replaced subtrate planted tank/refugium

[Raul]

This is the latest pic of the refuge

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/WP_000157.jpg

[Raul]

on the lighting this are the possible configs I can set

Right now I have 3.5 wpg I am using 5 T5 NO, and in one fixture I can set a T5 HO but will only run at 21 Watts

So this are the possible combinations I can do.

2.8 wpg
2.1 wpg
2.4 wpg
1.4 wpg
.7 wpg

[Complexity]

I already sent you this in my PM, but thought I'd post it here so others could comment since more thoughts are better than just one. In regards to your question as to whether to drop the lighting down to 42W, here's what I had written:

That's what I'd recommend. 42 watts on that tank is still plenty of light. If you think you need more light, then consider adding a noon burst of 56W, but not running 56W the entire time. Just a burst of it. Only add more light if your plants truly demand it, but I doubt they will. There are only a few plants that genuinely require an extremely bright light.

To give some point of reference, here's what I have on my tanks:

29g (2 tanks, each with same lighting) -- 36W (Aqualight T5 HO Dual Lamp Light Fixture - 2 x 18W) These are nice fixtures, and if you had asked me, I would have recommended it to you. Just the right amount of light for a tank this size. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could use two fixtures and do a noon burst. I started to do that at one point, but found it wasn't necessary so I never used the extra fixtures.

75g and 90g (both tanks have same lighting) -- 108W (48 inch 4x54W Sunlight Supply Tek Light High Output Fluorescent Lighting Fixture). Damn nice fixtures. I have the Giesemann Powerchrome lamps. Two aquaflora and two midday each (one of each burns at a time). To use the lamps evenly, I run one set for 1/2 my photoperiod and then switch the other set for the other 1/2 of the photoperiod. That way, each plant gets the best possible coverage (inside and outside rows of lamps) while the lamps get used up evenly. Mine are pretty old by now so they're not as effective as they were when new.

The only thing that I do that is unusual is that I have a long 12 hour photoperiod. Most people say it can't be done, but I do it with every one of my tanks. It's a matter of adjusting the tank to the longer photoperiod. But the photoperiod length cannot make up for the light intensity (wpg) so that's not why my lighting is working. It's more a matter of my lighting working in spite of my long photoperiod.

The trick to growing the plants fast is not so much the lighting, but the CO2 and ferts. With the same lighting, I've seen my plants just sit there and grow at a moderate rate versus growing like gangbusters with CO2 and ferts. They grow so fast that the oxygen coming from them looks like a reverse snowstorm. It's mesmerizing to watch.

[Complexity]

on the lighting this are the possible configs I can set

Right now I have 3.5 wpg I am using 5 T5 NO, and in one fixture I can set a T5 HO but will only run at 21 Watts

So this are the possible combinations I can do.

2.8 wpg
2.1 wpg
2.4 wpg
1.4 wpg
.7 wpg

Keep in mind that the wpg is only a reference, but it's not a perfect one. It's generally less helpful for smaller tanks, especially since the height from substrate to lighting is much shorter with a smaller tank than a larger tank. Consider how far away the lighting is on your tank (which I believe is a 12" tall tank, right?) as compared to my 29g tank which is 18" high. Same footprint, but the light has to reach 6" further down. Now compare that to my 75g tank that's 20" tall or my 90g tank that's 24" tall. Now the light has to reach 8" to 12" further down (double the height of your tank). Just for fun, take your light and move it 8" or 12" higher than it is now and see how different the lighting is, and you'll see how the wpg doesn't really work as an exact rule. it's generally more of a guide for midsize tanks, like a 55g-90g size range. A 20g long doesn't fit the rule very well.

So I'd suggest around the 2 wpg range for a 20g long. That's plenty of light for what you're doing. If you can either go just above or below, let the NO or HO be your guide. Since NO lighting isn't as intense, then go a bit higher than 2 wpg for it. But go a bit lower for HO lighting.

Of course, all things are relative. I've known people who have had wonderful tanks with extreme lighting, and that may be what you want. Just keep in mind that the lighting drives everything. The brighter the lighting, the less margin for error so you'll have to work very carefully to get the CO2, ferts, and plant mass all balanced out. The lower the lighting (within reason), the more margin for error. The lighting is like having your foot on the gas peddle. The more you push it, the faster everything moves (algae included) so the more you have to stay on top of things because if anything goes wrong, it will go wrong in a hurry. So if you want to use super high lighting, you can, but just know that you don't need to use it for what you're doing with the plants you have.

[Complexity]

This is the latest pic of the refuge

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/.../WP_000157.jpg

Having said all that, I have to also say your tank looks really nice! So maybe you should just stick to what you're doing!

What's the red plant just to the left of the middle?

[Raul]

I do not have an idea what is that plant, I got it from PS in one of those bags that come covered with gel, I forgot to write the name, I just remembered it said it grows red with good lighting so I got that, :-). That is the problem I with some of my plants I do not know the names, here is a pic of that one.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4193.jpg

Having said all that, I have to also say your tank looks really nice! So maybe you should just stick to what you're doing!

What's the red plant just to the left of the middle?

[Raul]

Here is an updated pics, after a week of algae control and well constant CO2 for now 24/7, the PH swings were not welcomed by some of my inverts so decided to keep it 24/7 but lower. But the plants are going crazy specially the wysteria that thing is growing like crazy and well now lower light.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/IMG_4205.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/IMG_4206.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/IMG_4207.jpg

[Complexity]

I do not have an idea what is that plant, I got it from PS in one of those bags that come covered with gel, I forgot to write the name, I just remembered it said it grows red with good lighting so I got that, :-). That is the problem I with some of my plants I do not know the names, here is a pic of that one.


http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...3/IMG_4193.jpg

I suspect that one might be Alternanthera reineckii ‘Roseafolia’. It's a really nice plant. I have just one stem trying to survive my current tank conditions, but it's hanging in there. It requires CO2 and ferts. I've grown it successfully with medium light.

[Complexity]

Here is an updated pics, after a week of algae control and well constant CO2 for now 24/7, the PH swings were not welcomed by some of my inverts so decided to keep it 24/7 but lower. But the plants are going crazy specially the wysteria that thing is growing like crazy and well now lower light.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/IMG_4205.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/fish/IMG_4206.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/...h/IMG_4207.jpg

It's looking really good! You have some nice plants in there. When my tank stabilizes, I'd like to add some of the same plants you have, especially a red tiger lotus. Things are looking encouraging with my 90g right now as most of the algae issues are going away and the CO2 is becoming stabilized. Wisteria will definitely grow abundantly with CO2 and ferts so feel free to pinch it back often to keep it compact.

[Raul]

Thanks, the work is starting to pay off, even that is a 20long it is still time consuming, I even have some swords in the back between the cabomba and the wisteria but I had to trim them all the way to the root because they were infested with hair algae when i replaced the substrate now they are all up again so waiting untill they can take the backgroung.

What I am not sure is about the cabomba, can that one be trimmed since I know it will also start growing like crazy, it is starting to get to the point that I only want to do trimming and not mess with moving plants already rooted.

It's looking really good! You have some nice plants in there. When my tank stabilizes, I'd like to add some of the same plants you have, especially a red tiger lotus. Things are looking encouraging with my 90g right now as most of the algae issues are going away and the CO2 is becoming stabilized. Wisteria will definitely grow abundantly with CO2 and ferts so feel free to pinch it back often to keep it compact.

[Complexity]

The swords will take over your entire tank so be prepared to trim them radically every now and then. To keep them small, you'll probably have to uproot them, trim their roots way back (to 0.5-1"), and remove the older leaves, and replant. But even that might not keep them inline over time. To give you some point of reference, I had 1 sword in my 75g that I had to let go of because it just grew too big.

There are two ways you can trim the cabomba. (1) If you're wanting more stems, then pinch off the growing tip which will force it to fork at that point. Let the new growth get large enough so you can do the second trimming method. (2) When the stems get too tall, cut off the tops, uproot and throw away the bottoms, and replant the tops. They will easily grow new roots.

It is the normal nature of planted tanks to cut the tops off, remove the bottoms, and replant the tops. This is the normal cycle of trimming most stems in a planted tank. If you have a stem that readily forks, you can sometimes get away with cutting off the tops where the original stem forks, leaving the original stem in place. The forked stems will now start growing, making an overall bushier plant. However, over time the bottoms will become leggy due to being shaded out, and you'll eventually need to pull it all up, cut the tops off, throw away the bottoms, and replant just the tops.

When replanting the tops, remove the leaves from the bottoms of the stems where they'll be inserted into the substrate; otherwise, the leaves will just rot. You don't have to be overly fussy about this so if you leave little bits of the leaves on the stems, that's fine (and can help anchor the stems in place). If the plant has very fine leaves that are hard to remove, then it's okay to leave them on.

Don't feel shy with pruning roots on aquatic plants. You'll find that they will grow new roots very quickly and easily, and the plants rarely show any negative signs from the process.

[Raul]

I had to do some trimming on the cabomba and wysteria and replanted them, the refuge is looking good here are some updated pics.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4240.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4239.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4238.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4237.jpg

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/IMG_4236.jpg

[Totenkampf]

looking great raul, that red temple is really staying compact and looking good. i love red tiger lotus too but i always have problems with it throwing up too many surface leaves.

[Raul]

Thanks, wouldn't had done it with all the info and help I have gather from the HFB.

looking great raul, that red temple is really staying compact and looking good. i love red tiger lotus too but i always have problems with it throwing up too many surface leaves.

[Raul]

Here is the latest pic, showing some progress but My apple snail is destroying the lotus. Besides that everything is growing nicely.

http://i1072.photobucket.com/albums/w376/raullozano3/8d9c50a1.jpg