triazole

I'm trying to set up a medium-planted 55g.
(Low light) Plants - amazon swords, needle leaf java fern, anubias.

Lights - 48" shoplights from home depot, with 2 Philips T8 32W bulbs.
No CO2 supplementation.
Daily excel dosing ( ~ 5.5 ml) (might go to once every two days)
Regular feeding, and once a week 1/2 tsp Grumpy's GH booster.

Do you think this would work? I'm not after fast plant growth, just a sustainable, low-algae setup.
BTW, the tank houses a large asian upside down catfish (Mystus leucophasis). But most of the ferns and anubias would be on driftwood, with only the amazon being planted.

rich815

I think you'll be ok. What's the fish bioload and filtration? How often can or will you change water?

triazole

Wow, that was some quick response rich!
This is a standard Walmart setup with an HOB filter.
Bioload - a large upside down catfish, a large pleco, a redtail shark and a moonlight gourami.
If I do go this route, I'll cut back on the water changes too, as per Tom Barr's ideas.

geeks_15

I think those plants should be fine. The key to your success will probably be selecting appropriate plants for your setup. I don't think the excel will hurt, but it may be unnecessary.

Some others that would work include java moss and some of the cryptocorynes.

You could experiment with some medium light plants, but you should expect most to not do well. Some may surprise you though. Every setup functions a little differently.

triazole

Thanks for your support and ideas Jeremy.
I was planning to add excel solely because small algae eaters are impossible to add because of the cat. But nerite snails might work.
I've thought about moss, and do have some taiwan and peacock in hand. I may give them a try.
I'm unsure about stem plants though, the cat being the submarine it is.