12g planted newbie intro and question

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Jedi

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
26
Location
Cambridge, MA. USA
Hello boys and girls,

First off I want to say that I am very new to this hobby. I picked up a 12g tank off of craiglist for $40 and it came with a 50w heater, a hanging filter, and hood with a 15w fluorescent tube light. A pretty decent deal I think.

I have ordered some eco-complete substrate, a testing kit, and some driftwood online.

The first big question I seem to have is what cheap options do I have for lighting? I can't quite seem to find exactly what I need that would work with this hood. Or .. do I need to replace the hood? (googling 12g aquarium hood seems to bring up just one or two brands which are nothing like mine.)

I figure it's probably the least expensive to try and just do low-light plants in this aquarium. Do you think it'd work with just the 15w? (I doubt it eh?)

I've got plenty of time, and plenty of patience, and I am really looking forward to figuring out all the science behind this hobby. Eventually, after I get the plants going, I'd like to add some shrimp and/or a fish.


Also, is there anyone on here from the Boston/Cambridge area? I'm looking for a good, knowledgeable, LFS.


Thanks. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all and hopefully learning as much as I can as well. :)
 
Hi there! WELCOME! :)
Nice score by the way. :) So you are off to a good start with your substrate and testing kit.
You can certainly do low light plants in there. You could do some crypts, vals maybe (corkscrew might not get too tall) you could certainly do java ferns and annubias.
If you stay low light you wont need to mess with CO2 and since the tank is not as deep I think your light level would be fine for those plants. You could even do some mosses.

If you want to upgrade your light at some point check ebay. There are some great deals to be had there.

When I first started with plants I went with a low light low tech set up and liked it very much. :)
Good luck!
And there are lots of people here willing to send you plants just for shipping. Check out the barter trade section.
 
Hi there! WELCOME! :)
You can certainly do low light plants in there. You could do some crypts, vals maybe (corkscrew might not get too tall) you could certainly do java ferns and annubias. If you stay low light you wont need to mess with CO2 and since the tank is not as deep I think your light level would be fine for those plants. You could even do some mosses.

Awesome. I can't wait for everything to be delivered so I can get started. I'll be sure to post a project thread with pictures as it progresses.

Good luck! And there are lots of people here willing to send you plants just for shipping. Check out the barter trade section.

Thanks! I'll definitely check that trade section. I was looking at buying some plants from AquariumPlants.com Largest online sales / service site for the live aquarium plants & aquarium products community. as it was recommended to me -- have you ever used them?
 
You can upgrade your lightning by just buying a fluorescent bulb. I only paid about $5 for a 15W one.
 
You can upgrade your lightning by just buying a fluorescent bulb. I only paid about $5 for a 15W one.

He already has a 15W fluorescent bulb in there!~ :) <And no, you cannot put in a different W bulb in the fixture, it won't light.>

If the bulb is very old, it might be worthwhile getting a new one (bulbs dim after 6-12 months). Also check the K rating, if it is full spectrum or in the 6000K - 10000K range, you should be good to go.

If you want to upgrade later, the cheapest is to get a retrofit kit. AH Supplies has a 36W PC retrofit for $35 or so, if it will fit in your hood, that is a good option. You can also check out T5-HO's, but I don't think they come short enough to fit inside a 12 gal.
 
If the bulb is very old, it might be worthwhile getting a new one (bulbs dim after 6-12 months). Also check the K rating, if it is full spectrum or in the 6000K - 10000K range, you should be good to go.

How would I go about discovering the K rating? It's an All Glass Aquarium 15w. I googled and it seems it mike be in the 8000K range. If it's true and it is 8000K what 'class' would that put this in for plants? (low, med, or high light?)


Thanks for the help!
 
The K rating simply indicates the color of the light & gives an idea of how much usable light (to the plants) it gives out.

The bulb usually have the K raing or full spectrum or other markings on it to show you what it is. It should at least have a model number that you can chase up. <Markings might be worn off in old bulbs.>

A low K bulb will not give enough usable light for the plants, & so you basically have "no light" tank as far as the plants are concerned. In that case a new bulb is necessary. If the bulb has the right spectrum, then high or low light designation is based on how much light (of the right spectrum) that the bulb is putting out. A 15 W would be low light in your setup (whether the K is 6000 or 10000).
 
I have not used aquarium plants.com myself but I have heard good things about them from others. :)
I have used mikeswetpets.com and was very pleased. As well as various members here, and on aquabid.
 
hey jedi. i'm from central mass (upton) its not real close to you but there is a store in framingham called tropic isle. little expensive but they know there stuff. its right off of rt 9. you would take 9 west till you get to rt 126. take that south to get on rt 9 east. it is 2 streets up on the right (pierce st). i think someone told me about a decent one in quincy but i dont know, i've never been. there is one on the border of millis and medway (rt 109) called uncle neds fish factory. they usually have a good selection of dwarf cichlids but you have to catch them on the right days (they'll order you anything)
 
Thanks jsoong!

I suspect my bulb to definitely be a 15w 8000k T-8.
Do you think my low-light plants would benefit from me changing to a 15w with a different spectrum? Dr. Fosters and Smith's site seems to put my current one in the "freshwater" category but not "planted"

For planted they list the following:

Aqua-Glo
18,000°K (21157)
Life-Glo 2
6,700°K (21161)
Power-Glo
6,500°K (128205)
Flora-Glo
2,800°K (21165)
Tropic Sun
5,500°K (261202)
Ultra Sun
6,500°K (261351)
Flora Sun
5,000°K (261254)
Aqua Relle
10,000°K (21249)
Aqua Rays Fresh/Saltwater
9,325°K (930104)
Coralife High Intensity
10,000°K (924281)
Coralife Colormax
350-750nm (912143)
Coralife Nutri Grow Plant
5,5000°K (924411)

Suggestions?


EDIT---

After speaking with a local friend he made me realize that the k-Rating is, for the most part, just how our eye sees the color and plants can flourish in a variety of them even the 8000k I have currently. It does, however, have a blueish tint to it so I'm going with Life-Glo 2 6,700°K (21161)

I really want the bright 'clear' look.
 
Far as the plants are concerned, it is the spectrum & intensity of the light at the various spectra that is important. This is sometimes designate PAR.

People have done PAR comparisons of the various bulbs (typically 4 footers) & so forth, but for a low light tank, it really doesn't matter that much. You can have good success with any of the full spectrum bulbs, so you can chose one that looks good to you. (I use 6700K full spectrum myself, but others like the very bright look of the 9000 or 10000K ones.)
 
Just an update;

I now have a 12gallon tank, 15w 6700k life-glo t8 bulb, eco-complete substrate (~3-4 inches), 3 pieces of Malaysian driftwood (boiled), a whisper HOB filter (I do not use the carbon in the filter), 50w heater and it's been filled with tap water and running for a number of days.

I used some old filter material from a friend and have raised the tank temperature to about 86f degrees to attempt to get it to cycle faster. I got white-cloudy (bacterial bloom?) water that lasted for about two days and then cleared up. I used dip strips to test around this time and noticed I was getting a reading on nitrites at about ~2-3ppm. After the water cleared up however the nitrite reading had dropped to ~.5ppm. I read no nitrates yet. I realize now that these strips are kind of crappy and will be getting a master test kit (drops) shortly so I can get a better handle on the ammonia.

My water is starting to look a little green and the tank walls are starting to look a bit scummy (not bad yet.. but I can tell its starting.) I'm guessing this is algae from the phosphates in the flake fish food I was using to feed the cycle.

I have a variety of low-light plants that are on the way in a day or two. I have a bottle of Excel here to provide CO2 to them.

I don't really want to spend a ton of cash on chemicals so I'm hoping that I can somewhat naturally regulate the tank. Any suggestions or comments for how this is proceeding? Should I be doing anything different in your opinion? (I realize there are a large number of variations and opinions on how to start up a tank.)

*** RCS AND FILTRATION QUESTION ***

I definitely want to get some red cherry shrimp once I get this tank stable. I've been told I can use hose (stockings) material zip-tied to the bottom of my HOB inlet to prevent shrimp and their offspring from being sucked in but am curious what other filters or options I may have that might be a better solution.

*** BLUE/BLACK EYED YELLOW PLECO AND RCS QUESTION ***

I'd also like to get a blue/black eyed yellow pleco. From what I've read these are herbavors and will not go after the shrimp. Does anyone else have this type of combo and what is your experience with them?



I'll be starting a new thread with pictures soon!
 
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