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substrate and light

3K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  porksnorkel 
#1 ·
i'm getting a 20"deep tank and would like to plant it. i'll be running 4 or 6 48" t-5 bulbs on a 75g tank. anyone have any thoughts on how substrate color will affect plant growth?? will black substrate be ok, or will white be better as white reflects more light?
 
#2 ·
I really don't think that substrate color is going to matter at all. White may reflect a little light but a majority of the light is taken in from the top so reflection will play little if any role.

At 28 watts each that is going to be either 112 or 168 watts. Look at THIS site to calculate your light levels. It is suprisingly accurate as to what plants you can grow by the levels given for a certain tank.
 
#4 ·
When farmers put plastic under their plants it basically for two main reasons. 1.) To help retain moisture, and 2.) to control weeds. I do not think that quality lighting is their reason for this practice. I'm a farm boy myself, we always used black visqueen or clear visqueen. Not only does the plastic do the two things I mentioned, but it also helps the soil to retain heat.

I prefer to use darker substrates. The darker substrate tends to give the fish a little more security. They are more free swimming and hide a lot less.
 
#5 ·
sup herefishy...this was actually something i saw a long time ago as a study farmers or ag specialists were doing. it was some kindof research show back in the 90's. they were putting colored plastics in the rows between the plants and recording their progress. apparently thet had at least some success w/ certain colors effects on certain plants. i'm guessing there is some kind of cost or waste inhibitor that keeps ur average farmer from participating in this sort of thing. plus it's probably a pain in the arse to lay this stuff out every season...specially if the plants do ok w/ out it.

i know the plastic u speak of for controlling weeds and such. very common in the landscape industry. ty for the input guys. i'd do an experiment, but their would be to many factors to look at, and i have yet to keep an aquatic plant, so i'm not the best candidate for testing stuff like this. perhaps in the future...
 
#6 ·
I must agree with F4A. The little bit of light reflected from the gravel isn't going to do anything for your plants, and it will probably have a negative effect on your fish. Plants aren't ignorant of the sun's position; it's above them, not below. Thus, most of the chlorophyll that any plant's cells produce is going to be on the top of the leafy area.

A white (or light) substrate can actually be harmful to your fish. They feel less secure with a lighter substrate than a darker one, stressing them out, and making them more susceptible to disease. I also hold no doubts that, in the long term, it could be damaging to their eyes, just as snow is damaging to our own.
 
#8 ·
Sorry for being late. I would pick the color to match the fish. They themselves could care less if you decided to do hot pink gravel (unless you have plecos which attempt to color match for camouflage). The thing you want to do is match the color with what color your fish are. Strong colors can drown out the fish's colors. My LFS recently redid their bala tank to be a bright turquoise blue substrate and the fish in the tank looked immensely better because of the contrast. Almost thought about doing a tank like that. :p Likewise, their small fish tank's gravel make most of the fish look pathetic and when I bring the fish home, their colors are so much brighter.
 
#10 ·
Black is definately the most natural color. With the light you have you may want to consider a nutrient rich substrate depending on the plants you want to grow. What kinds of plants do you have in mind? Plant substrates are all natural colors anyway- not to be too far off the topic.
 
#11 ·
peat moss under eco-complete. lighting should be above moderate w/ the AH supply reflector designs. if i need more, i can add them in the DIY canopy i'm building. trying to avoid c02 at this point , but i'll see how everything goes. i expect though, to need c02 at some point. plants...haven't gotten that far yet. still planning stands and general tank desighn, and equipement.
 
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