About to begin growing live plants, any help?

[Henri]

Hi Everyone!
So I've been preparing for months, did hours of research on the plants I wanted to get and now finally Im ready to grow my own live plants in my tank. So here's the thing:
I currently have only 1 10gallon tank running, I am getting a 15 this weekend, ready to set up. The plants Im planning to grow are: hornwort, moneywort, java fern, java moss, asian water grass, duckweed, and propably java/christmas moss, whichever I get from the internet, since I finally saved up money

Anyways, Im brand new to this hobby, and I got a bit scared when I checked some youtube videos, saw a lady speaking about daily fertilizers, root tabs, rich substrates that lose their nutrients over time, CO2 systems etc. etc. ...
Can anyone give me a hand here? I've already bought a nice fine gravel, it looks like it's made of mineral rocks because they are very similiar to salt crystals... Anyways, what should I keep in mind before planting the plants? Here are some of my concerns:
1. Can I plant the hornwort? I don't like to leave it floating, I actually want only one floating, the duckweed... How can I plant it?
2. And that CO2 system, that's the most difficult part in my opinion, how can I build one? I saw a guy on youtube make his own CO2 system, but after a while he made another video because he said that the system he made wont diffuse the CO2 in the water... That seems a bit complicated to me... How can I make my own CO2 system, and make it dissolve in the water?
3. Oh, and one of my main problems I've had when reading articles about live plants are the lights... Yes, those... I have NO idea which ones should I get... I mean my dad always works with the lights in our house, so I've not been very familiar to them... I see you guys say " fluorescent lights, incandescent lights, etc. etc... "
Which ones are suitable for my tank? I've went to the LFS and I've seen neons only, and I've learnt that neons are fluorescent lights... do they work for my tank? those are the only ones I've seen at the LFS, I haven't seen any bulbs that are similiar to the normal ones that we use to light up our rooms ( incandescent )

...
Sorry for the bad explaination guys...
I'm kinda feeling like a bother, asking all these questions.... Im just a beginner, I would like some help please

...
Thanks a lot everyone, every info/link or your own experience would be appreciated!
Henri

 

[tulip55555]

as far as the hornwort...buy plant weights and weigh it down. you can bury part of it in the gravel if you want.
C02 and lighting aren't my specialty but someone will come along soon...

 

[uh.oh...]

Henri, you've got a lot more research to do! go to the planted tank and look around for a bit. I can help with some of your questions though.

1. You cannot plant the hornwort. the part under the gravel will die, and then it will break off and the rest will float up. You can take a soda bottle, cut out the middle part in a sort of rectangle that curls into a cylinder. Then cut a few slits into the sides, and cut out a smaller rectangle in the middle. Feed the hornwort though all the slits and the hole in the middle, making sure not to pack too tightly and to let the ends dangle out. TADA, instant hornwort tree, attach to driftwood ftw. Duckweed cannot be planted, it floats on top of the water, and is really just a nutrient sink. It'll multiply until it covers the entire surface of the tank, and you'll scoop it up, and it will continue. If you want something that will cover the substrate get some baby dwarf tears. You'll need high light though.

2. Co2 is easy for a tank of your size. Buy 2 liter soda bottle, some air line tubing, a check valve (made of brass, not plastic) and some GE silicone 1 or 2 (without any additives, if it says 100% Silicone its safe). You'll need a drill bit just a hair smaller than your airline tubing. Drink the soda bottle (save the cap). Drill a hole in the soda cap. Run your airline tubing into it, and glue all around with silicone. Leave enough room inside the cap to still be able to put in on the bottle. Let dry 24 hours. Get a funnel, yeast, sugar. Into the soda bottle put about 2 inches of warm water. Add one teaspoon of yeast. Shake. Add more lukewarm water, about 70% of the total volume. Now add 1-2 cups of sugar. Shake well, but not capped, it can explode. Cap with your tubing-cap. Run the tubing into your diffuser. Place into tank somewhere hidden. Done! Replace bottle solution 1-2 weeks, or when bubble stop.

3. I could give you my opinion on lighting, but it would take too long to type, so I'll just tell you what I'd do. Go online and order a 24 inch (or however long your tank is) Coralife 2 bulb T5 fixture for around $50. Then buy another bulb 6700k, and run one 10k (thats the color of the light produced) and the other 6700k. It would be around 18 watts per bulb and a really good par rating. And plenty of lumens too.
LED lights -> too expensive.
Incandescent-> doesn't work for plants.
Metal Halide -> sunburn
Fluorescent lights -> fine if right wattage, color (Kelvin), and lumen rating. Buying them online is a good bet. You can do it yourself too with some CFL bulbs, but that is something else entirely, and you won't have as much par or wattage.

 

[jetajockey]

you can plant hornwort if you want. As far as lighting goes, you would be fine just using some daylight spiral cfl bulbs in a stock incandescent fixture. that size tank doesn't need anything special imo.

 

[Henri]

Thanks so much for the replies guys!

$50? That's " a bit " ( way ) expensive for a 15 year old's budget, like me, I mean my tank costet $20, its a bit insane to buy lights that are more expensive than the tank... Please don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate your reply!
How can I do it myself? Where can I fix the light fixtures? That's what Im wondering for such a long time!
Thanks again!
Henri

 

[jetajockey]

Read my post, spiral CFLs will cost a few dollars each and screw into any basic light bulb fixture. You can get these bulbs from a hardware store or maybe a large store similar to walmart. The important thing is to get the ones that are in daylight spectrum.

 

[Henri]

Read my post, spiral CFLs will cost a few dollars each and screw into any basic light bulb fixture. You can get these bulbs from a hardware store or maybe a large store similar to walmart. The important thing is to get the ones that are in daylight spectrum.

Yes, I read your post...
But where am I supposed to screw the bulbs on? That;s my main problem, I know about the fixtures etc.
Thanks

 

[jetajockey]

Just a basic incandescent hood will work, or if you dont have one, a clamp light, clip on light, or desktop lamp can work.

 

[tulip55555]

I've done a lot of research on lighting and from what I've read 6500K or 6700K full spectrum daylight is good for growing plants....
this one is 15 watt 6700K and will give you about 1 watt per gallon. You can find it cheaper, but I am posting this link because it has all the specifications on the bulb. It costs about $13USD on this site..
Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Life-Glo 2 Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Another one is also 15 watts but is 6500K. It only costs $5USD
Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Life-Glo 2 Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Not sure how much shipping would be to Albania, that could be expensive. But maybe you have a local fish store that carries these or something similar

P.S. do some reading up on low light low tech tanks. there are a few good threads around here.

 

[Henri]

Just a basic incandescent hood will work, or if you dont have one, a clamp light, clip on light, or desktop lamp can work.

Oh yeah Ive been looking for clamp lights a lot, but no luck, that would be great!

I've done a lot of research on lighting and from what I've read 6500K or 6700K full spectrum daylight is good for growing plants....
this one is 15 watt 6700K and will give you about 1 watt per gallon. You can find it cheaper, but I am posting this link because it has all the specifications on the bulb. It costs about $13USD on this site..
Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Life-Glo 2 Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Another one is also 15 watts but is 6500K. It only costs $5USD
Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Life-Glo 2 Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Not sure how much shipping would be to Albania, that could be expensive. But maybe you have a local fish store that carries these or something similar

P.S. do some reading up on low light low tech tanks. there are a few good threads around here.

Yes there are LFS that sell lights in my country, but I am totally clueless about them, I mean I don't know which one would work for my tank, or at least where can I read the info ( wattage and such )... And it becomes a bigger problem without having a hood for my tank...
Thanks so much for the info!