Feeding and Nutrition :: growing plants?

[adam85491]

I just got some anacharis today for the first time. It came with five pieces for $2.19. I gave a piece to my brother and he stuck it in the gravel. he has a snail, crab, and three fish in his ten gallon tank. He doesn't have a UVB light so I dunno if it will grow and I dunno if it should be stuck in the gravel. I have the other three pieces in a bottle of water that I'll eventually give to them.

[scripta_elegans]

I don't think I've taken any of the summer home Steve! I don't leave them out there for more than a few hours, and they certainly don't get to spend the night, but they usually skulk under the weeds instead of basking, or letting me take cute pictures of their little heads poking up between plants. I generally give them some ground time too, so they do get a little sun, but they know where the tank is, and beeline for it now.

[kmichael55]

He doesn't have a UVB light so I dunno if it will grow and I dunno if it should be stuck in the gravel.

I recently started growing some in a 2.5 gall betta tank, all I did was put in some gravel, take a couple stalks, cut them at various places (I read cutting was important to encourage new growth), stuck them in the gravel, and set it by a window. 2 days later I noticed growth.
I added a couple feeder fish to provide CO2 and fertilization, and then decided to shine a regular desk lamp on it.... I don't know that they need UVB, or how much the non-UVB light bulb helps, but they have taken off like wildfire, and are growing exponentially everyday....

[steve]

I don't think I've taken any of the summer home Steve! I don't leave them out there for more than a few hours, and they certainly don't get to spend the night, but they usually skulk under the weeds instead of basking, or letting me take cute pictures of their little heads poking up between plants. I generally give them some ground time too, so they do get a little sun, but they know where the tank is, and beeline for it now.

Still sounds pretty nice! I give them a lot of time on the lawn (2-3 hours worth) but they don't want to bask that often.

[DavidY]

Most plants can grow just fine without UV light. Plants grown indoors receive practically no UV since windows filter out most of it anyway. Full spectrum lighting is the best for growing plants.

[bluedragoon85]

Hi, i have also been seriously considering growing Anacharis in my 10 gal tank. I was wondering if they would do just fine with a simple basking spot lamp ( Zoo Med -50w- UVA Rays, no UVB), or should I try using something different?

[bluedragoon85]

or would something like this be better? http://www.petco.com/product/11440/Cora ... -Bulb.aspx

[DavidY]

The 50/50 bulbs are designed more for saltwater aquaria where the corals require a higher temperature light (more towards the blue side of the spectrum). Freshwater plants, including algae, grow better under full spectrum lighting or light in the 5600 to 6700 kelvin temperature range. Something like this would be good...http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=1819

[bluedragoon85]

Thank you very much for the advice ^^ that looks perfect, I think I will buy it directly from that webpage... I plan on growing some anacharis in my 10 gallon tank and put in like 2-4 guppies in there, my turtles love to eat anacharis, so this seems like a good investment

[DavidY]

Yea, I'm going to try to grow some in a closed off section directly under the basking platform (made of plastic eggcrate material that lets the light shine through) so I can utilize the light from the MVB basking light. That way the plants will feed off the turtle's waste, oxygenate and clean the water, and then provide natural food for the turtles. It'll be a complete circle!

[bluedragoon85]

O yeah, I saw you mentioned that on another post you did "L shaped Tank", if I am correct. Sounds like a really cool idea

[bluedragoon85]

o and one more quick question, I see they have the bulbs in 13 Watts and 26 watts. Being that I will be using a 10 gal aquarium, which would you recommend me getting?

[DavidY]

hmm, for a 10 gallon the 13 watt might be good enough. But usually with plants, the stronger the better.

[bluedragoon85]

Ok, well that being the case I think I will go with the 26 watts to be on the safe side, and there is like just a 2 dollar price difference So I think that would be best... thanks for the advice

[bluedragoon85]

Aside from Anacharis, what other aquatic plants are easy to grow?