Thinking of a Planted Tank?

[wilson]

I have a spare ten gallon and i was thinking of getting some PC fluorescent bulbs(the kind that screw in an incandescant hood. I was thinkg of getting to 9 watts or so and having 1.9 wpg. So a low light tank. If i can set this up, i want to put the betta I just bought in it because i dont think it likes its little 1 gallon habitat(it doesnt swim much). So i want to give it cover and make a nice tank with maybe a few other occupants. I was thinking of getting some panda cories(would the work), and then maybe a few black tetras or guppies. for plants i was thining possibly some: Micro sword, anacharis, java fern, Hygrophila corymbosa, and i dont know, any suggestions. Would those work. I have to see what i have with the tank, i know i have an ac 150 but it is missing the cover part between the U tube and propeller, so i might get a new filter what would you suggest. I already have a heater and hood. Also what substrate should i get. I have some sand i was going to use for my nanotank i was once going to have but dont, couldi use it. I think its called caribsea arag-alive. Thanks and sorry for such a long post.

 

[Lance M.]

For your filter I have a 10-20 whisper power filter on my ten gallon, but your betta probably wouldn't like the current from it. I've also used a penguin mini on the ten gallon and that worked fine. So the penguin mini bio-wheel filter would probably be good.

The sand you mentioned would increase the pH and hardness of the water (I think so), so I wouldn't use it. Just get some reg. river gravel or something like that.

For plants that would be a low light I have 2 wpg in my ten gallon with lace java fern growing great and crypt. wendtii and willisi growing well. I also have a baby amazon sword plant in there that's growing very well. I have one piece of giant Hygro (Hygrophila corymbosa) but it got attacked by an apple snail a couple weeks back and I'm surprised it's still alive, but before it was growing great. You just need to know it gets very tall for a ten gallon tank.

A couple of panda cories would be fine. I have 5 pygmy cories in my ten gal. I'd stay away from guppies because the betta would most likely attack them cause of their colors and large fins. Black tetras would be fine, also neon tetras or cardinal tetras would work.

That's my experience with the ten gallon.

 

[wilson]

Thank you very much. I thought I had heard that about guppies but i was unsure. Could i just get some sand and use that as the substrate for my tank, or would it be better to use river gravel? Thank you very much for your help.

 

[travis simonson]

Sand works very well as a substrate, although there are some types to avoid. I've never used it before, but most people I know recommend play sand from Home Depot or the like for use in planted tanks.

 

[flamingonhot]

you would have to be very choosey on sand because the sand from home depot travis recommended is not very good. Something about it contains silica,and my cousin is currently using it and it gets gross real quick!

and the arag-alive is actually only for saltwater aquariums.

 

[flamingonhot]

you would have to be very choosey on sand because the sand from home depot travis recommended is not very good. Something about it contains silica,and my cousin is currently using it and it gets gross real quick!

and the arag-alive is actually only for saltwater aquariums.

 

[travis simonson]

Play sand and silica sand are not the same thing. Silica sand has a finer, more uniform grain size and is used in the sand blasting industry (also seen being sold as Blasting Sand). Play sand has a less uniform, coarser grain size and is noticeably darker than silica sand. The reason silica sand is not recommended is that it will increase silicate levels in the water column, which may promote the growth of certain types of algae - most often brown/diatomaceous algae and sometimes red/beard algae. Play sand should not increase the silicate levels in your water by a noticeable degree and should work well

 

[wilson]

K thanks you. If i were to just buy a bag of sand from the LFS would it work, or would it be silica sand for sure?

 

[travis simonson]

Most of the sand you find at the LFS is likely aragonite-based sand meant for use in saltwater tanks. You don't want to use this as it will increase the KH and pH of your water quite a bit. If you do buy sand at your LFS, make sure it is neutral and contains no buffering agents/aragonite compounds. There are some types of planted tank substrates that you can find as sand - Seachem's Onyx Sand is one of the best. If you can find it, it works very well. Otherwise I would just go with standard play sand from Home Depot or some other home store.

 

[youronlysin]

Just for a little more input, I thought Id throw in that I have a male betta in a 15 gallon tank with a dozen guppies. They dont bother each other at all. Every betta is going to be different, but I've heard others aren't having any problems with the two co-existing either. The guppies have colorful tails, but they arent terribly big. It also might make a difference if you add two guppies or twelve. I think bettas are wonderful fish and if you have a lot of places to hide and swim then their temperament tends to reflect that to some degree. I've also had bettas in 10 gallon tanks with multiple tank mates with no problems. I also have play sand in my tanks, which are also moderately planted. I got the play sand from Lowes for $2.89 per 50 pound bag. It is a nice grain sized quartz sand. I do think that some of the commercial sands are good quality as well, I just dont want black sand in my tank. Thats my preference...I like a more natural look. Just be sure your getting a quartz sand and youll be fine. Rinse it well to run off the finest particles and your settling time will be minimized and cloudiness will clear up in a day or two.

As far as filtration goes, the AC filter you had is a great one, if you can get the part or just replace it with another or something similar. I've used the tetra/whisper filters with as good results as the AC units Im using now. I never had a problem with my betta and the flow rate of the whisper or AC filter. Now, if I let the water level drop enough, the water falling from the filter output would make a lot of turbulence...I know the betta would stay to other side of the tank then, but I usually keep the water level in the tank about even with the filter output, so there is minimal turbulence. Im using the AquaClear 200 in my 15 tall...quite a lot of water flow for a 15 gallon tank, but the turbulence in the tank is minimal if I keep the water level up. The betta explores the entire tank with no worries. (I asked him ).

 

[wilson]

The betta explores the entire tank with no worries. (I asked him ).

LOL.

This just came to me, but would pool filter sand work as well. I might have some of that on hand because we have a pool. hmm ill have to go look