Lighting for planted tanks

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:14

Hi All bros & sis, need your kind advice on lighting on my 1.5ft & 2ft tank.
I am trying to achieve pearling on my both tank.

1.5ft tank.
1.5ft T5 2x 12w k unknow. On from 12pm-12am
Dose carbon in it only.
Glosso, hair grass and unknow root plant. Mini letttuce floating plants.

2ft tank
2ft T5 2x 24w 12000k on from 10am-10pm
Dose excel 2ml.
Co2 1bubbles per 3 sec
HC now started to spread. Started from one stalk.
Hairgrass started to spread aswell.

Wanted to achieve pearling result.
Saw one tread that he change the lighting to 6500k & plant start pearling.
Should I change to 6500k aswell. Since my plants have started to spread?
I saw my friend bought a new led light which stated 1w x 18led. Do this means 18w output. Is it suitable for planted tanks to achieve pearling.

Intend to change all my light tube to 6500k.

Thanks.
Cheers

**jamesneo** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:35

There is a common recommendation from the more experience aquarist to maintain the amount of light to be 3watts per gallon of water.

**Shadow** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:41

Before you change the tube, try increase your CO2 to at least 2 bps and observe. Do you dose fertilizer?

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:46

Originally Posted by jamesneo

There is a common recommendation from the more experience aquarist to maintain the amount of light to be 3watts per gallon of water.

For my 1.5ft is not more than 10gallon. Est around 20L. So my tank is it 3w per gallons?. Thanks.

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:48

Originally Posted by Shadow

Before you change the tube, try increase your CO2 to at least 2 bps and observe. Do you dose fertilizer?

My 2ft tank. Today I stop dosing fert. Was using excel previously. Hear that excel was not so good for plants.
Ant recommendation and costs.
I am keeping it with CRS. Will my CRS be affected if I increase my co2 count?
Thanks shadow.

**Eric9013** · 11th Apr 2012, 17:54

Hi Bro, 6500K is pointing to the specturm which is the ray of light most of the plant can well accept (between 6000-8000K best), increase your co2 to 3 bubbles per sec and add liquid fert. do be careful not to overdose your co2, buy an co2 indicator

**Shadow** · 11th Apr 2012, 18:20

watt per gallon does not work for small tank.

Excel is not fertilizer, just a carbon supplement. 2bps should not kill your shrimps but do it slowly through out a few days and pay attention on your shrimp every time you increase the bps. What CRS grade do you have? higher grade may be more sensitive.

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 19:33

Originally Posted by Eric9013

Hi Bro, 6500K is pointing to the specturm which is the ray of light most of the plant can well accept (between 6000-8000K best), increase your co2 to 3 bubbles per sec and add liquid fert. do be careful not to overdose your co2, buy an co2 indicator

Thanks Bro, are you pointing to C02 bubble counter? I have it.

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 19:37

Originally Posted by Shadow

watt per gallon does not work for small tank.

Excel is not fertilizer, just a carbon supplement. 2bps should not kill your shrimps but do it slowly through out a few days and pay attention on your shrimp every time you increase the bps. What CRS grade do you have? higher grade may be more sensitive.

Thanks now than I know excel in not a fertilizer.
Any recommendation on which fert to purchase Ada or borneo wild? How many types should I purchase and estimated costs?

Regards to my 1.5ft tank which I don't use co2, just use liquid carbon supplement only? Should I change the light to 6500k?

Thanks.

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 19:44

Originally Posted by Shadow

watt per gallon does not work for small tank.

Excel is not fertilizer, just a carbon supplement. 2bps should not kill your shrimps but do it slowly through out a few days and pay attention on your shrimp every time you increase the bps. What CRS grade do you have? higher grade may be more sensitive.

My is middle Grade. So I think should be ok, have use for around 2 weeks already.
I am using the fluva mini C02 system, have bought a bubble counter but don't quite know how to use it or should I said the co2 pressure will reduce in a short period of time let's say within 5hours.
Exp: now I set 2bps. 4-5hours later might go to 1bps tomorrow no bubble coming out have to adjust the regulator again. Is this type of system ok for a 2ft tank?.

**wongce** · 11th Apr 2012, 20:59

Using 12000k light ; plants will pearl but slower and lesser,using 6500k lights seems to pearl more and faster, i experiment using both lights using riccia... both can grow plants though, since you bought them, just use them for 6-8 months, save money..

Co2: for your normal light setup 2wpg, stick to 1-2bps, for 3-4wpg, go for 3-4 bps, some use higher bps but you will risk suffocating your live stocks. Manual regulator is a pain as they tend to lose their settings after some time. but some cheapo solenoid will leak too, sigh

If i am correct, CRS need cold water(less than 25 degrees to live comfortably and breed)

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 22:15

I would just want to change the light tube only. By the way where do I purchase the light tube of 6500k for 1.5 ft and 2 ft.

Yup mind is constant at 22 in the night would be around 24.

Cheers.

**Marlinsons** · 11th Apr 2012, 22:16

Originally Posted by Eric9013

Hi Bro, 6500K is pointing to the specturm which is the ray of light most of the plant can well accept (between 6000-8000K best), increase your co2 to 3 bubbles per sec and add liquid fert. do be careful not to overdose your co2, buy an co2 indicator

Agree. 6500k (kelvin) indictaes the color temperature and nothing more. If you choose any higher kelvin, you will find that the thank may look a little more blueish and lower Kevin reading more yellow. If are the effect that you need for the tank then that is what you want to do. 6500k is a reference to midday light that you see everyday.

If you are already using the T5 for more than 6months, the light intensity will be reduced. Typically for a 60cm T5HO tube, output 2000lumens/tube. So for 2 tube your lumens out a total of 4000lumens. If you use the t5 for more than 6 months, you will find the brightness have reduced. It is actually the lumens has decay. Typically after 1 year you loose up to 50% lumens output. Thus making your T5 less effective and as such, your plants tends to surface to the top and color of the plants, changes color, eg tiger lotus looks more green than red, or for.

So you need to be aware and change the T5 more often to maintain the light performance.

**Owls** · 11th Apr 2012, 23:46

Originally Posted by Marlinsons

Agree. 6500k (kelvin) indictaes the color temperature and nothing more. If you choose any higher kelvin, you will find that the thank may look a little more blueish and lower Kevin reading more yellow. If are the effect that you need for the tank then that is what you want to do. 6500k is a reference to midday light that you see everyday.

If you are already using the T5 for more than 6months, the light intensity will be reduced. Typically for a 60cm T5HO tube, output 2000lumens/tube. So for 2 tube your lumens out a total of 4000lumens. If you use the t5 for more than 6 months, you will find the brightness have reduced. It is actually the lumens has decay. Typically after 1 year you loose up to 50% lumens output. Thus making your T5 less effective and as such, your plants tends to surface to the top and color of the plants, changes color, eg tiger lotus looks more green than red, or for.

So you need to be aware and change the T5 more often to maintain the light performance.

Points Noted will observe the lighting. Thanks bro.