05-13-2019, 04:42 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2
| Long post warning, but I need advice please I used to have somewhere around twenty aquariums of various sizes. Due to the time involved with maintenance and cost of equipment needed to support that number of tanks I have always gone with low light, low tech setups. I moved to a different state with a newborn in tow and decided it was the right time to downsize my hobby, I now only have one tank. Since it's only the one, I figure I better "make it good" and strive to get what I've always wanted in a planted tank.
My delimma here is not knowing what the threshold is for light limits in relation to requiring CO2 injection. My issue with going high tech is that I live in an area that experiences power outages 2-3 times each winter due to high winds and ice causing downed trees. I could run equipment with our generator, but would have much more peace of mind with a setup that can thrive with dosed ferts and a liquid carbon source such as thriveC or the flourish/excel combo that I've used in the past.
My aquarium is 65 gallons, it measures 25" tall from edge to edge but will be about 23" from water line to substrate once I have my soil and sand cap in there. Ideally I would like to grow a dwarf hairgrass carpet using the dry start method, but am absolutely not dead set on DHG...monte carlo, microsword, etc look just as nice to me. The light fixture that I have now is a beamswork DA 6500k 0.50w LED, it has 5 rows of white and blue lights. It has done very well for me in the past for growing anubias, java fern, hornwort, etc but I don't think it is strong enough to support the look of a carpeted plant scape that I would like to achieve. I am considering the options of either buying a second fixture exactly the same as what I have, or adding the Beamswork FSPEC 0.50w 6500k fixture. Bumping that up to a 1w and/or 10000k fixture is also a possibility if needed. I am just not sure what to choose in order to have strong enough lighting for carpeted growth while not pushing the setup over the edge into injected CO2 territory if it's at all avoidable.
Thanks in advance for taking time to read and/or respond! |
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