# Do I need more lighting now that I have live plants?



## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

I have one 24" 50/50 bulb in my 40 gallon. Is this enough to make my plants grow properly? I finally found a few that my fish wont dig up so I'm trying to keep them alive.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Depends on the plant. Some are low light tolerant. I can grow java moss under just about anything.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

It really depends on the plant, but if you have a standard florescent bulb, you have very low light, and most planted tanks use full daylight bulbs rather than 50/50 style, as the daylight bulbs promote better plant growth.

Not sure if this is kosher or not, but there are several good planted tank sites online - www.plantedtank.net, www.aquaticplantcentral.com are two that have entire forums dedicated to lighting questions.

Keeping plants alive is a lot different than growing them, and a fully planted tank is pretty close to as challenging as a SW reef tank, but it is very rewarding.


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## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

I was thinking of stepping up to a longer setup with 2 bulbs instead of one. Was going to run a daylight bulb and an actinic(sp?) bulb to get the same coloring in the tank but give the plants the light they need.


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## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

Would 4 36" bulbs be way too much? I think it's 160 something watts.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Possibly too much - too many factors to say one way or the other. Are the bulbs T5, T8 or T12? Are there good reflectors on the fixture? Is the tank going to be densely planted? Are you using CO2? A lot of planted tank people use high light, but with a relatively short period where all bulbs are on.

Just as I would not expect to get solid Cichlid answers on a planted tank forum, I would not expect to get solid planted tank answers on a Cichlid forum...

(I know that there are folks who do both)


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> I would not expect to get solid planted tank answers on a Cichlid forum...


Oh, there are some pretty knowledgable people here, be kind. 

I'm still waiting for the list of plants you want to keep, Jarryd330. No way to answer the question without knowing that.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

prov356 said:


> > I would not expect to get solid planted tank answers on a Cichlid forum...
> 
> 
> Oh, there are some pretty knowledgable people here, be kind.


I agree with that - the point is that questions are likely to get a lot more answers which allows the OP to be better informed as to what to do. I don't mean to be unkind or belabor the point. :thumb:

Knowing the plants would also be a help as you point out.


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## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

I can't remember what everything is called. Some kind of fern but not java, some kind of grass, and one other that I had to tie together with a little metal clip to keep it on the bottom. I finally got them to quit eating everything.


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## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

Not a fern, an anubius(sp)


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Do you have pics of the plants? The anubias does fine in low light, that much I can tell you.


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## chinds78 (Jun 22, 2011)

The reccomendation is 2-4 watts per gallon for most plants. Do some research on your species to see what they require. 4 bulbs might be a bit much.

This site sells plants, but they also have a lot of good info on many species...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/


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## Jarryd330 (Sep 14, 2011)

I'm currently nowhere near 2 watts per gallon. I think my current light is 18 watts on a 40 gallon tank. I think I'll make an upgrade, just need to pick out a lamp. I don't even know where to look aside from eBay and I don't know much about what I'm looking at yet. Still new to all these things.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You don't want 2 watts per gallon unless you are doing high light plants and supplementing with CO2.

Also, be aware that since T8s are less popular now, the watts equation went out the window with the T5s and other options that are more common today.


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## chinds78 (Jun 22, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> You don't want 2 watts per gallon unless you are doing high light plants and supplementing with CO2.
> 
> Also, be aware that since T8s are less popular now, the watts equation went out the window with the T5s and other options that are more common today.


WOW, didn't realize that all that had changed with T5. Its been a while since I kept plants.


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## k19smith (Sep 6, 2005)

The cheapest way and you can get some nice ones is go to lowes or home depot and get your lights and bulbs. I'm running 48" lights I got the 3 steps up from the cheapest and it was $30 and I pay $6 a 2pk for my bulbs.

IMO 4 lights of any kind will be way to much for this tank. I would go with 1 36" T8 if it were my tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The first thing I would try is a 6700K or 6500K bulb for the existing fixture. The bulb has the color mix most beneficial to plants.

If the plants do better, you are done. If not you can still consider a new fixture.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

The 2w/per gallon rule is about as useful as the 1" of fish to a gallon rule...

Of course, not everyone has access to a Lux meter...

However, with anubias, java ferns etc, you can probably do fine with new bulb of the right color temp as DJRansome points out.


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