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My 55g tank has a Perfecto Manufacturing Fluorescent, 40 Watt, 48 inch light in it. It glows a little pink.

I'm trying to add a just a few plants to the 55g tank with 4 blue rams....and 25 Cardinal Tetra.

Is That a good bulb to use without causing a lot of algae, but keep 3 (maybe 4?) plants alive? One Amazon Sword and 2 Elodea Densa-Anacharis(for the water quality and fish to "munch on"?

AND how long should I leave the light on, Please.
I'm Very new to live plants.

Help please!!

You can probably pull it off. I was able to grow an amazon sword, crypts, anubias, and java fern in a 55G with only 30W of light. You will not be able to get fast growth but they will stay alive.

I kept my lights on for around 10 hrs per day using a timer.

You might want to think about some fertilizers too. Flourish Excel kept things going for me. Along with once a week Flourish doses.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Lighting can be calculated at 2 Watts per US Gal for a community tank and 2-3 Watts per US Gal for planted tanks.

Now saying that you are very low in Watt dept for plants.

I always run a twin unit with one plant and one day light tube. I always buy quality units and they have to be replaced about every 2 years. The cheaper low quality lights could be required to be replaced in about 6 months.
I also use a timer and the lights are on for 11-12 hrs.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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Thanks,
I think I'll also try a "floating plant", because I've read Neon Tetra prefer areas of "lower light", and as it moves around on the top water by my filter flow, the lighting intensity under it will move alternately to those areas.

Please tell me....do the fish get any "greens" in their diets from munching on any certain type plant? (Anacharis......Elodea densa?)

Hi,
To figure out how many watts per gallon of light you have
on your tank you would divide the (total) number of
watts by the capacity of the tank.

40(watts)/55(gallons)= .72 wpg.

This is way, way, under the normal needs of any but the
hardiest of the low light plants. Along with that the bulb
is not the best "K" rating as it shades things pink.

If I were you I'd go down to any hardware store and
purchase a 40 flourscent bulb that has the words DAYLIGHT
or SUNLIGHT in its name. These bulbs provide a white light
in the 6700K range that is perfect for plants and seeing
the true colors of the fish (no shading). While you can
purchase bulbs at any LFS for that aquarium, there is
little or no sense in paying inflated prices for something
you can get far less expensively at any hardware store.

With less than a watt, you may be able to grow some anubis
and java fern. I'd attach them to some driftwood and place
them directly under the light bulb. The anacharis might
grow if you let it float instead of anchoring it in the
substrate. I believe the light is too weak to grow sword
plants, as they require at least a watt to 1.5 wpg to
grow well. Possibly the same for the Crypts.

Frank


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

Thanks Frank,
I'll head to the hardware store after work today. I appreciate your advice. I can use the money savings!

I only plan in having 3, maybe 4 plants. I'll get a floating anacharis and a floating Java Fern(since I read that Neons like to munch on it to supplement their diet).

I can Not afford a double light hood now. Do those Daylight or Sunlight bulbs come in any higher wattages?

Which of those type bulbs might be less of an algae grower?
(or is that the point....and they would be the same?)

Hi,
In that size bulb, with that hood, 40 watts is the max.
The style that you have limits you to simply purchasing
larger hoods to hold more bulbs. About the best (most)
you can do is purchase a 3 or 4 bulb "shop light" and
set it over the tank (with a glass top) or purchase
some plastic egg-crate set that on the plastic rim of
the tank and hang the hood over directly over the tank.
The egg-crate will help keep the fish in the tank instead
of jumping out the open top.
A 4 tube, 40 system, would be: 4x40=160/55= 2.9 wpg.
With that much light you would be able to grow darn near
any aquatic plant. But - that's close enough to 3wpg
and with that much wpg you would need to add carbon to the
tank in some form (gas or liquid) so the plants would grow.

The only other way would be to switch to a hood with
T-5 tubes, or one that uses Compact Fluorescent bulbs.
However, from you frequent references to algae, and to
wanting "only a few" plants, none of these options would
be a good idea. Only when, and if, you decide you like
real plants and want a nicely planted tank, should you
consider getting a different hood.

Algae is an opportune critter. If there is an excess
or deficiency in some nutrient(s), then algae will
grow. Finding the balance is probably the most difficult
thing we have to do. The thing is, everything from light
to water chemistries, to size and type of fish will make
a difference. What works in your tank won't work in some
one else's. It may get them in the "ball park" but may
not work.
For instance, fluorescent bulbs age with use. You should
replace them every year. Over time the output
decreases and the Kelvin rating shifts.
So, you could have a perfectly successful tank for
6-8 months and then algae could start to grow, and
thrive in the poorer, weaker light.

If you keep your light at 40 watts, and use plenty of
slow growing, low light, plants along with leaving some
fast-growing plants such as hornwart, or anacharis, or
wisteria, you should do fine. The fast growing floating
plants will drop roots down into the water column from
the surface and draw their nutrients out of the water
(depriving much of the algae). The slow growing plants
such as the anubis, crypts etc, will just "plod along"
growing at their own pace and looking beautiful.

Honestly, I think you will "want" more plants as that 55G
tank is a large tank. You will need plants to help maintain
the balance within the tank and to offer hiding places
for the Rams. With the plants you have mentioned you will
also provide a "roof" or cover for the Neon Tetras and
lots of free space for them to roam about the tank.

Have fun!
Frank


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

Thank you, Frank
You really took a lot of time and effort educating me about all this.

I so Very Much appreciate you passing along your knowledge and experience.

For now, and maybe always (with this one light hooded tank), I think I'm restricted to only "a few" live plants.
I'll save the "truly planted tank" thoughts for a 6 ft long one I'll get together in a few months(with a much more capable multi-light fixture).

My tank now is pretty well decorated with expensive classy "very real looking" plastic plants of short, tall and leaf shape varieties (about 12?)and now 4 floating Red Lotus plants, 1 Amazon Sword rooted, 1 Amazon Sword floating and a small bunch of rooted anacharis and 1 Jave Fern. The mix looks really nice....and there are LOTS and LOTS of hiding places, with about 1/3 of the tank free in the middle for fish feeding and schooling.

The tank now has 4 Blue Rams, 2 Bolivian Rams, 1 bristlenose, 1 clown loach, 10 Serpae Tetra...and about 50 Cardinals and Neons. I think it is FULL and will watch water quality and everything carefully. But I think I have enough fish to make them and plants a good symbiotic relationship.

Thanks so much!
You have taught me alot about the light/plant subject!!
(but as is my nature, I do things overboard) Do you think I've gone too heavy on plants....fish, to make them work together and stay healthy???