It's always difficult to figure out why things go wrong in a planted tank. However at least you can take actions and see what happens. I have a little 20 gallon tank where things are going right, but I think it may be more difficult to figure out why. I can't do anything to prove why things are going good - or at least I don't want to.
I have 3 tanks - a 20, 30 and 50 gallon. All of the tanks have co2. The 20 and 30 have diy and the 50 has bottled co2.
All 3 tanks are quite similar in terms of fish load, plants,substrate, and fert regime ( all EI).
The 20 gallon ,which has been very stable for almost a year is the only tank using t5 lighting. Every fresh water tank I have owned has always used NO flourescents t 12 or t8 except for the 20. I took some PAR readings today and the subtrate readings for the 20 were 70-80 while the other tanks were in the 50-60 range. By far, the 20 is the best tank I've ever kept.
All things being equal - if a tank has about the same PAR levels using NO bulbs vs HO bulbs am I better off with the HO bulbs using co2 ? Or am I just making the mistake of looking for another silver bullet ?
Henry
I have 3 tanks - a 20, 30 and 50 gallon. All of the tanks have co2. The 20 and 30 have diy and the 50 has bottled co2.
All 3 tanks are quite similar in terms of fish load, plants,substrate, and fert regime ( all EI).
The 20 gallon ,which has been very stable for almost a year is the only tank using t5 lighting. Every fresh water tank I have owned has always used NO flourescents t 12 or t8 except for the 20. I took some PAR readings today and the subtrate readings for the 20 were 70-80 while the other tanks were in the 50-60 range. By far, the 20 is the best tank I've ever kept.
All things being equal - if a tank has about the same PAR levels using NO bulbs vs HO bulbs am I better off with the HO bulbs using co2 ? Or am I just making the mistake of looking for another silver bullet ?
Henry