Dachende Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Hi all Quick question : What red coloured aquatic plants hold their colour in low tech-ish conditions ? I'm running about 3WPG and dose flourish / excel Looking to add a bit of colour to my tank to break up all the greens in there. I've bought some Rotala Wallichii but it doesn't hold much red at all , mainly green with a red hue. The guy who sold it to me said it would do just as well without Co2 and super high light. It grows pretty fast , but just won't colour up how I would like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 The reds generally need decent lighting, not sure about ferts though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I have low tech low light tanks and I admit I never tried to grow red plants as I thought they needed extra iron from ferts, and lots of light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 The guy who sold it to me said it would do just as well without Co2 and super high light. It grows pretty fast , but just won't colour up how I would like. Well there's your problem, of course a seller just wants to sell their product. You need high light and good nutrients to grow red plants, it's that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 3WPG isn't enough ? From what I've read that's considered medium to high lighting in a 450 deep tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGilberg Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 i prefer having healthy low light plants and just using red fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 3WPG isn't enough ? Forget WPG, light depends more on the depth of the water than it does the total volume. For example, say there's 90W of light on a 30cm deep 30gal tank and 90W of light on a 60cm deep 30gal tank. The light at the bottom of the 30cm deep tank will be MUCH stronger than the 60cm deep tank. Also, I get far more light out of my 2x 24W T5HO tubes than I could ever get out of a 100W incandescent bulb. The formula for lighting is far too complex to be simplified into watts per gallon, you have to look at it on a tank by tank basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepsnana Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Forget WPG, light depends more on the depth of the water than it does the total volume. For example, say there's 90W of light on a 30cm deep 30gal tank and 90W of light on a 60cm deep 30gal tank. The light at the bottom of the 30cm deep tank will be MUCH stronger than the 60cm deep tank. Also, I get far more light out of my 2x 24W T5HO tubes than I could ever get out of a 100W incandescent bulb. The formula for lighting is far too complex to be simplified into watts per gallon, you have to look at it on a tank by tank basis. +1 Power saving bulbs use less Watts by reducing heat and providing more light. Watts are not a measurement of light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Watts are not a measurement of light. Perfect summary right there Tell us a bit about your tank, dimensions, light type (or even better a link to the unit) and we can help out 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 An answer to original question: I have Rotala Rotundifolia which has kept its red colour quite well. Even when the amount of light has been significantly reduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 My tank is 450mm deep with a 20-30mm sand/daltons bed. I have 6 36w T5HO bulbs. I dose with flourish and excel. The tank is overfiltered and understocked. The tank has been going for around 8 months now. I'm 31, pisces, and self employed. My shoe size is 12. :sml1: Any other details I can give you ? Thanks Dennis, I'll look into Rotala Rotundifolia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Strange that it's not turning red under those lights, that should be plenty strong enough. Does Flourish have enough Iron in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 You know that's something I haven't actually considered, but will definitely look into. I don't have yellowing of the other plants in there which is a sign of low iron , but it could be just affecting the wallichii as it has slightly higher demands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 In my experience Rotala Wallichii is one of the more demanding red plants. There is a "redish" variety of Rotala rotundifolia around and also one of the easiest red plants would be Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia which I think is often sold as red hygrophila (a complete misnoma). They will all get redder with high iron and good light of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 keeps its colour even in the lowest tech tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 :sick: Get some cheleated iron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Thanks all for your help . I will definitely look into Iron this afternoon and see what success I have there. :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr A Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Wish someone had told me this before... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 T5HO (T5 High Output) only come in 24w, 39w, 54w and 80w. Your 36w bulbs are probably T5NO (T5 Normal Output). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 it's definitely t5ho because I've bought the bulbs myself from HFF. I must have confused 39 and 36. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Chances of getting anymore relevant answers to the original question ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Chances of getting anymore relevant answers to the original question ? An answer to original question: I have Rotala Rotundifolia which has kept its red colour quite well. Even when the amount of light has been significantly reduced. Dennis answered you a while ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dachende Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Dennis answered you a while ago. If you read back, you'll see I have thanked those who contributed already . I was asking if there are any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Tiger lotus might be okay and Rotala macandra is pink, the tips of ambulia, hygro polysperma and many other stems go red under bright lights but that's about it without extra iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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