[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [APD] Re: light intensity issues

John Wheeler wrote:
Hey gang,

Tom Barr offers:

Or be willing to pay the price of the ticket.
Less light should be the trend hopefully, 1.5-3w
max/gal


Why on Earth would we do that?

Because you don't need to have a high light tank to grow plants?



Generally:
Every method is easier if you use less light.


Horse feathers. Maybe your method, but you're not
going to sell that to many hobbyists who are doing
other stuff and being very successful at it at *high*
light levels. These kinds of broad statements hinder,
not help.

And you know, there are just as many out there that want a low-tech, "low" light tank that has plants also.

I would be one among many here.




More % of the nutrients can come from the substrate
and the fish waste.



Rich substrates combined with high light are all the
rage now-- Much more diverse in material and content
than were used before without being "dirt", and it's
bolstering the higher lighting not suppressing.

For your case yes, not for my case nor those that just want decent growth from plants to give a nice look.

Actually dirt (soil more accurately) and high light
have been proven to be a winning combo for plant
growth and algae suppression by the Brazilians who
showed very well in this year's AGA showcase and also
some well read Americans. Less dependence on the water
column, especially for Macros, is the key to higher
lighting. In this respect, we're finally catching up
to the folks in the East....

It isn't all about winning awards.

I have a 20 gallon tank that is chocked full of anubias and crpyts that won't win any awards but is damn nice to look at and the fish love it.

Yeah, yeah... We know you're lazy, but not all of us
are. That car analogy is tired and irrelevant for

Why make it personal? That is _totally_ uncalled for.

those of us who don't mind trimming our plants. Yeah,
you crash faster/harder, or whatever, but you can
recover just as fast when your plants grow at the
accelerated level only high ligh can provide. Further,

Maybe some people don't have all the time in the world to spend getting their hands wet?

I know I don't, I work a full time job and run a computer business on the side. My time is precious.

We all maintain what we have the time for.

changes in maintenance habits, especially ferts, will
show effects much faster and the hobbyist can make
adjustments accordingly and FASTER. The sword has 2
edges after all....

Just be careful how you swing that sword. ;-)

So? Show us a picture of what Glosso looks like in a
non-CO2 tank with 1.5-3wpg max. I seriously doubt that
it's anything I'd want in my tank. Maybe you like

This isn't just about _your_ tank..

leggy, dark, small, misshaped green globs growing
straight up... I'll pass, thanks. The short story is
that Glossostigma is easier to keep *nice* in a higher
light set-up, as are many other plants.

The gauntlet is laid.

I'll back Tom on this one, the LFS just got another shipment of glosso in. I'll post in 4 weeks how it is doing in one of my low light tanks.


Poor nutrition will plague folks at any light level.
It's simply a matter of learning, and adjusting.

Exactly..

There's alot of bad advice going around out there, so
I know this can be a challenge. Hang in there guys!!

And what Tom is giving is NOT bad advice.

I've been reading this list for a couple of years now and chatted with Tom in direct email a few times. His judgement is sound. He is not advocating one technique over another, he is merely trying to show more than one way of having a nice looking planted tank regardless of light levels.


I'm not suggesting that elevated lighting is right for
everyone-- It's not. However, please don't knock it
(read: persuade others not to do it) as it has serious
advantages for those so inclined to try.

I don't believe there was any knocking going on, just the flip side of the coin being stated for those of us who want a green tank but don't have the time to maintain a rabid weed tank.

_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants