ive just bought a 30 us gallon tank . this is obvioulsy its volume with nothing in it . when working out my wpg would i take into account displacement from substrate , hardscape , equipment etc or is it based on the total tank volume?
working out my wpg
- Thread starter plantingmytank
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Hi,
I think you would be better served by posting some of your goals for the tank and how much effort/time you have to devote to it.
I think then you can figure out your equipment. A lot depends on if using c02 or not...
I think you would be better served by posting some of your goals for the tank and how much effort/time you have to devote to it.
I think then you can figure out your equipment. A lot depends on if using c02 or not...
yes i will be using co2 , as for effort/time ive got plenty of time at the moment and i always put a lot of effort into maintaining my tanks/
altho maybe i should of been clearer in my question. i dont mean working out the wpg i need i mean working out the wpg that the lights it came with would give me
altho maybe i should of been clearer in my question. i dont mean working out the wpg i need i mean working out the wpg that the lights it came with would give me
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a platform to learn the art of the high tech planted tank before doing it on a bigger scale on my 120 gallon.
WPG is really a misleading way to determine the amount of light you need. PAR is a much more useful way of measuring light and varies with the type of light you use, T5's, T8's, LED's, MH and so forth. Gerryd is trying to determine what you want to accomplish and the time you want to dedicate to it in order to recommend the amount of light you will need.
How you plan to administer CO2, the types of plants, and maintenance all determine light and fertilizers. Think of it like this, light is the throttle (determines how fast your plants will grow), CO2 is the oil (keeps things running smooth), and fertilizers are the gas (provides the fuel for growth). These things need to be in balance to ensure healthy growth, especially light because it is the easiest to manipulate. Too much light and not enough of the other two and your tank will seize. Growth deficiencies deformities, etc.
You can get by on much less light than some places may lead you to believe.
How you plan to administer CO2, the types of plants, and maintenance all determine light and fertilizers. Think of it like this, light is the throttle (determines how fast your plants will grow), CO2 is the oil (keeps things running smooth), and fertilizers are the gas (provides the fuel for growth). These things need to be in balance to ensure healthy growth, especially light because it is the easiest to manipulate. Too much light and not enough of the other two and your tank will seize. Growth deficiencies deformities, etc.
You can get by on much less light than some places may lead you to believe.