Tank light?

Sam77 · Apr 23, 2012

I have recently moved my axie to a larger tank, and would like to grow some plants. The live plants in my old tank only lasted a week or 2 at most, as i had no tank light, but my new tank has lights in the lid. I have a large piece of java fern on some wood that in would like to keep alive, but I am not sure whether the lights will be too strong for her. The lid has 2 strip lights, rated 30w each, but they do seem very bright when I switch them on. Those of you that grow plants in your tanks, what do you do? Would these lights be ok if switched on for a few hours a day, and will this be enough to keep my plants alive? I would be grateful for any help. Thank you.

axle37 · Apr 24, 2012

i have a small strip light in mine as well and my juvie seems fine with it. i just turn it off during the night. he doesn't seemed too bothered by it. sometimes he will spend more time than usual under his rock but nothing alarming

Mr Poseidon · Apr 25, 2012

If your super worried about it being to bright, use a lower wattage bulb or only put one in!!! Before i had a sufficient number of hids i also took some construction paper (=D my mom still had some from when i was a kid!) and taped it to the Lid where the plastic bulb protector was. It worked pretty well but you have to make sure it stays out of the water and that it doesnt catch on fire!

Cts · Apr 25, 2012

I've used LED lightstrips for almost 3 years, my axies never been bothered by it and they don't generate any heat that could affevt the water tempetature

i tried regular aquarium lighting in the beginning, but the axies went crazy trying to find cover from the light!

JessKB · Apr 25, 2012

Get yourself some Duckweed. It will cover the top of your water and does an awesome job of diffusing light.

asfouts · Apr 25, 2012

JessKB said:
Get yourself some Duckweed. It will cover the top of your water and does an awesome job of diffusing light.

But be careful with the duckweed out breaks as sometimes it blocks the light from your lower dwelling plants. It is a "weed."

Sam77 · Apr 25, 2012

Thanks for all your help, I will look into LEDs or taking one out. I did see some duckweed for sale, but I wasn't sure whether it would make it difficult to clean the tank, or block light to my plants. Is it easy to grow/ control?

asfouts · Apr 25, 2012

LED lights are nice, I think you can also get plant lights for maximum plant growth. As far as duckweed problems, you can just net out the excess. Also depends on how you clean your tank. But duckweed is pretty good at eliminating some harmful wastes as well

JessKB · Apr 26, 2012

asfouts said:
But be careful with the duckweed out breaks as sometimes it blocks the light from your lower dwelling plants. It is a "weed."

It certainly is a weed, but it's an awesome weed. If your plants are well taken care of, and you just net out some duckweed every week you will be fine. It's extremely easy to control and if you have any goldfish or turtles they will enjoy the excess as snacks. Duckweed is like a sponge for excess nutrients and honestly can't be beat as a water cleaner. It's also available for free in pretty much any pond. I use it in every one of my tanks that I have lights on.

asfouts · Apr 26, 2012

It is a pretty awesome weed... I have always loved it especially seeing frog eyes peaking out from underneath

Jenste · Apr 26, 2012

Thing about duckweed, is that once it is in your system it can be a pain to get rid of if you don't like it.
Another great floating plant is water wisteria which will shoot stalks out of the water now and then. I use this in all of my tanks.

asfouts · Apr 26, 2012

Jenste said:
Another great floating plant is water wisteria which will shoot stalks out of the water now and then. I use this in all of my tanks.

Doesnt Hygrophila difformes grow rather large? I dont know if Pistia stratiotes (water cabbage) can survive colder waters, but that is a worthwhile free floating plant as well. But it may only survive warmer waters. If you use the smaller species of duckweed (Wolffia globosa) you will indeed have a very difficult time eradicating it, as they reproduce asexually. Spiradela polyrrhiza is the larger "platelet leaf" species which also reproduces asexually (both can bloom and reproduce sexually[Wolffia globosa has the smallest flower in the world measuring .3 mm] is larger and easier to get rid of. However the smaller species can hitch rides on your S. polyrrhiza, so wash your duck weed gently and I believe you will be good. I think the only reasonable way to eradicate W. globosa is drain all water and setup a heat lamp to destroy any plant matter. It may sound like a hassle but it provides shade and absorbs nitrates in your water rather effectively

Sam77 · Apr 26, 2012

Thanks all of you. I will look into getting some duckweed at the weekend. This sounds really thick, but do I just float it on the top and then just push a bit of it out of the way when I want to clean the tank? thanks!

JessKB · Apr 26, 2012

When you clean the tank it's going to get on your hands and arms. Learn to love it, it's good for you

It's like playing in a pond inside your own home. And if you don't like playing in ponds, you've got no business keeping salamanders

michel3171 · May 2, 2012

You should go to your Sealife store, ask for some ''Warm Lights'' <-- Translated literally

Or purple coloured.

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