changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

[finfan]

background
well, i have had my 30 gallon planted for about 5 months now, its an eclipse 2 compatible 30g tall (24L*12W*24T), it only has two 15 watt bulbs that came standard with the eclipse II hood, well, i have had crypts, anubias nana, and java fern, the crypts went through a melting and now are stabilized but do not grow much really - probably because of low light, the anubias nana's have done wonderfully, all three i got, grew considerably, all three had flowers more than once and are thriving, the java ferns did not do well at all, they have not grown and never really established themselves, everyone said they are easy, but from my experience they did not do very well, maybe something in my tank!  

planned change
i am planning on changing the eclipse top, i already have a aquaclear hob filter for 70 gallon running for last 4 weeks (so its seeded when i take off the eclipse hood filter), i am planning on getting 24" coralife aqualight 2*65watt fixture and putting that on top, so here are my questions:

(1) for my 30 gallon 130 watts should be enought light for most plants right?

(2) are my nana's, crypts, or java ferns going to be affected by this change in lighting?

(3) what should be the photo period for this new lighting?

(4) any affect on my fishes?  tanks inhabitants are:

4 german rams (3m, 1fm)
4 glowlight tetras
4 cardinal tetras
6 black phantom tetras
1 black neon
1 ocat
1 BN pleco

[eklikewhoa]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

(1) for my 30 gallon 130 watts should be enought light for most plants right?Enough light just just about most plants but remember co2 and ferts

(2) are my nana's, crypts, or java ferns going to be affected by this change in lighting?They will do fine....start with a low photo period and work your way up

(3) what should be the photo period for this new lighting?Compared to your old lights I would start with about 6hrs and adjust according to your plant/algae growth

(4) any affect on my fishes?  tanks inhabitants are: no, not really

[finfan]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

thanks ek for all the info.

a few follow up questions, are co2 & ferts absolutely necessary for the plants to do well?  I am not trying show quality, just want decent/regular growth

can i go w/o any ferts? if not, can i just do non-co2 ferts?  what type of non-co2 fert is the best/safest?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

You can go without it but your plants will just suffer under the higher lighting....co2 is like their air, ferts is like their food.

[finfan]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

so the higher lighting won't really make the plants grow more w/o the co2 and ferts,  which would imply then that there is no point in getting more lights if i am not going to do co2 or ferts :(

[finfan]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

what if i get the light and just do flourish excel and flourish?  is that sufficient for co2 and general ferts?  

is there another brand better/more affordable?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

Well what most people fail to understand is the plants are like the fish....they have been taken out of their natural environment by man so they will need to be cared for by man.

In the wild they have sources of co2, lighting and the nutrients something our cages lack.

If you keep the photo-period short you can stunt them some so they will require less co2 and ferts....excel and flourish will help.

[armthehomeless]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

I had a noticable change when I increased my lighting. I do not use CO2 or ferts. All my plants are growing well.... although perhaps not "show" quality.

[Mzungu]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

I also have a couple comments:

(1) for my 30 gallon 130 watts should be enought light for most plants right? Like ek said, remember CO2 and ferts. That's a lot more light than you have right now. I've done it before, though. Just be on the lookout for algae...you're practically writing it a personal invitation, IME.  :)

(2) are my nana's, crypts, or java ferns going to be affected by this change in lighting? Just keep an eye on them. And any potential algae problem-areas.

(3) what should be the photo period for this new lighting? Ek said to start with 6 hours and work your way up, but I have something else in mind. Does the light fixture have independent switches for both bulbs? If so, you might consider just using one 65W bulb for a week or two. Like I said above, whenever I've changed lighting, I have found that if I all of the sudden blast the tank with light that it's not used to, all the algae that was waiting for an opportunity to take over...well, can.

(4) any affect on my fishes? Your fish should be fine, but as with the plants, start off slowly. Some of my fish wouldn't care at all, and some tend to be "jumpy" (can't think of another word) and hide for weeks when a big change comes along.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

Totally forgot about the 2xswitches! I would still start with a short photo-period though.

[edkrueger]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

(1) for my 30 gallon 130 watts should be enought light for most plants right?
Yes, more than enough for most plants.

(2) are my nana's, crypts, or java ferns going to be affected by this change in lighting?
Crypts might melt, but will come bake. Java will do great. Where is the Nana, if its near the top on some wood it will probably die

(3) what should be the photo period for this new lighting?
I keep most of my planted tanks by windows [works great!] My Photo-Period starts at sun up and stays on a few hours after the sun sets. My only planted tank not by a window Is a 24g nano cube with 72 watts I do 8 hours, this seems to work great.

(4) any affect on my fishes?  tanks inhabitants are...
No, the sun is a hell of a lot brighter.

[edkrueger]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

what if i get the light and just do flourish excel and flourish?  is that sufficient for co2 and general ferts?  
is there another brand better/more affordable?

Excel and Flourish are cheap at http://www.drsfostersmith.com/. Buy the liter bottles for the excel and main flourish. and the little one for every thing else. 20 dollars for two liters [1 cent per ml], 3.70 for 250 ml.

[finfan]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

thanks for the tips guys, i will try my best, still waiting for the light fixture, i need to find out if the light comes with a little stand or not

[eklikewhoa]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

The anubias will not die regardless of where it is at.....I had anubias nana petite floating right under 192w of pc lighting for 9hrs a day and it was far from dieing....


What a lot of people fail to understand is that low light requirement plants is just that....they require less but flourish in anything greater! I have a rhizome of lace fern in my 5g under a 70w Metal Halide and it has put on about 15 full new leaves in the past week or two....super nice green leaves. My Marsilea Minuta(which is also of the fern sp) has started to grow on top of each other since it has filled in the whole ground in the tank and has no where else to grow.

[edkrueger]

Re: changing things around in my 30 gallon planted

Then whats killing the Anubius at the top and not the bottom?