I think Orbit makes good aquarium lights and many come with lunar lights too. I want a halide because they're the best and lights create a shimmering effect on plants, substraight, etc.
I have two types of swords that have been in my tank for about 3 months or so, and are doing okay with a 20 watt light in a 30 gallon. I use flourish liquid ferts. I also have vallisneria which is sending out new sprouts.
I have a 20 watt light too, but everything is turning yellow, but when I get my new light which will be 65 and clip on the back of tank hopefully they do better... and some fertilizer
The only clip on lights I've seen are these awsome $300 halides. Halides give the best and brightest light and like I said before, they create a really cool shimmering effect on the plants and gravel.
I'd like 4 of them for my 100 gallon, and 2 for my 30 gallon long.I guess that would be $1,800!!!!! Ouch!
Let's I'd like these to turn off one by one to simulate sunsett, and then I'd have lunar lights come on for the evening for a few hours too.
The addition of the 65 watt will for sure grow low light plants, and it should grow amazon sword too which is a low/med light plant.
actualy I meant like a coralife 24" 65watt light that would clip on the back but hang over the tank...
but now I found a 30" coralife that is also 65watt, and it will be held over with mounting kegs now... I was thinking about getting an all glass hood and use the 20 watt light I have now with it...
and I was wondering if anyone had some recomendations for substrate, not into the large pebble idea, more the sand I am looking at..
There's black flourite sand, puke colored flourite that looks like puke colored cat litter, black flourite that looks like black cat litter, and Eco-Complete, which is a beautiful substraight for planted tanks that has fine and coarse consistancy. The sandy part falls to the bottom and the pebbly part stays on top, and it's grey/black in color.
There's also different grades/sizes of plastic coated gravel that looks natural and is like small rounded pebbles.
You can also collect gravel from a stream, but it should be boiled to kill any parisites or fungus.
I use black flourite sand in my newest tank, and the vallisneria are thanking me for it, along with the rest of my plants.
The thing about sandy substrates is they have a tendancy to have a lot more particulates in them, so if you don't wash them you'll really know it, especially if you're changing out substrates in a tank that's already established, with water in it, etc.
I didn't wash mine, filled water over a dinner plate, and it still clouded the water for 72 hours. I wanted to keep the fine particulate though because I thought the plants would benefit more from it.
