Planting Established

[Link119]

I have an established 10 gallon tank which has gravel currently and i want to add some plants to the scene to top the fakes i currently have. I would like to know what i need to do to add plants to what i currently have. Also, i would like to know which plants dont need maintenance. I have a 30 watt lighting system (colored bulbs).

 

[Link119]

I am also hoping for something that wont add to costs. A one time purchase is fine. I want a plant that doesnt need a lot of light.
My stocking (i know i didnt really pick appropriate fish)
3 Cardinal Tetras
1 Red Swordtail
1 Lyretail Guppy

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What kind of bulb do you have? Incandescent, cfl, t8, etc?
You need a bulb that is 5000-6700k

 

[Link119]

Well, the decoration kind... I couldnt find the actual type...
I would be open to making my own diy led.
I would prefer to have a plant that could live off of room light.

 

[ashleynicole]

Also, i would like to know which plants dont need maintenance.

Any plant requires maintenance. They grow, need pruning at times, and release debris in the form of dead roots and leaves at times which can clog the filter. If you want something that doesn't require maintenance, stick with the fake plants, but even those have to be cleaned of algae growth at times.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Lol well that doesn't tell me much!
You can have moss or hornwort grow in ambient lighting but if you want anything else you will need a light over the tank.

 

[Link119]

Ignore the maintenance part, that stuff i can handle. Im probably going to need to look for real lights. from my knowledge what i have is useless. They are blue and green showcase bulbs.

I actually like Hornwort, it looks decent and doesnt need much light making it good for me. What do i need to plant it?

 

[Link119]

So i really have no info on the bulbs other than they are 30w total. So, what do i need to plant Hornwort? I read up on it a little but i didnt find anything specific to hornwort.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hornworts a floating plant. You can weigh it down and 'plant' it in the substrate but it won't grow roots like stem plants.

 

[Link119]

Do i really need ferts for it? I plan on just keeping one to help out with the o2 content of the water because i really dont like my airstone, too loud.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Do i really need ferts for it? I plan on just keeping one to help out with the o2 content of the water because i really dont like my airstone, too loud.

Not really. If you see it suffering you should dose some. Your filter alone should provide enough surface agitation to promote oxygen exchange. The hornwort will help keep nitrate levels down.

 

[Link119]

Well, i keep the water level high because my heater needs it. Otherwise the air temp affects it too much and already the temp regulation on it isnt the best. I really need to look into a new one.

 

[Link119]

Ok, so i decided that i want to jump into it because i hate the fake plants and i read up a little more. So i dont want to add a co2 injection system to my tank, and i have a gravel substrate currently. I found some cfl bulbs that are 6500k of many wattage ratings. The one mistake i made was that my tank is next to a window, in my sunroom. I really have no other place to put it out of sun-light, but the tank barely gets direct sunlight from the window next to it. I do get some algae patches which i clean every week.

 

[Link119]

BUMP!!!
Oops, forgot to actually ask a question... Where to start? I plan on getting eco-complete (unless not needed) but what ferts, amount of light, and how many plants can i have before co2?