Live plants in a Fish Tank.?

Question

i just recently bought some live plants for my fish tank, what type of light should i buy? UV? the tank isnt near a window, so i cant use the sun, i wish i could. the plant is vallisneria, ive read it requires strong light to prosper, what type of bulb should i buy?

Answer 1

Your plants will do fine with regular flourescent lighting.  Vals are pretty hardy.  Other hardy, low-light plants to consider are java ferns, java moss, and anubias.  You only need to spring for more expensive lighting if you're going for a really serious planted tank.

Answer 2

Fluorescent, Compact Fluorescent, and Metal Halide are the three most common types of light used for planted aquariums.

Fluorescent (T8 specifically) is "standard" lighting. It's not the best light, but it's not the worst. It's great for low light plants, maybe a few medium light plants. They come in many standard tank sizes, but the wattages aren't too great.

Fluorescent (T5) penetrates the water deeper, so you can think of it as giving off more watts. I personally have this over my tank, and it works great (but it does heat the water as well). I'd recommend this if you're serious about keeping plants.

Compact Fluorescent are also avaliable in common tank sizes. I'd say they are step above T8, but a step below T5. They are great lighting systems, but they can get pricey.

Metal Halide is the "big momma" of lighting. They come in many bright wattages and spectrums, plus they also mimic sunlight shining down on the tanks surface. However, they get very hot and there is a possibility of them catching on fire.

I'd get Compact Fluorescent or T5 if I were you. Here's a link of CF and T5 lighting fixtures: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info...

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info...

Btw, you'll want a bulb(s) with a spectrum of 5000K-8000K. Plants photosynthesize best in this spectrum.

Here's a comparison of the different types of lights: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/articl...

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 3

A UV light will not work. Typically you will want to buy a light bulb that will give you 2-3 watts per gallon. For vals a light with 2.5-3 watts per gallon should do well, with a spectrum of about 6700. You will also want to supplement them with some form of CO2, if dosing with seachem's flourish excel, make sure to not over dose, or they will melt.

Answer 4

I grow mine under standard aquarium lighting and they do fine.

Do not over light your aquarium as this will cause a mass growth of algea.

If the sun shined on the tank then you would be overrun with algae as the UV prompts it to flourish.

Try to buy a bulb which says it is specifically for growing plants.

Good luck!