Now, of course, lighting is just one part of the picture (with nutrition and fertilization being some of the other important parts), but it plays a huge role in our success with plants in blackwater aquariums.įor a very long time, hardcore planted aquarium enthusiasts were a bit intimidated by the idea of blackwater planted tanks, because of the concerns over sufficient light penetration into the tinted water. There are other systems which, despite their tinted blackwater conditions, are exposed to tremendous sunlight intensity, and foster significant aquarist plant growth, such as those found in rivers in tropical Africa.Īs always, researching the habitat you're interested in replicating in your aquarium is so important. Trees grow very tall, and don’t waste energy on producing branches until they reach the canopy, and are able to compete successfully with other trees for the available light. There is tremendous competition among rain forest plants for this vital energy. The "architecture" of tropical forests are determined by the vegetation's need for sunlight. We tend to measure light intensity in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), which gives us a "value" to measure and relate to. Of course, "lower light levels" in Nature is still a lot more light than you might think- and a lot more than we typically will think of in the aquarium context. In a typical tropical rain forest, it's estimated that as little as 5% of the sunlight reaches the forest "floor", so it goes without saying that any stream or creek under the canopy of trees is not getting a ton of light! If aquatic plants are present in these habitats, they're typically species that can adapt to lower lighting conditions. They create not only an interesting look, they can provide supportive intensity and spectrum for certain types of plants, like Mangroves. That being said, light penetration and overall lighting conditions in the natural aquatic habitats that we are fascinated by are interesting and important aspects to consider in our aquariums. This is due to factors other than just light conditions, such as the topography, the ionic composition of the water, and the geology of some of the regions that we tend to replicate in our aquariums. Indeed, the tinted, blackwater habitats that we seem to gravitate towards in our world generally don't have huge stands of truly aquatic plants. Of course, in our aquariums, which typically emphasize botanicals, wood, and even rocks over growing live plants, lighting tends to be more of an "aesthetic" consideration, rather than a primary necessity for creating optimal conditions in our aquariums.Īnd it also compels us to turn once again to Nature for some cues. It's pretty much fundamental stuff, and we are indoctrinated from day one in the hobby to embrace lighting and its importance to our systems. In the reef aquarium world in general, lighting is essential, as it powers photosynthesis within the zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae) which are found in coral tissues. Lighting is a big deal I the coral world. Now, I'm probably not the best person to discuss many aspects of aquarium lighting with, yet being a long-time reef aquarist and former commercial coral propagator, I've long believed that having at least a basic understanding of the ideas and practical applications of lighting in our closed aquatic systems is a core requirement for success. We receive a LOT of questions about lighting.specifically about how you can grow plants in blackwater, botanical-style aquariums, and what type, intensity, and duration to use. However, one of the least-discussed topics is.lighting. We obsess over some crazy stuff in our world of botanical-style, blackwater/brackish aquariums, don't we? W e touch on a lot of ideas and techniques on how to accomplish this process in our aquariums.
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