10 gallon planted tank!

[goldfish1212]

So, I've had my new ten gallon tank running for a three weeks, fishless cycle with straight ammonia. The ammonia is dropping 2 to 0 ppm in 24 hours, nitrites/ates not so much, but i read about "silent cycling" and went ahead and got plants. If it throws everthing off I'll just wait longer for the cycle to finish before i get fish, plants are relaxing by themselves. After planting everthing I realized I have a problem; though foster53 was kind enough to include a lot of free plants, I wasn't planning on that and now I don't know where I'll put the two golf ball sized amounts of moss (plus I'm told some other extras) I also ordered which will be arriving any day now. My family does have a well established 20 gallon tank with lots of room where I can send any extra low light plants and moss, but I would like some moss in this tank.

Set Up
1.10 gallon tank (obviously)
2.Aquaclear 20 filter with the filter media, carbon, and bio pellets that came with it as well as about an inch square of cuttlebone (calcium since I would like to have shrimp eventually when everything is good and cycled)
3. Aqueon 50 watt heater at 76F
4. 20" light with a 15 watt full spectrum light
5. ~7 lbs Caribsea Tahitian black moon sand from 1"-.5" deep
6. Cholla cactus wood and some glass marbles
7. API stress coat plus to treat the water and tetra florapride liquid fertilizer

Plants
Bacopia
Wisteria
Corckscrew Vallisneria
Unknown crypt
(Surprise plants)
Micro sword
Ludwigia Arcuarta
Hygro sunset
Ludwigia Repens
Rotalia ?cultivar (It's red if that helps)
(Awaiting)
Flame moss
Bacopia carolinas
Willow gigantea

Future stock
10 dwarf corydoras (habrosus)
A dozen red cherry shrimp ( which is mostly why I want the moss)

Food
Aqueon shrimp pellets, Hikari freeze dried brine shrimp and sinking algae wafers. Also occasional blanched zuchini if they like it.

Pictures!!!





Questions
1. What do you think of my current set up and how would you rearrange anything to fit some moss and more bacopia?

2. Does anyone see any problems with any plants that might not be suited for these conditions? Anyway to improve the conditions for the plants, (besides buying brighter lights)? I've read a bit about diy co2 but I'm not sure it's necessary or a good idea if I want shrimp at some point.

3.Once the water parameters are in check, do you think the cory cats and shrimp will like this set up? Should I add more of the cuttlebone for the shrimp? Should I give the corys more sand area to snuffle around? Does the food plan seem alright?

4. How would you generally improve the look of this tank?

5. Can anyone ID the mystery crypt?

 

[jrudd013]

Nice tank. I really like the wood. Cool. Keep us updated. Thanks for sharing. As far as your questions go.. you need to know your ph levels and what each plants likes. Co2 is a good thing. There are a few wys to introduce carbon so do some research. Im just learning plants species so I can't say for leach of your plants. Sure someone one will tune in soon. As far as looks. Do somthing w the back glass. Black makes everything pop. Im no expert. Hope it helps. Love the tanks so far.

 

[Mattfinn]

Try wendti or undulata for the crypt. There are many varieties of common crypt species. I would take out the glass pebbles/marbles and get small river rocks an replace them with that. It would look more natural I feel that way. You can pick up rocks outside and test them with an acid if they fizz it's not worth putting them in as they'll raise the ph. View attachment 251578 these are common river rocks I found in my backyard and locally on the river.
Other then that I like the tank very much. Good job. Hope it works out well for you.

 

[goldfish1212]

New pic. Took out the rocks and used garbage bag as a background
Best picture I could get.

 

[jrudd013]

Lookin good. Yea the black background definitely makes the plants pop. Keep i up and keep us posted.

 

[Fishperson]

I'd guess that the Ludwigia A. might struggle and the Rotala probably will too.

Crypt looks like Undulata.

I would do something vertical with the wood; right now it looks unnatural to me.

Good plans so far, be careful not to add too many plants.

 

[goldfish1212]

Got the last plants today, some moss and more bacopia, and actually they just fit perfectly into the tank. The flame moss is such a pretty green, I hope it does well. The Willow moss is also so cute, like a tiny Christmas tree. I think the Willow moss is tied right now with the hygro for my favorite plant here.




I also tried to do "something vertical" with the wood as was suggested. Not sure if this is what you meant, as far as looking more natural, but it's a start. At least now all the plants and wood are in the tank so everyone can see what I'm working with.



It's turned out to be much more of a lush little forest than I expected!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[meese-a-mew]

Pretty good. I would just recommend to put in some real driftwood!
Other then that nice tank


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[goldfish1212]

It is real driftwood, it's cholla cactus wood

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[meese-a-mew]

Oh wow really?! That's pretty cool lol always thought that most real driftwood looked more like manzanita or Malaysian. Never seen that type in store b4!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[goldfish1212]

Yeah, me too! Then when I was poking around aquabid I saw this guy selling a bunch of it for pretty cheap and looked it up. It's so cool, it's the wood inside cholla cacti that live all in the south west usa. Here's what it looks like dried.
I totally thought it was fake at first too!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[notenoughtanks]

Looks good man , hope my tank turns out looking that nice ...


125gal Waiting for C/A cichlids , 55gal African Cichlids , 75gal "wet pet "oscar , 75 gal empty setting up for ????10gal & 56gal column cycled but no stock

 

[goldfish1212]

Thanks, Kataclysim, I'm sure yours will! Do you have any ideas yet for your own 10 gallon? And I wish I had the place for a 125 gallon cichlid tank like yours, I don't even have fish in here yet and I'm already thinking about other tanks...

Also, I'm a woman... It's not just you, but multiple people here keep calling me man and I'm not sure if it's just in a neutral address way or if they are assuming I'm a guy ??? Ha, this is why if I had to pick one good thing about having a southern accent, it's that you can just call everyone y'all, guys or girls, young or old, whatever, never an issue!

 

[notenoughtanks]

Thanks, Kataclysim, I'm sure yours will! Do you have any ideas yet for your own 10 gallon? And I wish I had the place for a 125 gallon cichlid tank like yours, I don't even have fish in here yet and I'm already thinking about other tanks...

Also, I'm a woman... It's not just you, but multiple people here keep calling me man and I'm not sure if it's just in a neutral address way or if they are assuming I'm a guy ??? Ha, this is why if I had to pick one good thing about having a southern accent, it's that you can just call everyone is y'all, guys or girls, young or old, whatever, never an issue!

Lol sorry bout that , as for my 10- no idea lol


125gal Waiting for C/A cichlids , 55gal African Cichlids , 75gal "wet pet "oscar , 75 gal empty setting up for ????10gal & 56gal column cycled but no stock