamp. 28 watts total. Fixture came with the 10k lamp along with a true actinic blue lamp. Was going to change both lamps but was advised by "That Fish Place" to just change the actinic blue with the 6700k.

Stock 15w strip light that came with hood. Has a Life-Glo 6700k T8 lamp

So I have the option of 28 watts(1.4 watts per gallon) or 43 watts (2.15 watts per gallon)?

Substrate is just fine gravel with Seachem Flourish Tabs

Adding API Leaf Zone, Flourish Trace, and FlorinAxis Carbon Source.

Now for the plants. There are not many lfs in my area and the ones that are here have a limited selection of live plants.

Petco- Echinodorus paniculatus " Bleheri"
Anubia attached to driftwood. Don't know exactly what type of Anubia
Java Fern that I attached to a piece of drift wood.
Amazon compacta

Went to "That Fish Place" today, was like a kid in a candy store!

(3)Crypt Wendtii green and bronze.
Anubias coffeefolia
Echinodorus schlueteri - Ozelot sword
Hygrophilia difformis- Wysteria
Rotala indica
Crypt balansae
(5)Vallisneria asiatica

Tank looks good atm, thinking I may have put too much in. Took a chance with the swords, I know they get big. Will wait and see how everything grows and will trim/weed some out when needed. Will post a pic tomorrow once tank clears up.
So any advice on whether I should run both fixtures? Also how many hours should I start with leaving the fixtures on?

 

[snowflake311]

1 wpg is fine for hardy lowlight plants with no need for co2 . When you have 2 wpg you are pushing it and should add co2 in some way. I run a low tech tank with low light plants at 1.8 wpg I add excle. Plants are happy. My other tank I run with a 1.4 wpg those plants are ok. I'm adding better lights to bring it up to 2.3 wpg. I will be adding excel to that tank too.

Start with 1.3 wpg or around that and add low light plants you should be fine.

Crytp Anubias are great there are so many differant kinds. I keep 3 types of Anubias. And 4 types of crytp. Go for water sprite it's better the wistra grows really fast and looks good.

 

[Ben M]

sorry for the hijack, but i'm looking for some plants for my 4ft tank with 1.25 wpg, which plant species do you have in your 1.4wpg tank?
thanks

 

[RadaR]

sorry for the hijack, but i'm looking for some plants for my 4ft tank with 1.25 wpg,

More info needed than just 4ft. How many litres/ US gallons?
1.25WPG of what? t8 bulbs, t5 bulbs. t12 bulbs? Got reflectors?

 

[Ben M]

hi, it's 216l or 57 us gals, the lighting is 1.25wpg of t8, no reflectors,(1 of the bulbs seems to be getting dimmer, is there a more suitable alternative for better plant growth?)
thanks

 

[RadaR]

hi, it's 216l or 57 us gals, the lighting is 1.25wpg of t8, no reflectors,(1 of the bulbs seems to be getting dimmer, is there a more suitable alternative for better plant growth?)
thanks

You can grow a lot of species with that if you dose Liquid carbon and Tropica Plant Nutrition+.
With regards to bulbs, it doesn't matter what you use so long as there are peaks in the red and blue wavelengths of the spectrum (tri-phosphor bulbs). Kelvin (colour temperature) is not important and only concerns personal taste when it comes to the colour the bulbs are emitting. 6700K is close to daylight- a crisp white colour.
Don't spend a fortune on bulbs that aquatic shops sell either. If the bulbs are looking dim, then change them.
Check out the bulbs here. The website is really good and plenty of us use them.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i dose tpn+ daily, but not liquid carbon, i'll have a look at that. and thanks for the info on lights.