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I currently have a 18inch tank full of Anubias and a few baby Bristlenose Catfish. Just wondering, what type of background plants are suitable for my tank, because I dont have a co2 system in this tank.

Pictures and details of this tank can be found in my website (http://Mango4Jade.cjb.net) and under "Catfish Tank" in the left menu.

Regards alot
Mango

I think some large Java ferns would look nice.
You could also try Water sprite sp. Ceratoperis Thalictroides - it is a very beautful plant, with very fine fern-looking leaves.

Other choices could be Hygrophila Polysperma ( fast growing stem plant) or vallisneria (very fast growing and doesn't need much light).

I second the above suggestions exactly. Wisteria will be a great contrasting shade of green and it does grow full and busy, as well as being a easily propigated plant. You've got a few darker greens already and I'd go with something bright like wisteria to give some contrast to the tank.
How many wpg is this tank?

^_^
[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."

Currently 6wpg. I currently have 2 15watt tubes @ 10,000K each. Would that be considered as high lighting or would that be moderate?

Last edited by mangor34 at 26-Mar-2005 05:53

That's high light no doubt . You could pretty much go with whatever you want as far as light goes. In fact you might want to add some reds in there as well as a brighter green.

^_^



[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."

6WPG. Mate, you can grow just about any plant in that tank.
Co2 is not a huge issue when you have such an amount of light. Go for whichever plants you like Most plants found in LFS's would suit your conditions.
Also, like Babelfish said, some red plants would look nice.

Last edited by guppy01 at 26-Mar-2005 06:31

I thought the lighting was not enough and thinking of adding another 2 tubes I guess its not nesseccary now. I was just wondering which species will suit a high lit tank. Its currently got 5 juv bristlenoses and 3 juv albino bristlenoses. Also a about 20 guppy fry. Im mainly looking for some background plants.

Mango,

Your tank size is about 10 gallons US. If your lamps are 15W each, you have 3 wpg [(2x15)/10]. This definitely qualifies as a bright tank. The spectrum on your bulbs is too high. 10000K bulbs are best for saltwater tanks. Plant bulbs are best in the 5500K to 7500K range as plants use the red and blue light spectrum.

So, the suggestions that you have for background plants are very good. Hygrophyla and Ceratoperis are fast growing and will provide stem plants that will give a nice contrast to your Anubias. Other suggestions would be Cryptocoryne Balansae. This crypt will give you long lancelot leaves like a sword without the bulk of a sword (echinodorus).

All of the mentioned plants are considered to be "easy" plants.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Actaully there is only 5g of "real" water in it, 10kg of gravel in the tank, plus all the driftwood and accessory. Also there is 1.5inchs in spare space from the top of the water surface to the top of the tank.

Correct me if im wrong...but isnt the wpg is counted as the gals of "water" in the tank?

How do you have no algae in that tank with 6 wpg? o.o

Also, I was browsing through you site, and, are you Chinese, by any chance?

Also, IMO, providence is ugly looking .





Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 26-Mar-2005 15:37

Mangor,

The "rule of thumb" assumes that the space to be lit is full of water. Most tanks have the inch or so of air between light source and water surface. The real measure is light intensity but it is difficult for most people to measure so we rely on the simple equation.

Therefore you would still have 3 wpg for the container whether it was empty, full of water or if you had the tank partitioned into side by side spaces, one with water and one without water.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Oic...so if im going to add another 18w PC it should be ok?

I'm not sure I'd up the lighting any further, especially as you're not running CO2 as yet. 3wpg in a 10 gallon tank should be more than you need for most anything. Without CO2 the plants will not be able to utilize the light. And excess light will just be used by the algae. Add a DIY CO2, you should see a marked increase in growth. If after you're running the CO2 you're comfortable increasing the light then add another pc....
...that's what I'd do anyway


^_^

[hr width='40%']"Put your soul in the water,
And join me for a swim tonight"