View Full Version : 10 gallon planted tank
So pretty soon I'm going to do a 10 gallon planted tank. I am sure this has been asked before, so I apologize if this is an old question.
The hood is stock, fits what looks like a 16" fluorescent bulb. The one in there now says it is a "15W aquarium lamp". What bulb should I upgrade this to? I'm going to start with some relatively low light plants to see if I am going to get into this more.
Also, I see flourite and Carib Sea eco-complete as possible substrates. Which do I use? Or do I mix both together?
Thanks a lot, folks!
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 06:19 PM
I use silica sand and you can buy a plant bulb at your local wal-mart. Is it yellow or white light?
White light. The bulb has "All Glass Aquarium" printed on it, too.
RobbieG
09-03-2007, 06:35 PM
Make sure you measure the bulb itself (I had a 36 inch hood that took 24 inch bulbs!)
Other than that get the highest wattage buld of that size you can find (at walmart it would probably be 15-18 watts)
WalMart has plant bulbs - or if you go to an LFS the spectrum is usually on the box (along with reccomendations for use)
I use 10,000 K and 20,000 K bulbs because I like the color but most plant folks use 5500 - 6000 (ish) K
Incredulous_Ed
09-03-2007, 06:47 PM
You would be best off using flourite or eco complete, but most people like eco complete better because of the color and it doesnt cloud the water.
At walmart, in the light bulb section, they sell a plant bulb that is 6700k. I wuld get that one.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 06:53 PM
Yup or that one is fine, I have probably the same one and my plants do fine in my 10g but a better light is needed for better growth.
I am notorious for doing things and doing them right the first time, so an upgraded bulb is very much on the purchase list. Here's another question--I also have hoods that take dual small incandescent bulbs, and I found these:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18361/si1382997/cl0/coralifeminicompact5050lamp20watt
I don't understand what the difference is between the bulbs above and these:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18361/si1382997/cl0/coralifeminicompact5050lamp20watt
It would seem that 40 watts (2 20 watt bulbs) would be a great option, but again, I'm brand new to the planted tank world.
Thanks a lot for the help! I'm really excited about getting into planted tanks!
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 08:47 PM
Looks fine with me. You have that one 10g set-up thing at wal-mart don't you? I have 2 as well, one is a saltwater and one don't have anything but the tank anymore in it.
Yes, 2 walmart 10 gallon setups but with filtration upgraded to an AC30 and Stealth heaters.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 08:56 PM
Lol, I don't even have heaters in my 10g freshwater. My room stays warm so there is no need, I do in my 55g and in all of my saltwater though.
My heaters don't run much in the warm weather, but it gets very cold in the winter.
Okay, so I'm going to go with the dual 20 watt bulbs and eco complete. I'm going to dose with liquid ferts, Hagen.
Here's one more dumb question--do I do a fishless cycle before or after introducing the plants?
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 09:01 PM
If you place enough plants in there, then you don't have to cycle. You can do it before it, plants benefit from that kinda stuff. What plants are you looking at?
LOL, I have no idea what plants I'm looking at! I have zero idea what I am doing. I have an excess of house plants, so I do have a green thumb though! There is a good sticky post here about easy plants to start with, so I'll probably print that and take it to the LFS and see what kind of trouble I can get into.
Here's one more dumb question--are those plant anchors really necessary? I'm talking about these:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18481/si1382132/cl0/pennplaxplantanchors
...and thanks for the ongoing help! Much appreciated!
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 09:11 PM
I don't use them, I just bury them in the sand a little over the original area and they do fine. All I have is easy to grow plants if you want an idea. Amazon sword is a great plant to use and if you are willing to drive to Arkansas, I will give you several clippings for free.:c3:
LOL, I'm there. It should only take what, like 12 hours?
So you can propagate aquarium plants from clippings, too? Wow, I have so much to learn about planted tanks.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 09:26 PM
well some can like my amazon sword shoots off baby plants all the time and that is what it looks like and also my brazilian pennywort has roots shooting off everywere. Some can and some have to regenerate new plants off of themselves. Really neat to watch them grow and stuff. Just drive on down here and I will fill your arms up with plants and supplies.
From mapquest from my town to yours:
Total Est. Time: 13 hours, 59 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 851.87 miles
Think I'll fly instead! :ezpi_wink1:
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 09:33 PM
Lol, ok. I will sure be waiting. Want me to pm you my address. I can also show you around are cheesy LFS here that I am sure is like the worst one you would ever see and be furious at how they keep their fish, I have to go in there and straighten them out all the time but that is what they got to work with so I guess I can't be to POED at them, I guess I will have to drive 2 hrs and go talk to the main store about it.:ezpi_wink1: Wanna join me?:19:
If we are going to go confront a bad store owner, we need Drum to come along so he can kick some serious butt! :27:
I live in the middle of nothing, my local LFS carries the same fish all the time, no variation ever. No plants, but they do have a "buy one fish get the other for a penny" sale every Sunday.
I'll be getting plants from the next nearest LFS in Lavalle, MD, about 40 minutes away. We do also have a Petsmart about 45 minutes away in Altoona, PA as well.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 09:42 PM
Them large chain stores carry a good variety of plants, I just won't buy there fish. Ok, dru can go to. I am serious though, they still run off one system.
*Sarah*
09-03-2007, 10:01 PM
My 10g is planted...and it is the stock hood, which doesnt' even have fluorescent lights, they're incandescents lol. The plants are fine, I've had to prune some back they grew over the top of the water. And I have them in the gravel. I just add liquid ferts about once a week. My Java Moss grows like mad as well. Heck I even have a Val in there that's growing fine.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 10:02 PM
I can't get moss to grow in mine, it is grazed down before it gets to the bottom of the tank.
I really want to have a tank that has a few medium size plants and a lot of "ground cover". I really like the look of a tank in which you can't see the substrate.
TowBoater
09-03-2007, 10:22 PM
Same here but I can't do it. Baby tears can do it along with like crypt and stuff.
Incredulous_Ed
09-04-2007, 05:42 PM
I really want to have a tank that has a few medium size plants and a lot of "ground cover". I really like the look of a tank in which you can't see the substrate.
Maybe you should go with hairgrass as a carpet plant gm72. Also, you dont need plant anchors at all. Alot of times they will kill your plants
Hairgrass, I like how that looks. Great idea!
Hurry up...too much discussion...not enough photograhs...:laugh1blue:
Ha! Well right now the photograph would be of me sitting at the computer placing an order for eco-complete, bulbs, and liquid ferts from bigal's!
Incredulous_Ed
09-05-2007, 08:03 PM
True that. Planted tanks take forever researching.
TowBoater
09-05-2007, 11:32 PM
Lol, unless you do it the whole wrong way like me and just buy a few and not know squat about them.
*Sarah*
09-05-2007, 11:52 PM
Lol, unless you do it the whole wrong way like me and just buy a few and not know squat about them.
Amen Brotha!
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 12:03 AM
Lol, I guess I ain't the only one who does it like that? The totally wrong way?
*Sarah*
09-06-2007, 12:07 AM
Lol, I guess I ain't the only one who does it like that? The totally wrong way?
lol nope, that's exactly what I did :) Mine are doin just peachy in the gravel under my incandescents in my 10g :)
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 12:16 AM
Lol, mine do fine as well, as a matter of fact I have turned many peoples plants from terribly bad to better than it had ever been.
Well, my plants will be perfect. I'll be winning international awards in no time. RIGHT! :ezpi_wink1: :hmm3grin2orange: :rolleyes:
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 12:36 AM
Lol, sure you will, anything is possible.
Hahaha! Possible but not probable!
I got the order shipment confirmation from bigal's just today, so I probably will receive the items on Monday. I'm near the shop with the plants on Tuesday, so I am hopeful I'll be able to pick up some then!
Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I pass within about 10 minutes of a Petsmart, too. How long can aquatic plants remain out of the water without being damaged?
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 12:57 AM
A lot longer than fish.:28:
Ha ha ha, very funny. :c5:
Seriously though, would about an hour and a half be too long? That's about how long it would be for me from the Petsmart.
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 02:30 AM
I think it would be fine, it just needs to stay wet.
*Sarah*
09-06-2007, 02:33 AM
just bring a bag to put the plants in, and add some of their tank water to the bag and put the plants in there :) OR get the store to put some water in one of their bags...
cocoa_pleco
09-06-2007, 02:34 AM
even 12 hours is okay i think. i had some plants stay in the bag with a bit of water for 6 hours and they are still fine
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 02:38 AM
Ive done 2 hrs.
Bodhi
09-06-2007, 02:45 AM
If your actually investing the time and money to do this thing right, I've got a couple of suggestions:
First, check out this link for a great source of total plant packages that you can order online (no I don't work for them). Petsmart is phasing out it's plant section, which was measely as it was. They're going to start offering semi-aquatic plants only because they last a lot longer in thier store than true aquatic plants. Unfortunately they don't last very long in your tank because they take CO2 in greater quantities than most aquaria provide. Anyway, the link:
http://www.azgardens.com/newhabts2.php
I'd go with the ten gallon easy life plant package.
I'd also look into buying an all glass hood for your tank, and buying a dual flourescent strip in the hardware section at walmart. They run about $8.00 for both items, and beef up your light output considerably. If you havn't discovered it yet, inadequate light output is the number one killer of planted tanks. You want a minimum of 2 watts per gallon. You really don't have enough light right now for 99% of the species out there, especially since you like ground cover (which usually requires a tremendous amount of light).
With the setup I'm advising, you're investing about $50.00, which is about what you'll spend at Petsmart to fail miserably.
zackish
09-06-2007, 04:03 AM
I believe a 10 gal. tank is like 21 inches long or so.
Corrallife should have a 20 inch power compact that is like 28 watts or so which would be perfect. I can't find it on bigalsonline but maybe if you look elsewhere.
However, this light would be sick but I think it would bring on too much algae, IDK what the hell you would do with this light but it would fit a 10 gal nicely.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18369/si1379063/cl0/coralifefreshwateraqualight206700kquad96watt
cocoa_pleco
09-06-2007, 04:06 AM
I believe a 10 gal. tank is like 21 inches long or so.
Corrallife should have a 20 inch power compact that is like 28 watts or so which would be perfect. I can't find it on bigalsonline but maybe if you look elsewhere.
However, this light would be sick but I think it would bring on too much algae, IDK what the hell you would do with this light but it would fit a 10 gal nicely.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18369/si1379063/cl0/coralifefreshwateraqualight206700kquad96watt
THAT LIGHT IS HUGE! or wait, is that light for fish or weed? JK.
that light would be cool, as long as you have the time to scrub algae like a ooompa loompa. wonder how much power a month it sucks?
anywho, gm72, sounds like youre gonna have a wicked 10g!:thumb:
zackish
09-06-2007, 04:18 AM
100 watts aint bad. I think you would need your phosphate and nitrate levels like perfect and you would only need like 7 hours a day, I don't even know.
I inquired to chrona about putting another 65 watt on my 29 and he said it would be too much unless something but I completely forget. I gotta get my plants back in order right now and finish up the tank. That little set back w the dead fish yesturday pissed me off so now I just gotta make sure that problem doesn't happen again. My plants truly look like shit right now and I am hoping these ferts work.
cocoa_pleco
09-06-2007, 04:26 AM
ferts make a huge difference. my java fern hybrids werent growing before but after ferts theyre dark green and healthy
TowBoater
09-06-2007, 11:22 AM
I add ferts and that is all I do.
Well I'll have 40 watts, so that will be 4 watts per gallon, two times weekly liquid ferts. We shall see. I am VERY excited and want to say again that I GREATLY appreciate all of the support and advice from all of you! thumbs2:
elmer
09-07-2007, 12:44 AM
If you've got 4 W/gal, you are going to have lots of algae very quickly unless you start CO2 injection. (at least from what I've read). Do a Google-search for non-CO2 methods and you will see that 2W/gal is the maximum.
cocoa_pleco
09-07-2007, 01:28 AM
gm, you shouldnt have crazy algae issues. ive got 4W/g (80W total) on my 20g planted and i just get a few bits here and there, not bad. i stopped the CO2 on it since the plants dont really need it
Great to hear the confirmation.
I set up the tank last night and am waiting for the water to clear before I post my pictures (I rinsed out one of the sponge prefilters in there to jump start everything. I also dosed the plants last night.
Should I wait to add a few fish? I'll probably transfer the 3 serpae tetras to this tank.
I ended up using about 15 pounds of the eco-complete. I figured the extra depth would only do the plants more good. Sure hope this experiment works!
TowBoater
09-08-2007, 06:44 PM
You and me both, good luck and I want to see the pictures man!!!
Okay, here's the deal. DO NOT LAUGH! Here we have a banana plant, ummm...another plant, and...another one. And some driftwood and 2 serpae tetras.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc294/gm72/IMG_0551.jpg
cocoa_pleco
09-09-2007, 06:25 PM
so far so good! thats some nice driftwood! add some grassy, small growing plants to the front left and it should look cool
I really wanted some ground cover type plants, but they didn't have anything. I think I'm going to see what these guys do first then expand if I have even a modicum of success.
I'm going to try to get a better pic later. The detail in the wood really is totally lost in the shot.
Edit: Any idea what the middle and right plants are? The woman at the store didn't know and they weren't labeled.
tropfish
09-09-2007, 06:33 PM
lookin good gm! I can't wait to see it in a few months
Dave66
09-09-2007, 11:30 PM
I really wanted some ground cover type plants, but they didn't have anything. I think I'm going to see what these guys do first then expand if I have even a modicum of success.
I'm going to try to get a better pic later. The detail in the wood really is totally lost in the shot.
Edit: Any idea what the middle and right plants are? The woman at the store didn't know and they weren't labeled.
Looks like one of the Myriophyllums in the middle, and one of the smaller Vallisneria cultivars on the right.
Dave
Thank you. The one on the right is actually comprised of 3 stalks, all of which had small roots growing. I'm hopeful I'll have some success!
I am having something unusual now. There is a fairly thick layer of what looks like gel of some kind covering the driftwood. I took out the wood and rinsed the gunk off. Odorless. This is not a new piece of driftwood. Am I dealing with some kind of algae? Bizarre, never have seen anything like it. Any ideas?
I am overnight on a business trip tomorrow, will post pics if it returns.
cocoa_pleco
09-11-2007, 01:06 AM
i think its just a film in a unestablished tank, no biggie
I have never seen anything like it before. Thick, quite thick on the backside of the wood, maybe 1/2 inch or so. I guess we'll wait to see what it looks like when I return on Wednesday night.
cocoa_pleco
09-11-2007, 01:10 AM
hmmm, i think dave66 for sure knows. he helped someone else with the same thing
Well that slime has not come back, thankfully.
Is it possible that I am already seeing growth in the middle plant (hornwart maybe)? I swear the tips of the "branches" look slightly longer and much more bright green.
Incredulous_Ed
09-15-2007, 08:12 PM
Yeah, it's possible dude. hornwort drows extremely fast.
Now after reading through Rex's link a few times and realizing that the WPG rule doesn't work for a 10 gallon tank, I am wondering if I should upgrade to this?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18369/si1379063/cl0/coralifefreshwateraqualight206700kquad96watt
cocoa_pleco
09-19-2007, 04:32 AM
i think 96W is a bit too much, im gonna run a 42W T-5 on my 10g and thats for high light plants, generally 30W is the min. for a 10g and the max. should be 50W
TowBoater
09-19-2007, 11:14 AM
I run stock on my 10g planted and it does fine.
Well I thought 96 watts would be too much too but was obviously not sure. I had this image of blind fish and fried plants.
cocoa_pleco
09-20-2007, 09:59 PM
lol, you would have to get the fish some suntanning glasses!
Incredulous_Ed
09-21-2007, 03:22 AM
heh, 96 watts is a bit overboard. Half that would be okay.
Updates: my banana plant has developed two dark brown spots on two of the leaves. These spots are surrounded by a yellowish area. Is this a lighting or fert issue?
Meanwhile the hornwort is going nuts. It has grown literally several inches since planted. Two of the "branches" are at the top of the water now.
The grass-type plant is dying. Leaves turning brown. Looks pretty bad.
I added a Ludwia (spelling? That is how he pronounced it at the store). The bottoms are browning but the tops look to be doing well. I wonder if enough light is reaching the bottom of the tank. Honestly it looks a lot like moneywort.
Tomorrow I am replacing the two 50/50 bulbs with two Colormax bulbs.
cocoa_pleco
09-22-2007, 12:37 AM
i think the yellow means something do do with iron, and black means its dying
Peachy. Just peachy. Well I suppose I shouldn't get discouraged since this is my very first effort.
cocoa_pleco
09-22-2007, 01:57 AM
nope, dont be discouraged. soon you'll get the hang of it!
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