Starting a 10 gallon planted

[Sahabo]

So I'm pretty much new to planted tanks. I've done some java fern and moss on driftwood in my 5 gallon, but that's about it.

I'm just beginning to set up a new 10 gallon and while it's cycling I'd like to learn how to plant it and get some aquascaping ideas. I'm going to have 2x15w CFL so I'm guessing this will be low light? Might there be some medium light plants that would grow well with that amount of light?

I have about an inch of black gravel at the moment. Do I need more gravel?

I've read that gravel isn't a great substrate for plants, but I really like this stuff. If I add flourish root tabs, will that help?

Can anyone suggest some 10 gallon low tech tanks I can look at to get some ideas?

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

another inch or 2 of gravel would be better IMO. Plants do just fine with regular gravel in lower tech setups, well most easy plants.

One of my favorite 10G lower tech tanks is here:
10 Gallon Journal - "Betta Haven", my first planted tank


Stick with easy plants, like Crypts/Java moss/ferns/anubias. Then you will be OK with easy medium light plants like wisteria/ some Hygro/vals. Search here under lighting requirements to see some.
PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide

 

[An t-iasg]

I used 20 pounds of substrate in each of my 10 gallon tanks - that was one bag of Eco Complete. I could roughly measure the depth for you (I'm sure it's over an inch) but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Peyton the betta is sleeping now. For regular gravel, I think a good recommendation is 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per gallon. That's how I filled my 5.5 gallon tanks with regular gravel. I used one 5-pound bag plus a little bit more of another bag for them.

Gravel is an ok substrate for plants. Stem plants will be fine; just make sure the gravel isn't too large because it may be difficult to keep the stem plants anchored in larger gravel. Estes brand gravel worked ok for me. Crypts will like a root tab. I put root tabs under my crypts even in Eco Complete.

I grew a pretty good variety of plants in my 10 gallon when I had 28 watts CF. I had CO2 also; I don't think my lighting level required CO2 but I wanted to learn how to set up a CO2 system. CO2 always helps, even in low light, although it isn't necessary in low light.

Some easy-to-find plants that I grew were Bacopa caroliniana, B. australis, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, H. verticillata, Ludwigia repens, Rotala rotundifolia, and the various crypts and anubias. I also had Sagittaria subulata and Hygrophila polysperma "sunset" but got rid of them. They were beautiful but the sag took up half the tank and the hygro grew much too fast to keep up with (it would make a good cycling plant, though.)

I'm no good at aquascaping Joy is the one to ask about aquascaping small tanks!

Read the stickies at the top of this forum - you'll get a basic guide for lighting, substrates, etc.

 

[Purrbox]

There are two things that really help when aquascaping an aquarium. Start with your hard scape. Make sure to pick pieces that are large enough for the scape, this is usually larger than you think is necessary. The main driftwood or rocks should be at least half the height of the aquarium so that they don't just get lost in the scape. Next, make sure that you pick plants that are appropriately sized for your aquarium. Plants with smaller leaves will make your small aquarium seem large, while plants with large leaves will make it seem smaller. For instance you would want to choose Anubias Nana or Anubias Nana Petite, but avoid the larger Anubia like Barteri. Choose a Needle Leaf Java Fern over a standard Java Fern. And so forth. Once you have your plants try to create three levels. Tall plants in back, medium height plants in the middle and short plants in front. If you loose any of these three heights your scape will tend to loose depth and seem smaller (flatter).

 

[An t-iasg]

The depth of my Eco Complete is 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches.

 

[Sahabo]

Hmmm...instead of adding more gravel, what would happen if I added about an inch of laterite and mixed it with my current gravel?

 

[rich311k]

You really only need to add an ounce per gallon or so of laterite, I would not put that much in the tank.

 

[An t-iasg]

You really also need to cover the laterite with 2 inches of gravel. It's not supposed to come in contact with the water column. It can cloud the water if it gets in too much contact. It's not going to work if you "mix it in" - it has to be the first layer down, and then it has to be completely covered.

 

[Sahabo]

Aaaahhhh...revealing my lack of knowledge about planted tanks So I'd have to remove the gravel that's already in there, then layer about 10 ounces of laterite, then re-add gravel. Is it worth it?

Still looking for hardscaping ideas. Since I've got black gravel, I'm thinking about large stones and dark driftwood to contrast the green plants. I've been looking through the AA gallery to get some ideas. I think I'll have to rely the internet as there are not a lot of good resources locally for plants and driftwood. I really like these chinese zebra stones I saw.. aqua forest aquarium

 

[An t-iasg]

Oh no, please don't think that! When I got my first stem plant (it was a very fine myrio species), and it didn't have roots, which is ok, but I didn't know which end was which and I had to ask!

Yes, to do it correctly, you'd have to remove the gravel, add laterite, and add enough gravel on top. Laterite comes in 20 oz. boxes, so you'd use half of the box. For a 10 gallon size, it might be worth it. If you already had a 55 gallon set up - probably not worth it.

 

[Purrbox]

Personally I'd just use root tabs instead of the laterite. Much less work to add to the aquarium.

 

[Sahabo]

Personally I'd just use root tabs instead of the laterite. Much less work to add to the aquarium.

That's what I was starting to think!

 

[Sahabo]

How is eucalyptus or cedar for driftwood?? There are some really nice pieces on aquabid that I've got my eye on...

 

[An t-iasg]

I found these discussions on cedar as driftwood:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/cedar-driftwood-29446.html

Cedar driftwood

I would have thought that eucalyptus wouldn't be advisable but I saw from some searching that it is used too:

Aquarium Wood

 

[Sahabo]

hhmmm....maybe i ought to stick with something safer. thanks anne!

 

[An t-iasg]

It's Deb...LOL...I know you know that!

I read that hard woods are better than soft woods. I'm pretty sure eucalyptus and cedar would be considered soft woods. Their aroma is pretty strong and I'd think that would take a very long time to go away. In the meantime, I'd be afraid it would give the tank a strong odor, not to mention some of those posts that say the resin/sap isn't safe for the fish.

 

[FishEggs]

while being a soft wood cedar has it's own naturally occurring decomposition resistance which is why it is used for a lot of exterior applications from siding to decks to landscaping. it is also loaded with tannins and will give you that tea colored cedar water that would be good for some biotopes needing the acidic water. personally i would not use it.

 

[Sahabo]

It's Deb...LOL...I know you know that!

I read that hard woods are better than soft woods. I'm pretty sure eucalyptus and cedar would be considered soft woods. Their aroma is pretty strong and I'd think that would take a very long time to go away. In the meantime, I'd be afraid it would give the tank a strong odor, not to mention some of those posts that say the resin/sap isn't safe for the fish.

Deb!! ACK SO SORRY! I DO know that...my fingers sometimes type faster than my brain thinks!

I think I'll stick to Malaysian and Mopani wood.

 

[An t-iasg]

LOL...really, no problem

Malaysian and Mopani wood are the types that I see most frequently discussed here. I also see (from a visit to DrsFS) that mopani wood used to be known as swahala wood, and I remember previous discussions that swahala wood was a favorite with a lot of members. Anything from DrsFS I would certainly trust.

 

[JohnPaul]

Another option for wood is Manzanita wood, which is a lighter color than most driftwoods you see used in aquariums. You can get it online from Manzanita Burlworks. I've never ordered from them myself but I have seen reports from several people who have, and every one of them just loved the wood they got. They also said if you contact the place first via e-mail and explain what size tank you have, they will custom-choose pieces for you of an appropriate size for your tank and will even do their best to take special requests (By requests, I mean something along the lines of, "I'd like one really branchy piece," "I'd love to have a piece shaped like a big arch," etc.) No guarantees, but that the folks who run it are apparently pretty nice and want to do all they can to make sure people get wood they will really be happy with.

Just another possibility to consider.

As for plants, I am currently running two (relatively new) 10 gallon tanks with 30W of spiral CF light and no CO2, so it sounds like we will have pretty similar setups. The only difference is I am using a planted tank substrate (flourite black sand) so that gives me an edge with root feeders. Here's what I've found so far:

• java moss and peacock moss are growing great
• flame moss and fissidens moss, not so much; both are looking a bit yellowish and don't seem to be growing much (but the verdict is still out)
• dwarf sag is growing well and sending out runners starting new plants
• Lugwigia repens and Lugwigia arcuata are growing, though very slowly and new growth is mostly green rather than red colored
• Dwarf clover (Marsiliea sp. 'dwarf') growing very slowly
• Corkscrew val is growing so fast I don't know what to do with it
• Green Hygro (Hygrophilia polysperma) is growing at a nice, moderate rate
• Rotala rotundifolia growing but slowly, and new growth lacks any red color
• Small Cardinal (Lobelia cardinalis 'small form') growing slowly but nicely
• Blyxa japonica and Blyxa aubertii both grew terribly and had to be pulled
• Guppy grass (Najas) was growing fine when I had it floating in the tank (eventually pulled it to put in yet another tank)

And while I haven't bought any yet, I know from the past in this sort of setup (10 gal, 25 to 30W, no CO2) I've had good luck with any of the anubias variants I have tried, as well as with a few different small to medium-sized swords. As long as you have root tabs near any of your root feeders (vals, crypts, swords especially) you should be fine with any "low light" plants and with at least some of the plants often considered "medium light."