How to Light Freshwater Plants
Live aquarium plants add many benefits to any fish tank. They provide self-replenishing food for your fish and give them a comfortable place to hide and spawn. Plants can also turn an ordinary fish tank into a beautiful focal point.
Freshwater aquatic plants come in many shapes and sizes from tall and leafy to low and grassy. You can choose from vines with round leaves, ferns with pointed leaves, many shades of green and even a few shades of pink, white and purple.
The key to a thriving planted aquarium, with or without fish, is light. Most plants come with recommendations for substrates and fertilization. However, many tank lights do not provide enough light for aquatic plants. It takes little work or time to find the perfect lighting.
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Instructions
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Examine your current aquarium lighting. Most aquariums come with tube lighting in the lid. Remove the light bulbs and find the mark that tells you the wattage. You may see a number marked "lux." A number of 500 lux and lower indicates about 1½ watts of light per gallon. A planted tank needs 2 to 3 watts per gallon.
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Replace low-lux light bulbs with bulbs 600 lux and higher. Bulbs of 600 to 1000 lux indicate 2 to 2½ watts per gallon. Bulbs of 1100 to 1500 indicate 2½ to 3 watts per gallon. If your tank holds 10 gallons or more, choose bulbs in the 1100 to 1500 range.
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Change blinking or dimming bulbs immediately. Dimming lights won't deliver as much light as a new one, which will bring the light carried to your plants from sufficient to too low. If you see your plants beginning to wilt or yellow, change your bulbs before checking for other problems.
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Replace aquarium bulbs every six months. Most bulbs dim imperceptibly over time. Even if you notice no blinking, dimming or have no blown bulbs, replacing your bulbs will offer more light to your plants, keeping them healthy and thriving.
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