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LightSwords



I've totally invalidated the original experiment I was trying on algae vs. P
and N levels, by changing too many parameters at once. But, after reading
the posts about the sensitivity of Swordplants (Echinodorus species) to
photoperiod, I reduced the photoperiod from 12 to 11 hours. The result was a
lot of new growth from the E. parviflorus and E. bleheri v. robustus on a
continual basis. Then I read Wright Huntley's post about AH Supply CF lights
being 160% efficient compared to other lights based on the watts/gallon
rule. So I turned off one of the three 96 watt CF lamps I have over a 90
gallon. No more hazy water. Even though I was running a UV 24/7 and using a
micron filter, the green water had been able to grow fast enough to cause
hazy water when all three lamps were burning. I had recently re-lamped, so
there was obviously way too much light energy going into the tank, even with
CO2 and relatively high fertilization.  Conclusion: LESS light led to a
better tank in this case.  N and P are still at or below test detection
threshold levels and the tank looks great, lots of pearling and minimal
algae.

Tom