debrab1954

So should i go with a different power compact light fixture with a 55 watt bulb?

trenac

I would, if you really don't won't to go with C02 injection and to stay low light/low tech.

debrab1954

When i start planting my tank, how many plants should i start with, any ideas what to plant? I want to make sure i do everything right from the start.

Bert H

This should help you out.

hoppycalif

With a good 55 watt fixture on a 29 gallon tank you won't have low light. It will be moderatetely high light, so that you can grow most of the plants that are available, except for the very low growing plants used as carpet plants. The standard recommendation is to plant heavily from the start, using lots of fast growing stem plants. That is because algae are triggered to grow by small amounts of ammonia in the water, from fish droppings and decaying matter. With lots of fast growing plants, the plants will consume any ammonia almost instantly, and the algae spores will never see it. Later, as the nitrifying bacteria colony in the tank and filter build up, you won't need that many plants, so you can begin removing and replacing them with plants you prefer.

Something a lot of us had trouble with is what "plant heavily" means. A few months ago I learned, by watching one of our members here plant his tank, that "plant heavily" means plant individual stems about an inch or less apart over almost the entire surface of the substrate. Don't ever plant those stem plants in a bunch. You want them to get lots of light so they can quickly grow fast. A 29 gallon tank has about a 360 square inch substrate area. One plant every square inch is, of course, 360 plants. That is a very dense planting, but it does give you an idea about just how many plants should be initially planted. It is dozens of plants, not just a half dozen plants. If you buy a bunch of 6 stem plants, you can cut them in half to get 12 stems to plant. There is 12 square inches covered.

Revernance

That is sooo much good information. I wish I knew this when I first started planting.
I planted my stem plaants in bunches and some died due to the lack of light.

debrab1954

Thanks for all of the great information, so should i start with all stem plants or can i add others as well, as long as i start with alot? What kind of foreground plant can i grow with the 55 watt fixture?

hoppycalif

The intensity of the light in the aquarium drops as you move farther from the light source. For tubular lights it drops about proportional to the distance from the source. Therefore, the substrate gets the lowest light intensity in any tank. That makes it hard to grow one of the typical "carpet" plants, most of which require more than low light intensity. Marsilea quadrifolia is the only one that will grow reasonably well with low light - as I recall. Or, you can tie moss to small flat stones and lay these on the substrate for a mossy carpet.