Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Other pet critters - Birds, fish, rabbits, reptiles, rodents and exotics > Fish

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 4th, 2010, 08:44 PM
t.pettet t.pettet is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: lanark, Ont.
Posts: 1,255
lighting

Have a 15 gal goldfish tank and just put in 2 java ferns so need some info on what lighting is necessary,thanks.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old February 12th, 2010, 08:39 AM
snoball snoball is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Arnprior Ont.
Posts: 3
aquarium lighting

When I had an aquarium I found the best way is to use a plant light . These lights cover the wide spectrum of light that plants need to thrive. A nother thing to keep in mind is the length of time the plants get light best way is to use a timer 12-15 hrs.of light work best.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old February 22nd, 2010, 11:44 AM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,720
The height is more important when determining the amount of lighting you need. More height needs more light to penetrate the water.

Java ferns are low light plants, so on a standard 15 gallon a normal fluorescent should be fine. You will need the correct spectrum so a plant bulb would be best (5000-6000 k spectrum. It's cheaper to buy a normal 5000k bulb than buy a light specifically marketed for aquarium plants.). On the down side a plant bulb is a horrible color for actual viewing (it tends to make a pinkish light). A lot of people use a plant bulb along with a brighter bulb so the plants will still have enough light and the correct spectrum, but better for viewing the fish. If you have too MUCH light you will have horrible algae growth.
You will want to leave your light on for about 8 hrs a day, you may want a timer. If you leave it on too long you will also get algae.
Java ferns are hardy plants so you don't need to go overkill.

If you have a 15g high tank you will need more light to penetrate the water depth.
As long as you have a fluorescent light though you should be fine. At worst the plants won't grow quickly, but they will likely stay alive.

On a side note, goldfish sometimes like to eat plants, so your java ferns may be consumed or injured. You'll just have to see.

BTW, 15 gallons is a bit small for goldfish (even one goldfish is probably too many) so you will likely have to upgrade in the long run for the health of your fish.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:03 AM.