[flagg]

Hey daveg:

I have a 125 set up in my living room. It's pretty deep I think about 18". I have 2 retrofitted 3' 96W CF lamps over my tank and I've had terrific growth. I haven't updated any pics but I will try to tonight. For now, here's the link to the thread with my tank, it gives you all the flora and fauna. Anyway, my tank gets less than 200 wpg so your 260 should be ok. Oh, I should also mention that my tank is next to a south-facing window and it gets indirect light. That's why I felt ok using less than 2 wpg.

hope this helps and good luck!

-ricardo

 

[flagg]

Link link link, don't see a link

Sorry! Here's the link...

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/55910-finally.html

-ricardo

 

[flagg]

Hey daveg:

Thanks for the comments! I was worried about the algae too in the beginning, but I knew that fixing it wouldn't be a problem, just a matter of trying the right strategy. Like you I also get a lot of scepticism about the El Natural method at my LFS; that's why I stopped going. The only person who was open to the idea was actually the owner of the store (least I think he was the owner) and I recommended him Diana's book, though I don't know if he bought it.

As for tall plants, I too like jungle vals, just never got the oppy to get them. For tall plants though my favorite is C. balansae. It's tall (though not quite as tall as vals) with a cool ruffled look and subtle but cool coloring. I also like my vals but they're WAY too prolific. I've had mine get over 50" tall in a 36" wide 30 gal tank! It was awesome! R. indica also gets tall and adds a nice contrast to green plants. You could also check out onion plants. If you want the opposite effect (long roots trailing into the tank) you'll love water lettuce, plus it'll do a great job absorbing excess nutrients. Mine don't grow too well, but that might be because of the extremely hard water.

You should look into the red tiger lotus too. It'll send out leaves to the surface and add color.

Oh, and yes, you should definitely post updates.

-ricardo