Which Fertilizer?

[*Sarah*]

My 10 gal is cycling with plants. I have gravel as a substrate, no soil or anything. Whisper 10 filter. What kind of fertilizer should I use? Have no intention of adding CO2, just liquid ferts or possibly fert sticks. What is the best?

Oh, and I have the lights that came with the new setup. On the hood it says not to use more than 25watt bulbs, but I don't know what the wattage of the lights in there are.

[Drumachine09]

You could make a $2 co2 system with water sugar yeast, a clean coke bottle, and an airline tube.

[*Sarah*]

You could make a $2 co2 system with water sugar yeast, a clean coke bottle, and an airline tube.

yeah, but that means I have to have that contraption sitting in my livingroom..nah. Besides, lots of ppl have plants thriving w/o it. I only plan on keeping easy, low light plants, at least for now.

[Chrona]

My 10 gal is cycling with plants. I have gravel as a substrate, no soil or anything. Whisper 10 filter. What kind of fertilizer should I use? Have no intention of adding CO2, just liquid ferts or possibly fert sticks. What is the best?

Oh, and I have the lights that came with the new setup. On the hood it says not to use more than 25watt bulbs, but I don't know what the wattage of the lights in there are.

Are they incandescent bulbs? If so, you won't have enough light to warrant CO2 injections really. For starters, you'll need a trace elements supplement, like Seachem's Flourish, since you have plain gravel and not a substrate that contains them like Flourite. For fertilizer, I'm currently using API Leafzone (contains iron and potassium, liquid) and Hagen (I think) fertilizer sticks for everything else, but for the low light plants you'll want to get, you can just get the liquid fertilizer, since they most of them absorb nutrients from the water column. I'd also recommend using Flourish Excel, which contains organic carbon (as a replacement for the dissolved C02) I found it helped a lot, since, like you, I'm using a Whisper 10 HOB, which tends to make alot of surface disturbance/bubbles that causes CO2 to leave the water.

For plants, you will want Java fern, Java Moss, Anubias nana for starters. They look great and really couldn't care less about lighting/water conditions, etc.

Also, when setting the tank up, fill the water to a point about 1/4-1/2 an inch higher than the lip of the power filter outlet. I found it helps a lot.

[*Sarah*]

Are they incandescent bulbs? If so, you won't have enough light to warrant CO2 injections really. For starters, you'll need a trace elements supplement, like Seachem's Flourish, since you have plain gravel and not a substrate that contains them like Flourite. For fertilizer, I'm currently using API Leafzone (contains iron and potassium, liquid) and Hagen (I think) fertilizer sticks for everything else, but for the low light plants you'll want to get, you can just get the liquid fertilizer, since they most of them absorb nutrients from the water column. I'd also recommend using Flourish Excel, which contains organic carbon (as a replacement for the dissolved C02) I found it helped a lot, since, like you, I'm using a Whisper 10 HOB, which tends to make alot of surface disturbance/bubbles that causes CO2 to leave the water.

For plants, you will want Java fern, Java Moss, Anubias nana for starters. They look great and really couldn't care less about lighting/water conditions, etc.

Also, when setting the tank up, fill the water to a point about 1/4-1/2 an inch higher than the lip of the power filter outlet. I found it helps a lot.

Well, they're not florescent, so I'm assuming they're incandescent. I will likely change them in the not too distant future b/c I don't like the yellowish light they give off.

So Foluorish Excel, Api Leafstone and Hagen sticks..cool

I don't find that the Whisper really agitates the top much, I mean it moves a bit, but it's not like it's splashing or anything.

Plants. Well I have a few in there, including Java Moss that the LFS guy accidently put in with some other plantsthumbs2: I picked plants from the store that the LFS guy said were growing well, and they looked pretty healthy. I had the names of them in another post, but now I forget.

Is it really important to have an airstone in there to oxygenate? I have a couple in my 40gal, but I didn't want to have to move it over to the 10, and nor can I afford to buy a pump right now.

[Chrona]

Well, they're not florescent, so I'm assuming they're incandescent. I will likely change them in the not too distant future b/c I don't like the yellowish light they give off.

So Foluorish Excel, Api Leafstone and Hagen sticks..cool

I don't find that the Whisper really agitates the top much, I mean it moves a bit, but it's not like it's splashing or anything.

Plants. Well I have a few in there, including Java Moss that the LFS guy accidently put in with some other plantsthumbs2: I picked plants from the store that the LFS guy said were growing well, and they looked pretty healthy. I had the names of them in another post, but now I forget.

Is it really important to have an airstone in there to oxygenate? I have a couple in my 40gal, but I didn't want to have to move it over to the 10, and nor can I afford to buy a pump right now.

No air pump, as they agitate the water and release the CO2. A healthy tank of plants will keep the water well oxygenated. As for the bulbs....you can't really convert the fixture you have to flourescent without a expensive retrofit kit...so really, unless the make tinted incandescent bulbs, I think you may have to get a new lighting strip :/ I was thinking about getting a cheap incandescent hood and sticking 2 of those flourescent light bulbs that screw in and replace your everyday bulb, but they are too big to fit. The problem with the Whisper (or all HOBs actually) is that if the water level is lower than the lip, the waterfall churns up the water at that spot alot. If it actually puts bubbles into the water, then it's really bad.

Oh, and don't forget Flourish. Flourish Excel is a different product. Flourish is the most important, since once the plants use up their reserve of trace elements, they just die. It also has a bit of iron, which helps too. I would just say Flourish + Flourish Excel + liquid fert for now. Theres no real point in having fert sticks unless you have a lot of lighting and CO2 that will stimulate the plants to actually use it. I have a 19 watt flourescent bulb on top of my 10 gallon, and I didn't notice any difference when putting the fert sticks in.

[*Sarah*]

Alright, that's awesome, thanks Chrona. I guess I was just thinking of the airstone for cycling purposes, but I'm not in a hurry to cycle, so I dont' think it's really necessary.

I'm gonna keep my eyes open for lighting options. There has to be something I can add, or even just better bulbs that aren't so yellowish. Of course, it's what came with the set up, so they're prob the cheapest bulbs out there.

OH, I actually have another question. Since the Whisper is for 5-10 gal, should I get some other type of filtration as well? My 40gal has a 70gal filter on it, so I figure that the 10 should have some extra too. I have a 40gal filter sitting around, but I thought that might be a little too much filtration.

[cocoa_pleco]

you can never overfiltrate. As long as your fish arent swimming for dear life, go for it.

I have a aquaclear mini and whisper in my 10g. Now thats heavy filtration

[*Sarah*]

you can never overfiltrate. As long as your fish arent swimming for dear life, go for it.

I have a aquaclear mini and whisper in my 10g. Now thats heavy filtration
Well, well see. I don't want to have to start cycling all over again by changing filters. Maybe I'll just get a little in tank filter or something.

[Chrona]

A slightly underfiltrated planted tank is fine. A 40 gallon filter would have WAY too much current, and would probably uproot your plants/exhaust your fish. I guess you could turn the flow way down, but it's still kinda overkill....lol

[*Sarah*]

Yeah, that's what I figured Chrona. It's a HOB, and the poor fish would be living in a whirlpool! lol. I just want to make sure I avoid any problems.

I was considering breeding some fish in the tank, but I'm just not sure what kind. I was going to do Guppies,a dn my lfs would take them, but I dunno. Maybe I should just put a bunch of pretty male guppies in it. I have hard water, and guppies are good in hard water. Tetras, rasboras, and barbs all want softer water, esp if I was to breed them (at least that's what I've been reading)

[Chrona]

Most of those fish you listed can adapt to hard water given time, but guppies/platies are definetly the easiest to breed. With a ball of java moss in there, your tank will be overflowing with fry in no time.

[*Sarah*]

Yeah, I figure Guppies are some of the prettiest ones :) I just have to decide on some colours, that's the fun part :)

[Chrona]

No the REAL fun part is figuring out what to do with the 100 fry you'll have in a month....lol

[*Sarah*]

No the REAL fun part is figuring out what to do with the 100 fry you'll have in a month....lol

Well, some of them will become feeders for my 40 gal tank:wink2:, and the best ones I'll prob give to the LFS, or exchange for store credit:thumb: