Re: Does LUX Matter?

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 04:37:46 -0600, Dick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:

>Greg, I wonder if everyone wants the same plants you do.  I have 5
>tanks with  low light and a variety of plants.  I know I can't have
>the majority of the many varieties, but the plants, including Anubias,
>are doing their biological thing and providing nooks and crannies the
>fish seem to enjoy.  

I don't have a problem with low light plants - I have quite a few.
I never stated that I didn't like them, I was simply warning the
original poster that his "futile attempts to grow plants in my fish
tank" were probably based upon improper plant and lighting selection,
and that throwing money at some vendor based upon murky claims of
higher light output were wasted dollars.

>I am not much of a gardener outside or inside, but when I finally
>bought low light plants I was pleasantly surprised with the growth,
>color, and variety I was successfully growing.

Again, I pointed out that he could grow anubias, crypts, java ferns,
and others.  But most of these are hard, if not impossible to find at
the local fish store.  They generally carry medium to high light
plants - banana plants, hornwarts, cabomba sp., bacopa sp., etc.

>I admire the beautifully planted tanks I have seen, but have seen one
>30 gallon tank that I had to look carefully to see the plants were
>made of silk.  Beauty and variety are important, but I am quite
>satisfied to have a tank that functions well even if the varieties
>available to me are limited.

Perhaps you have me confused with the O.P.  Again, I simply pointed
out that if he wants to grow many species of plants, more light is
necessary than is available from 2 20-watt N.O. tubes - of any type.

But with that in mind, look here for some selection criteria on
selecting low light plants for use with minimal lighting:

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp

Greg