# Noob planted question



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

i just got my first real plants from petcetera they came in bundles of like 4 or 5 with a little metal band wrapped around them to keep them together and one has an elastic band. am i supposed to leave the bands on them when i plant them or take them off?


----------



## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

take of the bundels and plant them bare.

the lead weights press the stems too close together and they will be prone to rot

be warned that getting the stems to stay in can be infuriating


----------



## macclellan (Nov 30, 2006)

Yes, take the lead weight off.

It is easiest to plant stems with tweezers. Depending on the plant, plant each stem individually (broad leaf) or 3 or so at a time (more fine leaved plants).


----------



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

ok done deal thanks, i also took each plant seperated the stems in half and spaced them out around the tank. i also have another question about WPG i bought a 24" aqua glo 20w light for my 33 gallon tank is that gonna be enough watts per gallon? i didnt even really check the wattage just the length doh!..do they make 24" with bigger wattage? cuz i'll just bring this one back thanks.


----------



## macclellan (Nov 30, 2006)

Sc0oB said:


> i bought a 24" aqua glo 20w light for my 33 gallon tank is that gonna be enough watts per gallon?


Nope. not even close to being enough light. I'd suggest returning it.



Sc0oB said:


> do they make 24" with bigger wattage?


Yes, but not T-8 florescent bulb like you have. At minimum, you'll have to add another strip light. Walmart has a 24" shoplight that is like $8, bulbs included. It is growing low light plants just fine in my 20L. It is 2x20w or 18w I think. This might not be enough, depending on the species of plants you bought. You really want to shoot for 1.5WPG or so.


----------



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

ok so can i just buy a bigger watt light and replace the other one? my canopy only has room for one light what can i do and where can i buy one to just put in the canopy i already have? thanks


----------



## macclellan (Nov 30, 2006)

Is it a 33L, i.e. 48"? If so, 2x20w could work. Is that what you have? It sounded like you have only 1 bulb.

You said 24" bulb which makes me think it is a 30" tank, i.e. 29g...

BigAls is in Canada and has good prices. Just get a Compact Florescent or T-5 fixture that fits your tank/canopy. Just don't get too strong a light, as it will cause algae unless you add co2 and ferts, which is a whole other can of worms....

http://www.bigalsonline.com/


----------



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

no its a 33 gallon tank 36"long x 19" high x 12" wide and it comes with only 1 24" flouresent light.


----------



## natalie559 (Dec 6, 2007)

I have the standard 24" 20watt Life Glo 2 bulb in my 29G and while it is not ideal, it does fine growing my plants. Look at my tank photo to see the plants I have had success with using this simple lighting.


----------



## LJ (Sep 12, 2007)

natalie559, that's pretty amazing. I have a 29 g that I've decided not to plant, because I could not afford to put enough light on it. I never even considered that the standard 20 watt bulb could actually provide enough light.  In fact, I still think that if I were to try this, it would fail, but congrats on making it work. Your tank looks nice.

Scoob, I wouldn't count on being able to replicate natalie559's success. You most likely will not be able to find sufficient lighting with your current fixture; so you will need more than just a different bulb.

Most likely you will need a new fixture, or an additional fixture, in order to get the 1-1.5 watts/gallon that macclellan is talking about.


----------



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

ok well i cant afford to buy another fixture right now so i bought a CO2 canister and kept my 20W plant light. will i still need to upgrade my lights or will my plants do fine with the set up i have. i mean i dont wanna get into this crazy hardcore or anything i just like the way real plants look. but i do want mine to grow and fill the tank.


----------



## LJ (Sep 12, 2007)

You might as well try the 20 watt light, and see if it works. With such low light though you won't have any need for that CO2 canister; so you are better off returning that.

Maybe things will work out with just the 20 watts, although I doubt it. If not, then you can decide whether you want to invest in more lighting when the time comes.

Good luck.


----------



## Sc0oB (Apr 21, 2008)

ill just keep my CO2 running untill i get my lights in the next month then ill be set. cant hurt it can it? thanks for the help anyways.


----------



## macclellan (Nov 30, 2006)

See if things survive and grow over this month and then decide.

No, running co2 at normal levels can't hurt, as long as levels aren't too high and fish get enough oxygen. Just keep an eye on them, especially if you are new to using co2 - the worst thing in the world is to kill your fish with gas!


----------

