Dragon Breath lighting

[Littlefoot777]

I just bought some dragons breath and put it in my tank last week. I have a plant light on it about 5ft away and pointed directly at the tank. I've added calcium. It's the only thing in the tank and it's near the end of its initial cycling. My problem is its losing color and has become very pale. I'm wondering if I have enough light, or too much light, or if it needs more nutrients from animal matter? I will be putting a couple fish in after Christmas, but am waiting because I'll be gone for more than a week.

I am a HS oceanography/biology teacher setting up multiple tanks at school and home to keep specimens for my classes.

 

[fermentedhiker]

Define "plant light" as the type and wattage can make a big difference in output. Also 5 feet is a long ways away so that even if the light is powerful enough it could be too diminished by the distance to be effective.

Many macros aren't particularly found of high nitrates etc... that occur during initial cycling, and do better if you get the tank a bit more established before adding them. I'm not sure about dragon's breath though.

 

[Littlefoot777]

The light I'm using is a grow light, like you would use on garden plants. It's all I had on hand. I have it that far away because it gets really hot. My levels of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia are really low, if not 0 right now. The tank has been up and running for about 5 weeks. All the research I read is saying macroalgae feed on nitrate and phosphate, which isn't that why we use them in sumps? And that's why I decided to start my smaller tank with some. I can take it into school and put it with everything else, to see if those conditions are better, I just don't want to move things between tanks too often in case they start cross contaminating each other and I don't want to shock it too much.

 

[Littlefoot777]

Dragon Breath lighting

I actually don't know the type and wattage of my light, I bought it at a hardware store last summer for seedlings.

 

[fermentedhiker]

I'm still not sure what you mean by grow light, as there are a lot of different options with that name. High pressure sodium is what is popular with the weed growers with Metal Halide also being popular. Both of those would generate quite a bit of heat. I would've thought a seedling light would have just been some sort of fluorescent. Take a picture of it when you get a chance.

Yes they use macro's in sumps to absorb nitrate and phosphate, but not all macro's are the same. The ones usually used in sumps are selected specifically because they are good for this. Some of the more decorative ones are actually intolerant of high nutrient conditions. Usually those types that are calcareous aren't adapted to high nutrient conditions. Halimeda and Maiden's Hair being two that don't like high nitrates, but as I said I'm not sure about dragons breath.