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Well, with my new tank about to begin, I thought I'd take some time to address some little things. First and foremost being lighting. I've got a twin 48" AGA strip light on there now. I was thinking of either upgrading the bulbs, or entire fixture for that matter. This won't be a full blown planted tank, but rather an intermediate. I plan on having several pieces of intricate driftwood that I will cover with Java moss, some tall background plants, and some smaller stuff to create a balance of sorts up front.

Second is CO2. Honestly, I'd rather not mess with it due to the sensitive fish going in there, but if its a necessity? Again, there won't be tons of plants, so do you think I can get away with using Excel?

Third is probably directed toward Little Fish. I'm probably going to get a school of about a dozen or so Rasbora Espei for the tank in place of cardinals. I know as the Altums get bigger, they are going to prey on them. I guess the real question is, did you do anything special for them to breed? I'm hoping areas of dense planting will provide a steady source of food and cover for the fry.

-Mike

I don't see anything wrong with the strip light fixture you now have for your 90 gal. I'd put 1 Powerglo and 1 Aquaglo from Hagen in there. That will be more than enough light for your plants and fish.

My opinion only, batteries not included, pictures might differ with actual product, no purchase necessary, no sales person will visit you, no medical exam needed, everyone is accepted, guaranteed lowest prices, taxes not included, shipping and handling charges will appear on your bill....

CC

Hi,
Keep your watts/gallon around two, and you should do fine
with any of the low and medium light demand, plants.
I would use two, 6700K bulbs. Since they are "strip lights"
I would go to the nearest hardware store and purchase bulbs
that are labeled DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT instead of the fancy
so called plant bulbs. They will work just fine, and cost
much less per bulb.

Flourish Excel would work just fine to provide the Carbon
that the plants need. The only objecion I would see to
that is that using liquid fertilizers like that, can
become expensive in the long run.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Mike,

I was at AF yesterday, I guess Saturday is your day off (see my log for the purchase I made).

I completely second Frank on his opinion about your setup. One addition: the AGA double strip comes with T12s, right? Don&#8217;t worry, you can replace them with T8s, in case you didn&#8217;t know .

About the Espei: I saw you guys got a batch in maybe a week ago or so, right? They look good. When I bought mine I was not able to sex them as they were probably a little too young (same counts for the batch I saw the other day in your store).

About the breeding: I had no intention to breed them, it just happened, again and again and again . Do I see that right that you want them to serve as live fish food? Don&#8217;t let mine hear that.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

HAHA...yeah things are hectic right now with school and stuff so I'm cutting back on my hours. I'm on my way to check out your log as soon as I finish typing this...

I was planning on having the Espeis breed, but not as food. If the angels want to snack on them, I'll yell at them! Nah but really, I'm hoping areas of dense planting will provide enough cover to keep the fry/adults safe. Did you see the Altums in the store? I'm going to take all 3...

As for lighting, home depot 48" is fine? Any particular brand?

Mike,

No, I didn't see the Altums, I was focussing on the Rainbows

Anyway, dense planting with broad leaved plants (like Ludwigia Repens or broader, Pennywort is good too) could be enough to induce spawning and fry saftey, but there is no guarantee.

About the lights: All important is K, best plant growth is around 6,700K. Don't get anything that is above 10,000K or below 5,000K. T8s are better than T12s.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi
Any bulb that will fit in that housing is fine and the
48 inch ones would work great.
The "brand" (GE, Sylvania, etc.) name is unimportant.
Just be sure that the bulb says SUNLIGHT or DAYLIGHT on it.
Any of the warm or soft bulbs are designed for reading and
are less harsh on "your" eyes. The Sun or Daylight bulbs
are designed to simulate sunlight and are rated at 6700K,
which is perfect for plants in your situation.
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

So should I get one of each, or one DAYGLOW and one SUNGLOW? Or does that even matter, as long as the spectrum is correct at 6700K?

Day- and Sunglow are of a different K value, I think one is 10,000K and the other 6,700K. I think getting one of each will be fine as I assume the greenish tint of just 6,700K is too much for you to handle initially ().

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well is there an advantage to either one? And yes, the greenish tint would drive me insane!!!

10,000K - more pleasant to the human eye
6,700K - better for photosynthesis, meaning plant growth

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

and the two combined would give me a white light?