6 replies to this topic

[Delapool]

Hi all,

Since swapping from LEDs to quad t5ho on 4ft tank the plant growth has slowed a lot. BBA no longer runs amok and I'm not pruning plants each week.

It's almost great except each week I'll get a plant or two detach at the base. I was looking at one today and it seems a complete stem with a few roots like it has been ripped out or run over by a catfish..

I've bumped the lighting up to 8hrs from 7hrs this week. Not sure what else to do? It feels like growth is soooo slooow now.

Substrate ferts have been added as the new layout seems to be more efficient for filter flow and clean-up. Still dry ferts dosing as well with injected co2.

On co2 injected side I have recently noticed some minor pearling which seems good news. Before that I stuffed up and didn't realise the two red bulbs were switched off for several weeks so it was really only running the two blues (oops!).


Craig.

[Westie]

how old are the tubes? if they're new, I would think the growth would be better (depending on LED previously used of course)

why did you move away from LED? I only use LED now. Was the LED causing BBA?

[Delapool]

The bulbs are about 6 months old now.

Very, very really roughly the LEDs were 3 wpg and the t5ho is 1.5wpg. That's probably off as each week under LEDs I'd trim some giant hygro, etc, replant. BBA was getting good growth as well. And only running the LEDs between 4 to 6 hours.

I swapped to t5ho when one led box failed. It was cheaper and I was sick (never thought I'd confess this) of the growth.

I think I prune once a month or two months now. Spot treat BBA here and there. Yawn...

But now I'm wondering if growth is too slow. I started the t5ho at 6 hours and have been gradually working up. Idk, before it was over the top and now nothing much seems to happen.

Stuff still seems to grow up rather than out.

Been thinking that other plants besides stem plants and val and ambulia worth trying.




Craig.

[kassysimon]

The WPG formula is out dated as it was developed for t8/t12 flouros. WPG is a guide that can be used to begin with but only very loosely when using t5's and not at all with LED's.
WPG is often looked at as a rule but should rarely be used even as a guide as the variables are many.
Variables as spectrum shift with use.
Quality of tubes.
Tubes spectrum.
Wether you have reflectors or not and the quality of said reflectors.
The height the light fixtures are mounted above the waters surface.
Using a hood can even effect light performance.

So when starting a planted tank start with t5's if you like or a good quality LED. LED's can come with dimmers which allow you to control the lights intensity. T5's need specific dimmable ballasts which are usually not included so simply raise the fixtures to reduce intensity.

But if you want a rule to follow other than the watch and act rule grab a PAR meter. This will help but still not as much as watching your plants.

Your plants will indicate an insufficient nutrient and will notify you of such a deficiency by curling leaves, yellow leaves, stunted/slender growth and death.

So do yourself a favour and let your experiences guide you. Forget about the rules and roll with the changes. The best lessons you'll learn about planted tanks is working out the issues yourself and discovering what works and what doesn't.......for your tank.

So since your plants where doing better prior to this change try reverting to last known working settings and if that's not possible disregard what worked before and start again. Changing the light supply is a huge step and can have a massive impact on planted tanks.

What you did with your tank when you had LED's will likely not work now that you don't. So your sort of starting from the beginning but with a head start.

I'd start with increasing light intensity (not light duration) and reducing nutrients.
With the reduction of nutrients you'll see your plants struggle and they will tell you what to add.
Increase one nutrient only and monitor daily over two weeks. If the plants nutrient deficiency side effect subsides or begins to lessen you then move onto the next deficiency.

But remember, what worked three months ago when you had less plants won't work in three months time when the plants are more lush and healthy. It's an ever changing environment that requires constant adjustments but once you can read the signs it becomes sooooo much easier and quite enjoyable.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Delapool]

Thanks for the advice. Somewhere on order is the Seneye reef monitor which includes a PAR meter. I had enquired on the MQ200 PAR meter but it fell through. The Seneye should hopefully give some useful values between different lights and be interesting to see the difference. At least better than wpg anyways as I had to use what it said was the equivalent in metal halide and I've never seen a way to convert t5ho to metal halide (plus all the other issues with it). I'll see if I can get some photos up as I'm happy with the centre plants but hate the sides. Today I trimmed a few stem plants and replanted cuttings. I'm finding they survive better as a bunch rather than planting separate stems (opposite to LEDs). I do have some extra small lights so I could try running extra lights on one side of tank and see what happens? Craig.

Edited by Delapool, 09 January 2016 - 11:00 PM.

[Delapool]

Ok, so looking back I re-did the tank layout in early November and added more substrate. Everything was pulled up and re-did landscape.

 

The centre is ok. Val and ambulia (I think) doing all right up the back. This section is under the glass cross-piece.

 

 

http://i300.photobuc...9o.jpg~original

 

 

The right side of tank still has some red alt. I'd say it's grown about 2 inches in two months....  Under the LEDs it never did much and had hair algae so I guess this was a long shot. I also tried willow (some woody stem plant) which seemed to get the base eaten out. Not sure. One side of stem would be fine and the other would look like a buzz saw had been taken to it. So they only lasted a month.

 

http://i300.photobuc...qh.jpg~original

 

The left side of the tank is finding the hygro is not really working out anymore. Ludwigia and some other plant are hanging around.

 

http://i300.photobuc...15.jpg~original

 

Both sides of the tank are covered with perspex. Once the seneye turns up I should be able to see if any light differance under perspex and glass I guess.

 

 

Two examples of detached plants:

 

http://i300.photobuc...ty.jpg~original

 

http://i300.photobuc...vt.jpg~original

 

 

This week I'll dig out a light to try on one side of tank for greater light.

Edited by Delapool, 10 January 2016 - 09:44 PM.

[Delapool]

Another trim of some unknown plant last night and small tank water change. Hygro seems a lost cause eventually but this little stem plant is doing well.<br /><br />Extra potassium going in and I've cut back on micros to see if they really need so much. <br /><br />Lost a rosy barb on assumed old age but then a bn catfish got a nasty bacterial infection so treated entire tank. <br /><br />Plants seem to have come through that ok. Red alt on right side is trying to grow. <br /><br />Planted some baby tears which the yoyo loaches promptly found fascinating so fingers crossed there. <br /><br /><br /><br />Craig.