[QUOTE=RTRJR] But even my non-high tech tanks tend to be fully planted...[/QUOTE]
<img border="0" src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0"> Is there any other way to keep a tank?
Lighting calculator - Amano style
can anyone tell me if i am losing a lot of light by having the source a little further from the glass? i knwow there is a noticeable amount of reflected light off of the glass. would this be decreased by moving the source closer to the glass, and thus increase the light getting to the plants? thanks!
[QUOTE=Archie] can anyone tell me if i am losing a lot of light by
having the source a little further from the glass? i knwow there is a
noticeable amount of reflected light off of the glass. would this be
decreased by moving the source closer to the glass, and thus
increase the light getting to the plants? thanks![/QUOTE]
Archie,
Are you getting good compact growth? Are your red plants red? If
so, you have enough light... you can worry about all this stuff,
dissolved organic matter, cover glass, reflector etc, etc indefinately.
It is my opinion that you want the lowest level of light that gives you
the quality of growth you need.
The best lux meter in the world are your plants, you already own a
lot of them... to get an idea of how your lighting levels stack up, try
growing a little glosso... if you can get it to grow horizontal, you
prolly have enough light to grow anything... Another very good plant
for checking for high light is Didiplis diandra, stems go black when
the light level is not sufficient. Try these two plants, if they don't
work for you, try the changes you suggest and watch for changes in
growth, especially internodal spacing..
Mr. Amano and others use much higher lighting levels on smaller
tanks, in my opinion (and my experience matches this) this is done
to obtain good coverage, intensity is secondary. Single PCF on small
tanks tend to form "hotspots" which cause carpets to grow
unevenly...
While I appreciate the attempts to make this a numerical problem,
there are simply too many variables as others have pointed out, so I
feel lighting is best judged by growth... My suggestion to those
setting up new tanks is to find an accomplished aquatic gardener,
see what has worked for them on the same size tank (there really
aren't that many different tank sizes) and work from there... this is a
place where fellow GWAPA members can really help out..
Hope that helps a little,
Jeff Ludwig
Elkton, MD
having the source a little further from the glass? i knwow there is a
noticeable amount of reflected light off of the glass. would this be
decreased by moving the source closer to the glass, and thus
increase the light getting to the plants? thanks![/QUOTE]
Archie,
Are you getting good compact growth? Are your red plants red? If
so, you have enough light... you can worry about all this stuff,
dissolved organic matter, cover glass, reflector etc, etc indefinately.
It is my opinion that you want the lowest level of light that gives you
the quality of growth you need.
The best lux meter in the world are your plants, you already own a
lot of them... to get an idea of how your lighting levels stack up, try
growing a little glosso... if you can get it to grow horizontal, you
prolly have enough light to grow anything... Another very good plant
for checking for high light is Didiplis diandra, stems go black when
the light level is not sufficient. Try these two plants, if they don't
work for you, try the changes you suggest and watch for changes in
growth, especially internodal spacing..
Mr. Amano and others use much higher lighting levels on smaller
tanks, in my opinion (and my experience matches this) this is done
to obtain good coverage, intensity is secondary. Single PCF on small
tanks tend to form "hotspots" which cause carpets to grow
unevenly...
While I appreciate the attempts to make this a numerical problem,
there are simply too many variables as others have pointed out, so I
feel lighting is best judged by growth... My suggestion to those
setting up new tanks is to find an accomplished aquatic gardener,
see what has worked for them on the same size tank (there really
aren't that many different tank sizes) and work from there... this is a
place where fellow GWAPA members can really help out..
Hope that helps a little,
Jeff Ludwig
Elkton, MD
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SCMurphy
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- Real Name: Sean
- Location: Maryland United States
[QUOTE=Archie] can anyone tell me if i am losing a lot of light by having the source a little further from the glass? i knwow there is a noticeable amount of reflected light off of the glass. would this be decreased by moving the source closer to the glass, and thus increase the light getting to the plants? thanks![/QUOTE]
Theoretically, yes, significantly, only if you keep the lights more than 6 inches away from the tank. You will loose more light to dust and dirt on the glass then to reflection. Moving the light closer can help but it's not as significant as you might think, unless like I first noted, you are making a big change in the distance.
Theoretically, yes, significantly, only if you keep the lights more than 6 inches away from the tank. You will loose more light to dust and dirt on the glass then to reflection. Moving the light closer can help but it's not as significant as you might think, unless like I first noted, you are making a big change in the distance.
"したくさ" Sean
Aquascape? I'm a crypt farmer.
If you've got bait, I've got wasabi!
I wish I could be like Mr. Sarcastic when I grow up!
Aquascape? I'm a crypt farmer.
If you've got bait, I've got wasabi!
I wish I could be like Mr. Sarcastic when I grow up!
ok thanks. my glosso was doing rather crappy with my old light, but at one time it grew wild! but even then i couldn't get 'red' plants to be red. oh and the diplidis was black and kept uprooting. now my dip is actually kinda red. the glosso is pretty new so i will have to wait. i was just trying to take care of any potential problems before they occur. thanks for the input!
i also thought about putting foil on the outside of the glass (where the light isn't) to keep as much light inside as possible. any thoughts?
i also thought about putting foil on the outside of the glass (where the light isn't) to keep as much light inside as possible. any thoughts?
