[plantitgood101]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to forums, so hopefully all you other fish lovers can help me.

The tank I'm working on and just messing with to learn what works and doesn't work is a 20G high. The tank has been running about 3 months almost 4. And seems to be doing well, parameters are leveled out.

At first I thought i was going to keep it as a low light setup, so i had a total of 30W on it. With that said, I was sort of limited to what plants
- Java ferns
-anubias nana
-java moss
-red ludwigia(it grew well for me even with low light)

I just upgraded to a Nova extreme 48 watt system, and the tank is BRIGHT, as much as i like to see the tank at night... i can't sleep with it so i changed the photo period.
Any suggestions as to what plants i can put in here now that i have... another 20 watts and more penetration?

Thanks,
Marty

 

[NursePlaty]

I just upgraded to a Nova extreme 48 watt system, and the tank is BRIGHT, as much as i like to see the tank at night... i can't sleep with it so i changed the photo period.
Any suggestions as to what plants i can put in here now that i have... another 20 watts and more penetration?

Do you have the light system where it has 2x T5 24W long tube bulbs? With the 48 watts for your 20 gallon high. You have 2.4 watts per gallon which puts you at a medium light. But since you have a 20 gallon "high". Your 2.4 watts that is reaching the bottom will be lowered because of the depth of water that it has to penetrate. I have a 20 gallon also but its a 20 gallon long and I have 3x 23W bulbs at 3.45 watts per gallon. Because of the 12 inch depth, I have lots of light hitting the floor. But I have not experienced the Nova extreme 48 watt system, but if you say its that bright then im sure you will be able to grow more varieties of high-light requirement plants.

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

use low light plants for substrate plants, and middle of the tank use low/medium light shorter plants, and in the back, all things tall.

Smallest tank I got set up for fish habitat is 40g tall, I use 85w total on the tank, basically 2wpg with no Co2, I got some nice red combamba growing like water sprite.

 

[plantitgood101]

thanks to both! I'm putting DIY CO(2) in the tank for the first time since i got this new lighting system...With the additional wattage, it's putting pearls on ALL of my plants. Including the Java fern, Anubias nana, and Ludwigia repens.
with the substrate about 2.5 inches and the light is about 14.5 inches from the top of the substrate. Is that close enough to grow hairgrass or crypts?

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

it should be jsut fine, in my 45 tall I got dwarf swords and some glosso growing like weeds with two 40w bulbs on it [email protected] 6500K it has pressurized Co2 but the DIY does the same thing for alot less.

a guy i talk to on the net has a 5g DIY set up, I got 4 2 liters with a 2 liter in the center for a muck accumulator.

 

[plantitgood101]

Would hair grass do decently in 48W off lighting of a 20G tank? I'm in the process of trying to "design" a decent tank...but realizing it's going to take some more money

 

[NursePlaty]

The hairgrass should be fine. The tank isnt really high for a high tank. My 20 gallon long is only 12" high.

 

[plantitgood101]

okay, thanks.