need opinion

[SmellsFishy0]

hey all.... on my 75g i use a shoplight fixture with 2 48inch, t8 32watt bulbs and my java moss thats planted on top of the driftwood is turning brown *darkening up* i assume its from the lights....so my question is should i change bulbs....just go with one bulb or add some floating plants for coverage????? any help will be appreciated ,thanks-----AndyM

[United21Soccer]

I don't think that is too much light. Actually, it might not be enough considering it's barely <1 wpg. Do you have any other plants in there?

[jared]

You definitely need more light. It might not neccessarily be the cause of your java moss darkening, but if you plant on keeping plants, you need to find a way to get a minimum 2 watts per gallon of flourescent light over your tank. It could also be a nutient problem. How heavily stocked with fish is this tank? What kinds of ferts/supplements are you using? Generally speaking Java Moss is a low maintinence plant. Are there other plants in the tank? If so, how are they doing? More info is needed.
Jared

[SmellsFishy0]

i have 5 discus around 2.5inch and about a dozen and a half tetras and a pleco......there also some java fern.....plants are just attacjed to the driftwood.......it looks as if there startin to get somethin that looks like spiderwebs on em and i know moss ia low light ....ahh what a pain-----AndyM

[jared]

You have a low to moderate level of stocking so that should not be a problem. I believe java ferns are more hardy than java moss so if they are having problems too then you definitly need to make a change. If you intend to only keep low light plants like java ferns and moss you might be able to get away with your current light setup so long as the plants are directly under the light. Another thing to consider is the bulbs. How old are they? What temperature do they run at (kelvin). The level to which you and I can see light is not directly comparable to the level that plants can absorb it. Over time the spectrum of light that plants need for growth is lost in flourescent bulbs. One thing you could do is replace the bulbs with new ones either 5500k or plant and aquarium bulbs. The key word to look for is "cool". Whichever bulb you can find that provides the coolest shade (least amount of yellow) will have the best output for plants. You should also think about getting an additional fixture. JMO
Jared

[ChloroPhil]

Smellsfishy,

It sounds like you used a piece that was too thick. I've done this often in the past and it's really easy to do. I would recommend pulling moss off until you've got a very very thin layer of moss on the wood. If it looks like a bad comb-over you've got it right. Don't worry, it'll grow in quickly enough and will be much healthier for it. Not to mention, you'll have a bunch of moss to put elsewhere in the tank.

Best,
Phil

[dom]

hey all.... on my 75g i use a shoplight fixture with 2 48inch, t8 32watt bulbs and my java moss thats planted on top of the driftwood is turning brown *darkening up* i assume its from the lights....so my question is should i change bulbs....just go with one bulb or add some floating plants for coverage????? any help will be appreciated ,thanks-----AndyM


Java moss dont require medium lighting. I think your lighting to moss is enough. How's is the temperature? Moss will turn brown n die when the temp. is high.

[SmellsFishy0]

temp is around 82-84 and i think i just might have to much moss in clumps like phil suggested cause i did put some thick bunches on the wood .... and imma try some plant bulbs next i reckon cause these are just plain white bulbs used for the shop light fixture....thanks again for the help imma try new bulbs and take some of the moss off so the bunches are much smaller -----AndyM