Need quick identification. SAE or flying fox

hywaydave

They are non-HO tubes in a non-HO ballast.
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Quantum

non-HO T5s put out about the same amount of light per unit length as T8s, so two of these on that size tank should be manageable for a low-tech, natural set-up

floating plants could help, I have a dual 24" T5 fixture over a 25 gal (20" tall) with no algae issues at all, but it does have a thick layer of floating plants

if you don't like the three dimensionality of hanging roots, or floating stem plants, something like vallisneria allowed to grow up and across the surface could be an option

hywaydave

What are some good floating plants? I have a lot of moneyworts, but they are buried, not for floating. I dont mind hanging roots cuz I have them on the moneyworts. How do floating plants combat algae? Just by blocking out light?
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Quantum

I have red root floater, 'dwarf' water lettuce, Salvinia cucullata, and asian watergrass, I'm in the process of replacing the water lettuce with one of the last two mentioned or maybe both, the water lettuce roots are too long for my liking - some over two feet long in a 18" tall tank

primarily by limiting the light that makes it to the tank (which can be by a lot, so you would need to keep an eye out for signs that the plants below aren't getting enough light), but also my removing excess nutrients

Byron

I agree this (the T5 NO) should work. Given that T5 is more efficient than T8, it is likely that a bit more light output is occurring, but not so much that it can't be managed. So that leads me back to my comment on regular dosing of nutrients. Any irregularity can create these opportunities for algae.

On the floating, my personal favourite is Water Sprite. If allowed to spread, it can very effectively darken the tank. But it is easy to keep it in balance, by removing the largest/larger plants during the water change and allowing the smaller to grow, then next week or the week following, same thinning process.

Byron.

hywaydave

I'll look into a floating plant or two. Do I need to dose anything additional to the flourish comprehensive? I will start doing my water changes on the same day every week and dose the flourish on a set schedule twice a week as well. Hopefully this will help and that my SAEs take care of what I currently have.
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Byron

That should work fine.

hywaydave

Alright, so I bought a Water Sprite today and man are they big! All of my LFS water sprites were huge. If I had known about these in the beginning I would have stocked my tank with this buried in the substrate instead of waiting for a bunch of money wort to cover my tank. Anyway, all of their water sprites were buried but I'm going to leave it floating like you suggested. Some of the root is out of the water, will that be ok? What do you guys think? It does block out a lot of the light below but I still have half the tank without Water Sprite. Should I worry about this now or do you think this is enough? I know it will probably spread like crazy.

What do you guys think of my landscape? When I first set it up, I was going for a pretty clean look but I wish I could start over. However I won't because I dont want to disrupt the fish and I would never be able to catch all of the cherry shrimp I have in there. I haven't seen too much BBA munching yet from my new SAEs but there is too much in there for me to tell at this point. I'm seeing some full stomachs on both.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psc1300974.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps0f7300be.jpg

Byron, you might as well move this thread back to Plants since it have gone from indentifying SAEs back to solving my BBA issue.

Byron

From the photos you have Ceratopteris thalictroides which should be planted in this case since it was previously in the substrate. Otherwise it may die. As it settles after it is planted, new plants will appear on alternate fronds (leaves) and these can gently be removed and allowed to float and you will then have your floating plants. See our profile of Water Sprite for more info on the species.

hywaydave

Crap, now I have to disturb the tank. Where do you think this beast will look good? Should I place it behind the driftwood in the middle of the tank?
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