What kind/strength lighting should I use?

[Cavedweller]

I had plans to set up a heavily planted 20 gallon tank with three apistograma cacatouides one male 2 female with spawning caves. i was going to use a corel sun 24 inch light from world of fish, but someone from wet web media told me that A Cacatouides doesn't like highly lit tanks. he subjested low light plants and a 1.5 watt pet gallon wattage for light if I plan on breeding them, which I'd like to one day do providing the local family owned fish shop, the beta shop, can get their personal family issues cleared up and open on a regalar basis.- I was wondering can free swimming Apistograma fry take newly hatched brine shrimp, if so I'm out of the woods when that time comes as many local shops carry brine shrimp eggs. or do they need smaller first fare?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
You can use any light you like as long as it provides enough PAR for plant growth. If the light is too bright at the bottom of the tank, just add enough floaters to dim the light levels down, and then provide a complex bottom environment with lots of dead leaves and caves.

This tank has natural light from a N. facing window and 2 x 24W T5 tubes

This is the same tank with the lid off:

And this is the window:

cheers Darrel

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, apisto fry can start eating BBS from the time they become freeswimming. The adults will thrive on a mostly BBS diet, too.

 

[Cavedweller]

Yes, apisto fry can start eating BBS from the time they become freeswimming. The adults will thrive on a mostly BBS diet, too.

thank you for the advise. cant wait to get it up and running.