# Is the Life GLO lamp enough for grlwing low light plants



## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm just wondering if 20W 24" Life-GLO Lamp will be sufficient enough to grow low light plants like hygrophilia deformia and java fern in 29Gl aquarium ?


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## ubr0ke (Jul 12, 2011)

you dont need much light to grow plants...I have a 35 gallon with a 30 watt t8...plants grow fine..think of light as a controller of growth rates...the more light the faster things grow..but with enhanced growth comes demands... co2 and nutrients..


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## ppaskova (Apr 27, 2010)

ubr0ke said:


> you dont need much light to grow plants...I have a 35 gallon with a 30 watt t8...plants grow fine..think of light as a controller of growth rates...the more light the faster things grow..but with enhanced growth comes demands... co2 and nutrients..


I'm planning to put there java fern, chygrophilia polinezia and deformia and amazon sword. I'll be using furtalizers like flourish, excel and iron. I'm planning to pur around 30 fish there with AC50 filter running and if I put more fish I'll add another AC30


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## ubr0ke (Jul 12, 2011)

pick up some potassium as well...

as for stocking with 30 fish..that may be an issue..organics play a part in algae...you can over filter and do huge monthly water changes..like 75%..


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

ppaskova said:


> I'm just wondering if 20W 24" Life-GLO Lamp will be sufficient enough to grow low light plants like hygrophilia deformia and java fern in 29Gl aquarium ?
> 
> I'm planning to put there java fern, chygrophilia polinezia and deformia and amazon sword. I'll be using furtalizers like flourish, excel and iron. I'm planning to pur around 30 fish there with AC50 filter running and if I put more fish I'll add another AC30


Bottom line, with a 20W T8, your plants may grow, but they will grow relatively slowly and poorly. Under my T8 light, my hygro would have holes in all the lower leaves and only the higher leaves would grow well.

If you want to keep a high bio load, you need to do more/bigger water changes. Adding a filter won't help, as they do not reduce nitrates.


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