I am putting together a list of plant groups for low, medium and high light. Can you post your favorite plants for these groups? I am also interested in any comments you have as to why a plant would be high or med light.
Thanks Rick
send your favorite plant groups
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Rick Dotson
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:43 am
- Location: United States
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DelawareJim
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:25 pm
- Real Name: Jim Michaels
- Location: Southeast PA
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Rick Dotson
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:43 am
- Location: United States
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Rick Dotson
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:43 am
- Location: United States
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DelawareJim
- Posts: 1249
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 4:25 pm
- Real Name: Jim Michaels
- Location: Southeast PA
Sorry Rick, didn't mean to be flip about the Crypts. I'm just a rosette guy.
Following Joe's lead, in my 29 gal Endler's tank I've got Crypt. x willissii, C. parva, Anubias barteri 'Nana', and Hemianthus micranthemoides as foregrounds, C. wendtii 'Mi Oya', C. cordata 'Rosanervig' as midgrounders, and Rotala rotundifolia, C. becketti, Crinum calamistratum, and C. spiralis in the back. All growing under a 65 watt CF fixture; 2.25 WPG. All except the C. parva which likes high light will take pretty much any light level you give them. The rotala will stretch with longer spacing between the leaves and the other Crypts will grow more vertically instead of the leaves growing horizontally under lower light conditions. If I don't trim the rotala regularly, and it shades the rest of the tank, I'll notice the rosette plants starting to go vertical.
My 110 XH is pretty much the same type of setup... lots 'o Crypts, and some Echinidorus, Bolbitis, a few Rotalas and Ludwigias, and various Anubias. It's got 2 175 Watt MH and 2 40 watt T-12 fluorescents (3.9 WPG). One thing I have noticed with higher light levels; Crypts will get deeper colours, especially the undersides, and the Echinodorus will start taking on some pinks and reds. In my tank, the stems will get redder and denser the closer to the surface they get. Best stem grow in this tank is actually in the top 6 inches.
Ironically, even though this tank is basically 4 WPG, it isn't enough light. The lighting isn't intense enough to adequately light the bottom for the depth of the tank. Using my LUX metre, the tank is like 4 WPG at the surface and about 1 WPG at the substrate. I really should be using a pair of 250 watt MH lights instead of 175's.
Cheers.
Jim
Following Joe's lead, in my 29 gal Endler's tank I've got Crypt. x willissii, C. parva, Anubias barteri 'Nana', and Hemianthus micranthemoides as foregrounds, C. wendtii 'Mi Oya', C. cordata 'Rosanervig' as midgrounders, and Rotala rotundifolia, C. becketti, Crinum calamistratum, and C. spiralis in the back. All growing under a 65 watt CF fixture; 2.25 WPG. All except the C. parva which likes high light will take pretty much any light level you give them. The rotala will stretch with longer spacing between the leaves and the other Crypts will grow more vertically instead of the leaves growing horizontally under lower light conditions. If I don't trim the rotala regularly, and it shades the rest of the tank, I'll notice the rosette plants starting to go vertical.
My 110 XH is pretty much the same type of setup... lots 'o Crypts, and some Echinidorus, Bolbitis, a few Rotalas and Ludwigias, and various Anubias. It's got 2 175 Watt MH and 2 40 watt T-12 fluorescents (3.9 WPG). One thing I have noticed with higher light levels; Crypts will get deeper colours, especially the undersides, and the Echinodorus will start taking on some pinks and reds. In my tank, the stems will get redder and denser the closer to the surface they get. Best stem grow in this tank is actually in the top 6 inches.
Ironically, even though this tank is basically 4 WPG, it isn't enough light. The lighting isn't intense enough to adequately light the bottom for the depth of the tank. Using my LUX metre, the tank is like 4 WPG at the surface and about 1 WPG at the substrate. I really should be using a pair of 250 watt MH lights instead of 175's.
Cheers.
Jim
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chris_todd
- Posts: 1118
- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:05 pm
- Location: Catonsville
Rick, I'm not sure if this is the kind of info you want, but following Joe's lead, I have two tanks that I hope are informative.
20 high: two 15W T-8 fluorescents (standard AGA hood lights), one Flora Glo and one Aqua Glo (substrate is flourite, no dosing or CO2, but occasional Excel)
Plants: Crypt spiralis, Ozelot swords, low-grow Hygro, Anubias Coffeefolia, a "compact" sword (I have no idea what species this is, that is how it was labeled at Scales TFW), "Sunset" hygro, and I think some bacopa carolinia (sp?).
Clearly this is a "low light" tank, but every plant in this tank is thriving and growing and propagating, though the sunset hygro does not get as red near the tops as it does in the tank below. The ozelot sword leaves have doubled in length since I got them in October, the compact sword has tripled its leaf number, many of which are longer than they were, and the c. spiralis has thrown off at least three runners that have developed into nearly full-size plants (and which will probably appear in an upcoming GWAPA auction). Even the anubias, which we only just got at the last GWAPA auction, has grown a new leaf since we brought it home.
20 long (only 12" high): Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight fixture with two 18W bulbs, one Colormax Full Spectrum and one 6700K, ecocomplete substrate, and the same dosing regimen as the 20 high.
Plants: crypt wendtii, c. willisii, c. balansae, hygrophila difformis, sunset hygro, c. pontederiifolia, c. moehlmannii
While this is a higher-light tank than the above tank, its probably a "medium light" tank at best, though as shallow as it is, none of the plants seem to be wanting for light. All are growing well, and some are propagating, like the C. willisii. The sunset hygro gets really beautifully red in the upper third of its leaves (within roughly 4" of the water surface). Oddly enough, the H. difformis is not growing as I expected, and maybe its because it is not receiving as much light as it likes - it is growing more like a bushy foreground plant, rather than a tall background plant. Very few of the stems are more than 3" tall, which is very frustrating, because I wanted to eventually transplant these to my 75g and use them as background.
Obviously, I don't have any high-light tanks, so I'm afraid I can't speak to that.
20 high: two 15W T-8 fluorescents (standard AGA hood lights), one Flora Glo and one Aqua Glo (substrate is flourite, no dosing or CO2, but occasional Excel)
Plants: Crypt spiralis, Ozelot swords, low-grow Hygro, Anubias Coffeefolia, a "compact" sword (I have no idea what species this is, that is how it was labeled at Scales TFW), "Sunset" hygro, and I think some bacopa carolinia (sp?).
Clearly this is a "low light" tank, but every plant in this tank is thriving and growing and propagating, though the sunset hygro does not get as red near the tops as it does in the tank below. The ozelot sword leaves have doubled in length since I got them in October, the compact sword has tripled its leaf number, many of which are longer than they were, and the c. spiralis has thrown off at least three runners that have developed into nearly full-size plants (and which will probably appear in an upcoming GWAPA auction). Even the anubias, which we only just got at the last GWAPA auction, has grown a new leaf since we brought it home.
20 long (only 12" high): Coralife F/W T-5 Aqualight fixture with two 18W bulbs, one Colormax Full Spectrum and one 6700K, ecocomplete substrate, and the same dosing regimen as the 20 high.
Plants: crypt wendtii, c. willisii, c. balansae, hygrophila difformis, sunset hygro, c. pontederiifolia, c. moehlmannii
While this is a higher-light tank than the above tank, its probably a "medium light" tank at best, though as shallow as it is, none of the plants seem to be wanting for light. All are growing well, and some are propagating, like the C. willisii. The sunset hygro gets really beautifully red in the upper third of its leaves (within roughly 4" of the water surface). Oddly enough, the H. difformis is not growing as I expected, and maybe its because it is not receiving as much light as it likes - it is growing more like a bushy foreground plant, rather than a tall background plant. Very few of the stems are more than 3" tall, which is very frustrating, because I wanted to eventually transplant these to my 75g and use them as background.
Obviously, I don't have any high-light tanks, so I'm afraid I can't speak to that.
