How to know the light is enough or insufficient?

[Ashok]

Hi! experts

Confused after a query by mats in my post "Can some one help me??"
@mats-Ashokji
A small query
The bolbitis is a low light plant and yet growing beautifully with high light plants
How hv u managed the lighting

Guys is there any trick to check the lights is high or low apart from PAR meter ?(as PAR meters are very costly)
Am also confused that why am not faced any type of algae problems tiil now,may be the lights in my tank is low don't know the algae grow well in high light or low..
As PAR at surface will be higher than that at substrate with any light and my Bolbitis is near surface so why it is growing fast and disease free?

[Ashok]

Sorry Guys forget to mention the tank lighting and water volume...
Actual water:-80 liters.
Lighting :-2 x36W PLL 6500kelvin
Tank Hight :-15 inch

Thanks.

[Somen]

Sorry Guys forget to mention the tank lighting and water volume...
Actual water:-80 liters.
Lighting :-2 x36W PLL 6500kelvin
Tank Hight :-15 inch

Thanks.

Ashokji.Though I am not an expert,still I would say
that there are many charts flooded in the net to find
the actual requirment of lights.Those are complex and sometime
head cracking.
I would tell that to keep things simple.
Target 3.5 to 4 watt per gallon for high light and low or carpeting
Plants.For others 2 to 2.5 watt should be ok.
Algae will only come if the correct adjustment of light its duration and
correct proportion of Co2 is pumped in or not.
Adjustment and getting the right quantum of both is a ongoiing
process and will come with time.
Algae can also come due to other factors also.
Let experts give there opinion.

[Ashok]

Sorry Guys forget to mention the tank lighting and water volume...
Actual water:-80 liters.
Lighting :-2 x36W PLL 6500kelvin
Tank Hight :-15 inch

Thanks.

Ashokji.Though I am not an expert,still I would say
that there are many charts flooded in the net to find
the actual requirment of lights.Those are complex and sometime
head cracking.
I would tell that to keep things simple.
Target 3.5 to 4 watt per gallon for high light and low or carpeting
Plants.For others 2 to 2.5 watt should be ok.
Algae will only come if the correct adjustment of light its duration and
correct proportion of Co2 is pumped in or not.
Adjustment and getting the right quantum of both is a ongoiing
process and will come with time.
Algae can also come due to other factors also.
Let experts give there opinion.

Somen thats why i am confused i am providing lights 0.9W per liters as per you 4W per gal is high light hence it is equal to 1.0W per litres so i am providing just high lights...then why my Bolbitis is growing so fast & disease free???

[Ashok]

Ohh mats you gave me an unnecessary headache,my plants are doing well then why you become in tension. Let them grow man.

[saikumar]

You all people have such big club, am pretty sure if you group order you can afford a PAR meter, and it can always be rotated amongst.

Another easy thing is to replicate successful tanks.


The algae free tank is all because of your religious maintenance (which most hate) and good tds.
In wild ferns are indeed found emmersed or at water surface, so lots of light.

[mats]

Hi Ashok ji
I have been growing heudelottii for the last 5 years. Even though I am not an expert but am sharing my experience of growing this plant
I have observed heudelottii to grow well in low to poor light. I have found it to grow best under driftwood near the bottom of my tank at places that get poor light or shade at times. If it is grown in medium light then I observe that it starts getting algae issues and the leaves exhibit a lighter colour in comparison to when it is placed in shade. Even though the growth rate becomes faster in medium light.
Am interested to see it grow in your tank to increase my knowledge and will try to visit you when I come to Delhi next.
The best I hv ever seen it used was in "riverside " where it had been grown at the back of the tank near the surface and the lighting had been done more towards the centre of the tank whereby it was receiving less light at the surface on the back.in this way the aquarist had very wisely landscaped this plant with great effect.
That's all I hv observed with this beautiful plant
Warm regards
Kuldip

[saikumar]

Kuldip,
That's a nice piece of info. Can we also talk some numbers? Tank size, water changes, wattage, duration, fert qty etc?


Thank you

[Ashok]

Good information & you are most welcome, you can visit my tank any time dear..