Trying to get a simple planted tank started. Help?

[RachelG]

Plant noob here. Needing some advice, so I don't screw up...
I want to plant my ten-gallon tank with some easy plants like dwarf sag, crypt wendtii and dwarf hairgrass, (At least, from what I've read those sound easy and undemanding!) and have some anubias, java fern and java moss on driftwood. This ten-gallon is to house my growing cherry shrimp colony which have overpopulated their two-and-a-half-gallon tank on my desk. I bought a few adults four months ago, and now I have over twenty juvenile shrimp. I want to do a planted tank bottom so I won't have to vacuum the substrate so often, because I worry about sucking up tiny baby shrimp.

I received this light today, and I'm not sure how this would work in the tank since I know nothing about LEDs: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/anyone-familiar-with-this-japanese-light-303016.html
Any info at all on that LED light would be appreciated.

I Have a one-inch layer of black gravel in the tank at the moment, since I have been using it as a simple quarantine.(I will set up a new quarantine really soon) I was thinking I would just add some more gravel, or maybe even sand and have a half-half mix of sand and gravel. Then a store owner that I mentioned it to said that "that will be too heavy for the plant's roots, use a plant-specialty substrate". Do I really need to buy an expensive eco-complete or whatever for the plants I mentioned above? And if I do use some sand, do I still need to stir it if there are plants rooted in it? I hear malaysian trumpet snails do a good job of stirring sand and won't overbreed unless I overfeed, so I think I'll get some if I go with sand and they would be a good indicator that I am feeding the right amount. Is there any flaw in that plan?

I don't want to mess with a CO2 system, but I hear I can dose Flourish Excel as an alternative since this is such a small tank, and it won't harm my shrimp. True? Would I be fine without it? And I want to use plant tabs in the substrate. Are there certain brands I should get and are there any special tips for them? I still have a few API root tabs left from last year when I thought I needed them for floating hornwort for some reason. I already dose API Leafzone in my tanks, and the shrimp seem fine with it, so I guess I'll continue with that.

If I'm thinking disastrously here, please point it out. Thanks.

 

[FishCr8zy]

First and foremost dwarf hairgrass is not that easy to keep. It needs high light but does not require co2. The rest of the plants are good for low-med light tanks. Gravel and normal sand are never the best substrate for planted tanks but for easy to keep, low light plants like the ones you are getting should do fine in those types of substrate. I recommend getting sand because it keeps all the waste above allowing snails, shrimp, etc to clean it up or for easy vacuuming. Mts definitely are a good choice for a sand substrate because they stir it up, clear any toxic air bubbles that get trapped under the sand, and they indicate when something is wrong in your tank. If you see them crawling around on the glass during the day then you know something is wrong because they are nocturnal. As for the light, how many LEDs are there? How many watts?

 

[FishCr8zy]

Flourish excel is usually for the people who have med-high light and don't want a pressurized co2 system so they go for a less effective way. You should be fine without it. Root tabs are always good. Dwarf sag can benefit because you can control where they spread by putting root tabs where you want them to go. Anubias, java fern, and java moss won't really benefit because they are attached to the driftwood. Crypts will benefit because they have a decent root system which will enjoy the root tabs.

 

[jehenry89]

Planted tanks are never simple. The more you look at it, the more you keep coming up with new ideas to add and the desire try new plants!!! Its an addiction!

 

[jehenry89]

Plant noob here. Needing some advice, so I don't screw up...
I want to plant my ten-gallon tank with some easy plants like dwarf sag, crypt wendtii and dwarf hairgrass, (At least, from what I've read those sound easy and undemanding!) and have some anubias, java fern and java moss on driftwood. This ten-gallon is to house my growing cherry shrimp colony which have overpopulated their two-and-a-half-gallon tank on my desk. I bought a few adults four months ago, and now I have over twenty juvenile shrimp. I want to do a planted tank bottom so I won't have to vacuum the substrate so often, because I worry about sucking up tiny baby shrimp.

I received this light today, and I'm not sure how this would work in the tank since I know nothing about LEDs: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f60/anyone-familiar-with-this-japanese-light-303016.html
Any info at all on that LED light would be appreciated.

I Have a one-inch layer of black gravel in the tank at the moment, since I have been using it as a simple quarantine.(I will set up a new quarantine really soon) I was thinking I would just add some more gravel, or maybe even sand and have a half-half mix of sand and gravel. Then a store owner that I mentioned it to said that "that will be too heavy for the plant's roots, use a plant-specialty substrate". Do I really need to buy an expensive eco-complete or whatever for the plants I mentioned above? And if I do use some sand, do I still need to stir it if there are plants rooted in it? I hear malaysian trumpet snails do a good job of stirring sand and won't overbreed unless I overfeed, so I think I'll get some if I go with sand and they would be a good indicator that I am feeding the right amount. Is there any flaw in that plan?

I don't want to mess with a CO2 system, but I hear I can dose Flourish Excel as an alternative since this is such a small tank, and it won't harm my shrimp. True? Would I be fine without it? And I want to use plant tabs in the substrate. Are there certain brands I should get and are there any special tips for them? I still have a few API root tabs left from last year when I thought I needed them for floating hornwort for some reason. I already dose API Leafzone in my tanks, and the shrimp seem fine with it, so I guess I'll continue with that.

If I'm thinking disastrously here, please point it out. Thanks.

I don't know anything about that light so I can't help you there. But most LED lights are plainly for that, just light, not really growing plants. I don't know the specifications of LED lights and the PAR values, Brian_nano is the person to as about LED lights. If you stick strictly to low-light plants though, you should be ok.

You don't need to buy eco-complete to grow plants. It is good because it has the ability to store nutrients which can be later used by the plants. I don't know the specifications of it but that is the general jist. It is a good option if you have the funds for it. One bag is 20 lbs, which is more than enough. There are also other brands out there like Flourite which you can use as well and I think they are less expensive. You can use sand, I have black sand in my planted tank.

And yes, Excel will help with plant growth. You don't need co2 to have a healthy planted tank. There are a lot of plants to chose from that will grow well with just light and fertilizers. And no, it won't harm your shrimp as long as you stick to the dosing directions on the back. I have heard of people overdosing Excel and causing acid like burns on their fishies fins but I have never experienced anything like that.

Root tabs are suggested for heavy root feeders such as sword or crypt plants but will not really help plants that are not root feeders. Using liquid fertilizers will help all your plants.

 

[RachelG]

First and foremost dwarf hairgrass is not that easy to keep. It needs high light but does not require co2. The rest of the plants are good for low-med light tanks. Gravel and normal sand are never the best substrate for planted tanks but for easy to keep, low light plants like the ones you are getting should do fine in those types of substrate. I recommend getting sand because it keeps all the waste above allowing snails, shrimp, etc to clean it up or for easy vacuuming. Mts definitely are a good choice for a sand substrate because they stir it up, clear any toxic air bubbles that get trapped under the sand, and they indicate when something is wrong in your tank. If you see them crawling around on the glass during the day then you know something is wrong because they are nocturnal. As for the light, how many LEDs are there? How many watts?

I have no idea how many LEDs or watts this light has. I have never had an LED light before, and all the text on this box is Japanese.

I counted the lights on it, and it has 48 tiny square bulbs, if that helps(are they even bulbs?)

 

[RachelG]

Planted tanks are never simple. The more you look at it, the more you keep coming up with new ideas to add and the desire try new plants!!! Its an addiction!

I just want to keep some easy plants to keep my shrimp healthy. I care more about them than having a planted tank. I don't have the funds to go all out with a planted tank, and they seem really complicated. The plant substrates and CO2 are way too expensive, and all the mumbo jumbo other-language talk about lighting has put me off of pursuing a big fancy setup. That's why I'm seeking advice.

So I'm confused now. I thought LEDs were good for plants, now you guys are telling me no. Should I return this LED light and get a fluorescent tube light?

 

[RachelG]

I don't know anything about that light so I can't help you there. But most LED lights are plainly for that, just light, not really growing plants. I don't know the specifications of LED lights and the PAR values, Brian_nano is the person to as about LED lights. If you stick strictly to low-light plants though, you should be ok.

Who is brian_nano and how can I contact him? Are Dwarf sagittaria and crypts low light enough? I see a lot of websites listing them as moderate.

 

[FishCr8zy]

The light is good. LEDs, t5's, T8's, etc. they are all just different types of lights. Each one has pros and cons. But all of them are great for plants as long as the color of the bulbs are ok for plants. Brian_Nano12g is the expert on LEDs. You can msg him. Look around the planted forums. You will find him.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I have no idea how many LEDs or watts this light has. I have never had an LED light before, and all the text on this box is Japanese.

I counted the lights on it, and it has 48 tiny square bulbs, if that helps(are they even bulbs?)

Each little "bulb" is really an LED. 48 is decent and should be low-low/med light. The plants you want (dwarf sag and crypts) are low-med light. If they have low light surroundings they can adapt and fertilizers will help as well.

 

[RachelG]

Thanks guys. I returned the light since I'd rather not cut my tank rim to make it fit. I now have $60 to work with to get a light. I think I'd rather just get a fluorescent one, since I know a little bit about them now. Recommendations would be appreciated.
From my understanding, I should get one that provides 1.5 to 2 watts per gallon, and that would be good for the plants I'd like to get.

I saw some wisteria, or hygrophila difformis in the plastic tubes at Petco earlier. I have heard that it's not a great idea to buy tube plants like this, but these looked pretty nice and I'd like to try one in my tank. Would wisteria do well in a sand substrate if given root tabs on a regular basis? do they need to be weighted for a while? An article I read mentioned they grow pretty tall, so would I need to trim it often?

 

[FishCr8zy]

Wisteria is pretty easy to grow. It will grow tall but like any other mid-background plant, they need the occasional trimming. Nothing over the top.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I would get the finnex fugeray planted+. It's $72 on amazon so a little over $60. But it is a really nice light and you won't need to replace any of the lights for a few years (as with any LED fixture). It has different color LEDs to make the perfect color temp for plants.