30 Gallon Tank Will anubias or java fern survive under a blacklight

I have a 30 gallon tank that I intend to stock with GloFish, Dwarf Otto catfish, and Neon tetras. I want to have live plants such as Anubias and Java Ferns. Will the plants survive in gravel under a blacklight? And will the light have a negative affect on the fish? Thanks!♥

 

Anubias and Java Ferns don't need to be submerge in gravel, you can tie them to driftwood, ornaments, rocks and are considered Low light plants.

However, I do not think that a black-light is sufficient enough for them.

 

I'm not sure black light would be nice for fish, either. I know often "glo"fish, whether danios or skirt tetras, are displayed under what looks like a black light, but I think they're actually just colored LEDs. For some reason I feel like that wouldn't be good for them. Definitely not mimicking their natural habitat, that's for sure!

 

Actinic lights are often used to show off Glofish. I'm pretty sure the prolonged exposure to black lights will be harmful to fish.

 

I'm not sure black light would be nice for fish, either. I know often "glo"fish, whether danios or skirt tetras, are displayed under what looks like a black light, but I think they're actually just colored LEDs. For some reason I feel like that wouldn't be good for them. Definitely not mimicking their natural habitat, that's for sure!

Haha!♥ I agree. Do Glofish technically have "natural" habitats? Would the colored LED work for the plants though?

 

Do Glofish technically have "natural" habitats?

LOL I didn't even think of that ;D I don't think colored LEDs would work for plants. In addition to being "bright" enough, plants require a certain spectrum (amount of blue versus red, etc) and I don't think colored LEDs could deliver that. (Sorry to rain on your parade with everything )

 

Is there ANY kind of light aside from "normal" (white?) lighting that would show off GloFish™ *Glo*?

 

Actinic bulbs normally used for Salt Water.

 

Actinic bulbs normally used for Salt Water.

Thanks. Will Google those right now.

Those are even more beautiful to me than the blacklights or purple LEDs thank you Cichlidnut!♥

But will the plants grow under this light?

 

It won't help them, but it will not hurt them.

Perhaps you can have 2 bulbs? One for when you want them to glow and another for normal use

 

The actinic lights are made to provide the rite spectrum of light for corals to use photosynthesis so they will grow plants well in the aquarium

I have used the actinic bulbs for horticulture before so I know for a fact they will grow plants very well

I hope this helps you

 

It won't help them, but it will not hurt them.

Perhaps you can have 2 bulbs? One for when you want them to glow and another for normal use

♥YAY♥ Two solutions!! But just say if I had the Glow light in all the time, would the plants grow and not die?

The actinic lights are made to provide the rite spectrum of light for corals to use photosynthesis so they will grow plants well in the aquarium

I have used the actinic bulbs for horticulture before so I know for a fact they will grow plants very well

I hope this helps you

Thank you so much Mr.Cody!♥

Only on a fish forum can you get such quick answers in the middle of the night (or in my case, the VERY early morning!) Thanks to everyone for all the help!

 

You are very welcome

I have been helped a few times on this wonderful forum so I figured sence I know about the lighting type you was asking about I figured I could help you

 

Is there ANY kind of light aside from "normal" (white?) lighting that would show off GloFish™ *Glo*?

I have tried blacklight, Blue LED, and prefer blue Actinic. I have been using it for about 6 months now. I hot at petsmart CORALIFE® Actinic Blue T8 15-Watt Florescent Replacement. I have heard people saying not to use them in freshwater but I have a planted community tank no problems with algae. I only run it at night.

Its the wave and depth of the light the actinic travels deeper.

 

I respectfully disagree that actinic lighting will grow live plants in an aquatic environment. The color temp is far too low to support photosynthesis. Plants need a color temp of 5,000-10,000k.

One thing actinic does extremely well in an aquarium is grow algae.

 

Good morning,

Granted I haven't played around with Black Lights since the beginning of velvet posters but from what I recall, the bulbs got really hot and probably too hot for aquarium use. (at least too hot to be sitting on the tank lid)

Ken

 

Your Anubus will do a lot bettwe attached to a piece of driftwood as said above..

Just use a rubber band at first until roots start to establish then if you manually wrap the roots around the driftwoood and poke them in holes the plant will eventually attach itself and then you can remove the rubber band. Looks great too =]

 

Maybe a Double Bright Marineland fixture with the night light feature? Leave it on regular during the day, when you want the blacklight effect switch it to just the blue night lights.

I have one on my 40gal breeder and it grows my java moss and najas very well and should work for other low light easy to grow plants. And when switched to the night lights has a blacklight sort of effect, actually makes one of my decorations glow like if it was under a normal blacklight.

 

Good morning,

Granted I haven't played around with Black Lights since the beginning of velvet posters but from what I recall, the bulbs got really hot and probably too hot for aquarium use. (at least too hot to be sitting on the tank lid)

Ken

They have CFL Black Lights now ;D

 

Maybe a Double Bright Marineland fixture with the night light feature? Leave it on regular during the day, when you want the blacklight effect switch it to just the blue night lights.

I have one on my 40gal breeder and it grows my java moss and najas very well and should work for other low light easy to grow plants. And when switched to the night lights has a blacklight sort of effect, actually makes one of my decorations glow like if it was under a normal blacklight.

Hmm... would one find these at PetSmart?

 

. . . . Do Glofish technically have "natural" habitats? . . . .

Yes. they are only slightly spliced zebra danio, so the natural habitat of the danio is also theirs. Their natural habitat means the conditions the fish adapted to over millions of years via natural genetic evolution. All humans have done is spliced in a few "bits of code" in a huuge codebase, very tiny very specific changes, almost entirely still zebra danio.

until humans successfully make major genetic changes to a being or actually make one from scratch (very very far off from happening right now) all that exists is the natural beings with tiny "bit edits" which only change a few very specific small things in the huge amount of genetic code a being carries.

 

Hmm... would one find these at PetSmart?

Think so, depends what your local one carries of course and if they carry the correct size. Just be careful if you find it locally and they produce a regular and a double bright. The regular is probably not going to be enough for even low light plants.

 

Hmm... would one find these at PetSmart?

If you can't find a double fixure you can always use 2 singles. I have 2 singles on my 55gal. I looked at doubles but didnt want to pay a lot just for the extra glow. I found a single on clearance for $29. I have them both hooked to timers.

I don't know what colors you have but I couldnt even tell the difference between Blue Glofish and Danios with blue led's and Purple still looked pink. Tried a blacklight it only made the wall glow didnt go through the water at all. The actinic light allowed me to see the color pop. Because it travels dreeper through the water I could even see them well if they ventured to the bottom.

If you are not going to use an actinic I would suggest sticking with green, orange, maybe red.

If it helps here is a pic of when I had them in the 10 gal with blue led (dont have the 55gal led pics anymore)



55 gal with blue actinic

 

the tanks that show off glo fish use blue led you could simply make a "moonlight" style light in your tank.

 

If you can't find a double fixure you can always use 2 singles. I have 2 singles on my 55gal. I looked at doubles but didnt want to pay a lot just for the extra glow. I found a single on clearance for $29. I have them both hooked to timers.

I don't know what colors you have but I couldnt even tell the difference between Blue Glofish and Danios with blue led's and Purple still looked pink. Tried a blacklight it only made the wall glow didnt go through the water at all. The actinic light allowed me to see the color pop. Because it travels dreeper through the water I could even see them well if they ventured to the bottom.

If you are not going to use an actinic I would suggest sticking with green, orange, maybe red.

If it helps here is a pic of when I had them in the 10 gal with blue led (dont have the 55gal led pics anymore)
View attachment 89343

55 gal with blue actinic.
View attachment 89344

LOVE♥ the pictures thanks! And I'll look out for the double lights too!

 

Black light. Isn't that UV light that makes the fluorescent tubes turn purple a makes white surfaces light up?
If it is, I can guarantee both Anubias and Java fern and any other vascular plant used in aquariums will wither, if only supplied with UV-light.

Actinic tubes (or 'marine blue') are used to simulate the blueish aspect of marine environments at intemediate depths (25 to 60 meters), where the longer wavelengths (red, yellow and green) have been filtered by the overlying watercolumn. For us to see the full colours of our fish, these tubes are (normally) used together with less blueish ('marine day') tubes, that emit light, much in the blue spectrum but also some in the red. None of the marine lights emit significant amounts of light in the green area of the spectrum, because few tropical fish are gree and few plants (with green leaves...) grow in tropical waters. Primary production (sunlight => biomass) in the tropical marine ecosystem is assured by plancton and symbiant algae, namely those living in the tissue of corals, the zooxanthellae algae.

In freshwater aquaria we normally avoid growth of algae, because they grow on surfaces of plants and glass, where their presence is undesired; in saltwater aquaria we need algal growth to support growth of corals and assure biomass generation, as the plants do in a freshwater tank.

Therefore, we have diverging light requirements in freshwater and saltwater tanks. Especially the light frequencies (or colours, if you want) that stimulate algal growth are reduced in freshwater aquariumlight-tubes, while they are peaked in saltwater tubes ('marine'-tubes, be it day or blue).
If you light an aquarium with UV light you will be sterilizing your tank, including fish - so use it sparingly, if it has to be.
If you light a freshwater-aquarium with lightbulbs aimed at iluminating saltwater tanks and stimulate coral growth, you are bound to get problems with algae.

If you insist on lighting your tank with UV-light, for the sake of fish-health, don't use it for many hours; use it e.g. in the evening, when you enjoy your tank. For the remainder of the lighting period use a light made for freshwater; there are some more specific for plant growth, others for viewing fish... Your choice.

BTW, the two plants you mentioned in your post, Anubias and java fern share two diferent properties: they grow slowly (good for being overgrown with algae) and their roots rot and the plants wither if buried in the substrate. They are often (correctly) classified as epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants: tie them with cotton line to a root or piece of driftwood - when the line dissolves, the plants will have attached themselves to the wood. It looks great, but they need light, not much, but some, to stand out on the roots...


Hope I clarified things about lights, a bit. Shed some light on the subject

 

@Siggi
Wow, thanks for the VERY informative post!

 

Sorry about making a 'wall of text'...

Its just that I've seen several posts about almost the same questions on lighting - so I thought I'd give a little in-depth information.
Just giving an opinion doesn't give others facts to take their own conclusions, and I think it's important to give others the necessary information to decide for themselves. Not based on an opinion, but based on the info that motivates that opinion...

Didn't know they had put glowing genes in zebras....

 

Yeah the gene is "all natural", it is a jellyfish flouresent gene! The fish were created to glow when bad water conditions were present, but they were released to the public because they don't change their flouresence throughout their lives and therefore did not serve their original intended purpose.

I never intended to use blacklight, that's why I asked about an alternative lighting.

And really, thanks for the informative post, I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone.♥

 

I'd say the best alternative is the so-called moonlight.
I don't know if it will give the desired effect on these glo-fish, but it gives a chance to appreciate the tank 'after closing' hours.
Especially catfish are often nightactive and with a 'moonlight' tou can see them at work in the late evening after lights-out, which would normally not be possible to see.

If these 'moon-lights' make the glo-fish visible, I really do not know.
Best choice is using computer 'cold-cathode fluorescent tubes'; they are small tubes (ca. 30cm/12") with no fixture, just a little current-transforming box. I'd get a blue and a white. Adjust voltage to give desired light intensity.
If they don't work with the glo-fish, you can allways use then I the computer....

 

The actinic lights we were talking about are not black lights.