Went planted... what do I need?

[niks97cobra]

So I goes this wild hair up in me and decided to plant a new 10 gallon I put up. There are 10 cardinal tetras and 1 german ram. I tried getting pics of the ram but he is camera shy right now. I have 4 corkscrew or jungle vals (can't recall the name), 2 amazon swords, 1 dwarf amazon and some dwarf grass in the tank as well as some driftwood. I know I shouldn't done the research first but sometimes impulse buying is the most fun. Anyhow, what kind of lighting do I need to get? Right now I have two 10 watt bulbs that have the long shape bars. 60 Hz 120 V. Do I need to upgrade to keep the everything healthy? I know the amazons will quick out grow the tank but I can trim (though I may just switch to all vals cause I do really like them). I figured I'd try planting my small tank so I can get a hand on the tactics before planting my 75 gallon.

 

[Purrbox]

Those are probably Corkscrew Vals as Jungle Vals would already be outgrowing this aquarium. As you are already aware finding plants that are more appropriately sized to this aquarium is going to be key to long term success.

With the plants you've selected you're going to need at least 40-60 watts. This is higher than you were probably expecting because the WPG "rule" doesn't work on these smaller aquariums. At 40 watts the foreground grass may or may not make it depending on what it is exactly. However you could probably get away with minimal dosing with just a good trace and potassium. If you push it to 60 watts then you'll probably find that you need to inject CO2 (or use Flourish Excel - but it isn't compatible with the vals) and dose all the nutrients including Nitrates and Phosphates.

First thing I'd recommend doing is reading through the links in the sticky at the top of this forum. That will help you get a better understanding of everything that is involved. Definately ask more questions if anything still isn't clear after reading.

 

[niks97cobra]

I had planned on going with 40 watts actually, but I have no clue what type of light/hood to buy. Any suggestions? I put flourish tabs in the substrate. Also how long should I leave the light on each day?

 

[Purrbox]

I'd probably go with this fixture. I'm using the 2 bulb version of this fixture and I'm very pleased with it. My only complaint is that the fan is a little noisy, but you wouldn't have to worry about that with the single bulb version since it doesn't have a fan.

Generally you'll want to keep the light on 8-12 hours per day. Closer to 12 hours when growing out plants, but closer to 8 hours when maintaining the scape or fighting algae.

The Flourish tabs are a good start, but you'll probably still need a good trace fert like Flourish "Comprehensive" and potassium.

 

[niks97cobra]

The fixture looks great... Can you post pics of how you have it set up on your 10 gallon (which looks amazing btw! love the shrimp). Also how do you get such good pictures?

 

[Purrbox]

Just checked and it doesn't look like I have any pictures on hand that include the fixture. I'll try to remember to take some later.

Some tips that have really helped me.
1. Take pictures in the evening. This really helps the aquarium stand out better.
2. Use a tripod. This keeps the camera still and improves clarity.
3. Don't use flash. The flash tends to wash out the colors and flatten the picture.
4. Use a good picture editing program for color, deskew, and other corrections if necessary. I like GIMP since it's fully featured and free.
5. The better quality camera and lens that you have, the easier the task becomes. I noticed a big improvement when I bought my current camera, but it pales in comparison to the DSLRs.

 

[niks97cobra]

Thanks! I'll probably be putting in the order for that light by Wednesday with some dosing stuff. How do you have that light mounted? It doesn't look like it will just rest where the standard fixture is. My goal is to have this tank is to learn plants have plants quickly out growing the tank so I can take what I learn here and use it with my 75 gallon (which obviously will be much harder and more expensive).

 

[Purrbox]

With this type of lighting most people either run open top or use a glass canopy. My lights have legs installed which allow it to sit about 2" above the glass canopy.

 

[pitt420dude]

Niks,
While those 20" Satellite's Purrbox selected would be purrfect for your tank, you may also want to check out Catalina Aquarium SOLAR HOOD POWER COMPACT-2 X 36W.

This Catalina fixture is new instead of refurbished, more powerful, comes with an additional bulb, and is made in the USA. If you didn't want to go 2x36 they have 20" PC Flourescent setups for around $40 (w/ no bulb). Also they will swap out the actinics for a daylight bulb for free whereas Tricity charges you $10 to swap out the actinic (I think). I've also found that if you call catalina, (916) 381-3551 and ask for a few bucks off, they might just say "yes". At least they did for me but this was for a much more expensive 4x54w HO T5 48" fixture w/lunarlights.

I'm not saying don't go with the 20" Satellite, as those lights have received great reviews from a lot of aquarists on AA. I'm just telling you about Catalina so you have some more information and some more prices to compare. Happy shopping! If you're like me, you'll get just as much enjoyment out of shopping and researching.

 

[niks97cobra]

What other plants would you suggest for this aquarium? I'd like for the amazons to grow to the top of the tank then I'll remove those leaves so new ones can grow, same with the vals. I'd like the whole tank to be carpeted. Ordered lights and flourish. How much dosing do I need?

 

[Purrbox]

With only medium light Marsilea sp. is going to be your best bet for a carpet plant. I'd recommend Marsilea minuta specifically if you can get ahold of it. Some other plants that would be nice in that size aquarium are Crypt x willisii, Crypt x willisii 'lucens' (often just labeled Crypt lucens), Rotala rotundifolia (sometimes mislabeled Rotala indica in LFS), Anubias nana, Anubias nana 'petite', mosses, Ludwigia brevipes, and Didiplis diandra to name a few.

Assuming that the Flourish you ordered is Flourish "Comprehensive" you'd want to dose enough after each water change to achieve 0.1-0.2 ppm of iron. You can dose more often if you see signs of trace nutrient deficiency. You'll also want to look at dosing some Potassium. You're best bet is either K2SO4 (Potassium Sulfate) or KCl (Potassium Cloride) which is available at the Grocery Store under the label of NoSalt (a salt alternative).