# Oceanic Biocube 29 Lighting + Plants



## wishba (Aug 30, 2014)

Hi,
I am planning to convert my reef 29 Biocube into freshwater planted. I really like the simplicity of freshwater, and I was hoping this cube is a good way to start. However, I am wondering if the lighting is capable of rearing/ propagating very light-demanding species, such as Hemianthus callichtroides, or Baby Tears. I will be using 2x 36w 10,000K PC's.. I don't have much experience in planted aquariums, but do know they are adequate for java moss, java fern, and cryptocorynes, LPS and soft corals... 
Also, must I absolutely dose elements like iron, and inject CO2 into the system for red plants?

Any help is greatly appreciated,
wishba


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## HokieFish (Feb 5, 2012)

Like you are anticipating, the lighting will be one of the areas you'll need to address. Reef setups are often not in the best spectrum for freshwater plants. Antic lighting will not benefit a planted fw aquarium. I believe the bluish spectrum is in line with reef keeping (probably what your cube is loaded with), where as the planted spectrum can range from white, to yellow, to red. 10,000K may be too intense, since a lot of people find good results in the 8,000K range all the way down to 6,000k. 
If you are going to do high light, CO2 and dosing frets will be important. Aglae can become a problem if you're providing too much light and not enough fuel for your plants to grow. 
I'm sure someone will come a long with a much better set of guidelines for you, but I figured this info would get you started.


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## wishba (Aug 30, 2014)

HokieFish said:


> Like you are anticipating, the lighting will be one of the areas you'll need to address. Reef setups are often not in the best spectrum for freshwater plants. Antic lighting will not benefit a planted fw aquarium. I believe the bluish spectrum is in line with reef keeping (probably what your cube is loaded with), where as the planted spectrum can range from white, to yellow, to red. 10,000K may be too intense, since a lot of people find good results in the 8,000K range all the way down to 6,000k.
> If you are going to do high light, CO2 and dosing frets will be important. Aglae can become a problem if you're providing too much light and not enough fuel for your plants to grow.
> I'm sure someone will come a long with a much better set of guidelines for you, but I figured this info would get you started.


Thanks, HokieFish. I guess the 10,000K bulbs would be too crisp white for a planted. I would also like to know if my PC's would be adequate for demanding plants.
|wishba


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## KFryman (Sep 4, 2012)

Japanese aquascapers usually use 10k spectrum for their iwagumi style setups. I think that you could do a 50/50 mix with one 10k and a 6500k bulb. The 50/50 would also make blues pop a bit more if you are planning on having fish with blue on them. I would just aim for something around the 6500-7000k mark for best lighting efficiency.


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## wishba (Aug 30, 2014)

Thanks everyone for the help and advice. 
I am wondering how I can install a CO2 system for the biocube, since there are no edges or rim to tighten the regulator on... or can I put in sump?? 
wisdhba


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## FatherLandDescendant (Jul 24, 2014)

wishba said:


> I would also like to know if my PC's would be adequate for demanding plants.
> |wishba


I use a PC fixture and it seems to work just fine. I have a 6700k 93w bulb on my 40 breeder. Not a lot of people use them I've found out, but a few of us doroud:


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