Just need some basics :-D

[carey]

I plan on making my current 10g fry tank a small planted "happy"community tank.

I am running into issues with lights though. I can use a dual incandescent hood that came with the tank or buy another fixture.

I have considered the cheapo odyssea fixtures ( I know they stink but they are super uber cheap and I like the 2 I already have) as they come in a 20" size and also a marineland led fixture that can cover my 20" opening. These are the led ones I'm looking at:

Aquarium Lighting & LED Lights: Marineland Single Bright LED Lighting System
Aquarium Lighting & LED Lights: Marineland LED Double Bright Lighting System

What says the plant experts?

I'm kinda putting the cart before the horse since I'm not sure what i want to grow. I'd like a carpet looking plant and some nice mid and background ones as well.

I was planning on stocking glo fish or something similiar.
I have such ideas for this tank! Getting excited already. lol

Thanks plant guys, my first time really in this section.

 

[Faile]

Your current fixture with a couple of screw in compact fluorescents would give you some good growth and options on plants.

 

[fort384]

Agreed, screw in CFLs could work very well for a 10g tank. If you want to go LED, the double bright will work well... you won't be able to grow carpet type plants with the single bright fixture. As far as LEDs go, these marineland fixtures aren't the best...

Are you planning on injecting CO2 and dosing ferts? If you are venturing into the realm of high light carpet plants, it is something you will want to look into.

If you have any DIY skills, and really want to go with an LED fixture, a DIY build would be so much better than the off-the-shelf fixtures you can buy.

But... again, the screw in CFLs would work well, and would be a very cost effective way to get some decent lighting over a small tank.

 

[carey]

Thanks guys! i saw you on fort and was hoping you'd catch this thread.

I planned on using the planting substrate, the black stuff and would be amicable to dosing ferts. The co2 issue I don't think I know enough about to decide yet. I saw a kit yesterday for $40 in an lfs, would this be what i would need?

I am a crafty chick, but some diy stuff is beyond me. lol

With 2 cfl's what light range would i be in? with the double bright led's what range would I be considered? what about those t5's from odyssea? I think the double tube is only $35 which is totally do able. The quad tube I think is $55 though. Kinda at the max on my light budget. lol

Thanks so much, if tyhere are any links you think I can understand post away! I'm more noob on plants than I am on happy fish

 

[fort384]

Look into DIY CO2 as well... on a 10 gal tank it would be a breeze, and cost $5 or so to setup. Here is a thread with some good DIY CO2 discussion:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/1-4-diy-3-4-purchased-co2-system-136350.html

If you go with a pressurized CO2 kit, I like the MA957 Regulator. eSeasonGear FreeShipping! usually has about the best price on it.

The double bright would put you in high light on a 10gal. The Screw in CFLs would be medium light. The Dual T5HO Odyssea (I am assuming T5HO) would be high light.

 

[carey]

Super! Thanks! I'm off to read the thread.

 

[carey]

Opps one more question, at what level of light do i need to add ferts and when do I need co2?

 

[fort384]

If you go high light, you will need CO2. Ferts start to become a requirement around medium light... but what you need to dose will vary.

If you go with the CFLs, you could get away without CO2. If you go with the doublebrights or the T5HOs, I think you are going to want it.

Some good fert info:


Plants need 5 big things to grow, and several smaller amounts of other nutrients to thrive.

The big things:
1. Light
2. Carbon - This comes in a few forms... your plants will use CO2 in the water to get this. Without injecting CO2 your water will remain at equilibrium with the air, around 7ppm CO2. By injecting CO2 you can raise the CO2 to "unnatural" levels and essentially kick the plants into high gear. The consensus is the most beneficial level is somewhere between 20-40ppm CO2. You can also add Carbon by using a product called "seachem excel" or another glutaraldehyde product. It works very well with most plants, but can cause problems with others (namely hornwort, anacharis, and a few others) so read up on it before putting it in your tank.
3. Nitrogen (N): One of the 3 "macro-nutrients" for plant growth. If you have fish in your tank, there is a natural source of N provided by fish waste and uneaten food, in the form of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. Your plants will soak up these forms of N and use them to grow. As you add more light to a tank, especially if it is heavily planted, your plants may use up all of the N in your tank, and it may become necessary to supplement the N using fertilizer.

4. Phosphorus (P): the 2d of the 3 macro-nutrients. It occurs naturally in many water sources, and is also found in many foods and other organic material. It may be necessary to dose P in high light tanks where the plants are using up all available naturally occurring P. It occurs in the tank in the form of Phosphate, PO4... so you can get a phosphate test kit to check how much P your plants have available to use.

5. Potassium (K): The last of the 3 macro-nutrients. K doesn't occur naturally in much that is already in a standard tank. Most off the shelf aquarium fertilizers contain K (and not the other 2 macros). It is less harmful in large quantities, and almost any tank (from low to high) will benefit from the addition of a supplement that contains K.

The micro-nutrient or trace elements:

Plants also need other nutrients in much smaller quantities that are often referred to as micro-nutrients or trace elements. These include Iron (Fe), the most common trace element added, and a commonly available fertilizer. It also includes other elements, like Boron, Mg, etc.

Most ferts you find in your local fish store will be a liquid form that combines 1 or more of the nutrients I described above. Most serious FW Planted tank hobbyists prefer to dose each of the 4 categories above individually using dry fertilizers. You can buy enough dry fert to last years for a tank of your size for about $20-30. The liquid ferts sold in LFSs are very expensive in comparison, sometimes costing 20-70 times as much if you add up what you are getting per dose. Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - Home is a good source.

In addition to liquid dosing or dry dosing to the water column, there are also "root tabs" available that get "planted" in the substrate under the plants. They can do wonders for plants that are heavy root feeders. They contain 1 or more of the categories of ferts (N, P, K, or trace) I described above.

 

[carey]

That was an excellent link and the above answer was exactly what I needed to know.

For now, I am going to go with the cfl bulbs and see how I do. To be honest I can't keep a cactus alive so I wanna see how I fare before getting into high light.

Should I still add the special substate? I really liked the color and texture of it. And what site is a good one for getting plants? I've looked at plantgeeks for suggestions already.

I hope to start this project in the next week or two tops. Just waiting for the fry to get big enough to go to the lfs. They are almost half inch so it should be soon.


Thanks so much for the prompt responses. I love this site!

 

[fort384]

I like the specialty substrates... but they aren't required for a stunning planted tank. What kind are you looking at specifically?

Post a wanted to buy ad in the classifieds here. Folks will send you plants for next to nothing, depending on what you are looking for. HN1, severum mama, mfdrookie516, BigJim, Crepe, and several others always have trimmings and what not. I am only running 2 small tanks with high light plants, or I would gladly send you some.

I also like: AquariumPlants.com. Shipping is pricey, but I have used them many times, and have never been disappointed.

 

[carey]

To be honest I forgot the name of the substrate. It was balck and in a bag with liquid and was 19.99. I believe it had a one word name.

That plant site is cool, but a bit pricey! i will try the classifieds here when I'm ready.

 

[fort384]

You could consider going with a dirt tank... marconis and mfdrookie516 have both set them up in the last few months, and they are going great. Miracle gro organic potting soil is cheap and seems to work wonders (if you are on a budget). It is a lot more work up front, but once it is done, it seems to be minimal hassle.

Other specialty substrates that I have seen work well:

Eco complete
Flourite
Fluval Flora Plant Stratum
ADA Amazonia Aquasoil
Turface MVP

These are going to very in price from fairly cheap to super expensive... I currently use Amazonia in my 2 tanks, with ADA powersand underneath. It works like a champ. Have also used laterite and flourite in the past with good results.

Also, moved this thread from the aquascaping forum into the planted tanks forum.

 

[carey]

It was flourite that I like I think. I don't mind spending 20 bucks on it. I also plan on painting the back of the glass black too. I figure it will make the plants and fish pop!

Thanks for the move, never sure where to put some of my threads. lol

 

[carey]

So I swapped all my lids arounds and I think these will be the best to add cfl's to. they even have reflectors.

They sit in a glass lid canopy which is much nicer than that plastic cheap ones I have on other tanks. lol

Gonna go to Lowes what bulbs do I need to buy?

 

[fort384]

CFL (the spiral kind). 6500-10000K on the color spectrum.

 

[carey]

Thanks. u rock.

 

[carey]

This is the fixture. Look ok?

 

[fort384]

looks good, should work fine.

 

[carey]

Ok so I got the bulbs. I ended up with 2 60w cfls at 6500k. I am looking at plants and they are use a wpg. I have a 10g so what does that make my wpg as a guesstimate even? 120w/10 is not right. Or do I use the 13w that they use? so 26w/10= 2.6wpg?

help? lol
I'm so lost

 

[fort384]

13w is what you use, not the equivalency rating of 60w. wPG doesn't apply on a 10 gal tank though.