[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Stargrass Suffering Under Zoo Meds
Cavan wrote:
What could it be about the Zoomeds that benefits the
other plants so much but hurts the stargrass? Are
they actually too bright?
I reply:
I have wondered about this for quite some time. I used 850 triphosphor lamps
for a few years and most things seem to do quite well under them. Java fern
though seemed to always get black spots on the leaves. I just assumed that
it was due to some missing nutrient or something and just chalked it up to
my own horticultural incompetence. A few months ago I replaced some 1/2 the
850s with some wide spectrum lamps and some of the plants seem to be doing
better. It made me wonder if the very intense peaks in the spectrum of the
triphosphor lamps are somehow harmful to certain plants. The intensity of
the light in that narrow area of the spectrum where the peak is, could maybe
be even more intense than direct sunlight and harmful in some way. Likewise
the lack of radiation in the valleys could also harm plants if they happen
to be in need of that particular wavelength of light.
Maybe the Zoomed lamps are similar to the 850s. If they appear very bright
to your eyes this seems to be a strong possibility. Maybe you need to mix in
some wide spectrum lamps to help your star grass. 100% speculation I know
but might be something to think about.
Wayne Jones
My DIY planted aquarium homepage:
http://www.mnsi.net/~waj/