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I'm thinking about starting up my 10 Gallon tank again. I've decided that my inhabitants will be 1 Male Paradise Fish and a few ottos. Now, I've been told that the Paradise Fish (and especially the ottos) will benifit from a heavily planted aquarium. So, as I intend to avoid disaster as much as possible this time around, I'm going to get a complete guide first before I start it up. I already know about the cycle and some other fishkeeping basics, but I don't have a clue when it comes to water "Hardness", "Phosphates", and "C02".

1) In my 10 Gallon, I'll probably use a HOB AquaClear Mini (the same filter I finally settled on last time, works wonders, rated "Up to 20 Gallon Aquariums" and a fluorescent hood rated at 17 watts. What plants would be suitable for my inhabitants and my lighting/water flow?

2) Will I need to come up with a DIY CO2 system if I want the plants to grow? If so, it's simply a 1 liter bottle with a piece of airline siliconed into the cap, filled with a sugar and yeast solution (in water), right? Can I just put an airstone on the end of the tubing going into the aquarium to act as a diffuser? If so, what would be the best location for it?

3) Driftwood- My LFS is PetSmart, and a little farther away is a more fish-based store called "Aquatic Environments". I haven't seen any driftwood at PetSmart, but there might be some at AE. What should I be looking for in the driftwood? What size should it be?

Crispy,

1.) I love the AquaClear filters. Use two sponges in the well. Rinse the bottom one each week and move the top sponge to the bottom.

2.) You will have 1.7 watts per gallon (wpg) in your tank. I would consider it a low light tank. A bright tank is 3 or more wpg. Given the light, I would not add CO2. Go to http://www.tropica.com. The site has a wonderful search engine that allows you to plug in the specifics of your tank and provides suggestions. A few cautions - you need to convert gallons to liters, inches to centimeters and Fahrenheit to Centigrade.

3.) There is nothing wrong with PetSmart but you may find that the other LFS has a broader range of plants. That store may special order plants or fish for you. Get to know them.

Driftwood adds depth and interest to an aquarium as do rocks and similar hardscape. Some driftwood bleeds (leaches) tannins into the water. PetSmart has a couple of interesting proprietary pieces of driftwood that are cast in resin.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I completely agree with Bob on all points, except one:

1.7wpg in a 10G tank is, IMHO, more than low light. The tank is very shallow when compared to larger tanks on which the 3wpg = high light rule applies.

I believe you could grow all kinds of plants that don’t require bright light.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks for the replies. Now, not having grown real plants in the aquarium before, I'll probably need some of the easier plants to take care of. What would you recommend?

I've also heard that I should have some broad-leafed plants for the ottos, as they like to rest on them and eat the algae off of the leaves. What would be some good plants for that purpose?

Now it's down to the opinions. What kinds of plants do YOU think look the best and yet are easier to take care of and do very well?

Bob
You will have 1.7 watts per gallon (wpg) in your tank. I would consider it a low light tank

Little_Fish
1.7wpg in a 10G tank is, IMHO, more than low light.

Sorry LF, but I think Bob is right. When you dealing with 17 watts on a 10g the intensity is just not there. When you move up to bigger tanks, 1.7wpg could be considered medium light with CF bulbs. The fact that the tank is shallow isn't enough of a factor. I would stay away from co2 and heavy ferts.

My Scapes

anubias and crypts make for lovely low light tanks. java fern terraces on driftwood always look good. dont worry, youll do fine.

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http://justanothertank.com

tetratech (and Bob),

I created a New Thread where I would like to hear more about the reasoning behind the conclusion that this is a low light tank, if you don’t mind. Maybe I will understand this finally .

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 09-Nov-2005 08:08

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I've read through that thread, and it makes sense that my tank would be considered a low-light tank. Now the question is where to put everything. What plants go where? Which ones should I attatch to the driftwoot, and which ones should I place in the substrate? Also, is there a special way you are supposed to place cuttings and plants with rhizomes into the substrate so as to not damage the plant?

Also, ferts. What kinds of fertilizers should I use? (Again, this comes down to some opinions) Which work best in your experience?

Thanks again for all the help.

I just planted my 10g. I have 2 10w fluorescent bulbs so that makes it 2 wpg. I have 1 anubias nana, 1 cryptocoryne wendtii red, 1 ozelot sword and lots of wisteria. Wisteria gets big and spreads but grows nicely with 2wpg. I also have some dwarf saggittaria for the front. I'm sure you could grow other low-medium light plants. I researched alot before planting mine and still ended up with too much wisteria. The ozelot sword is a little big for my 10g but I love it and the fish love it too. I have 7 neons, a male Betta, 2 ottos, and 3 yoyo loaches for snails. The neons hide behind the ozelot leaves sometimes.
Anyways...look on http://www.azgardens.com also and you can look at easy life plants.

As for fertilizers, I use Seachem product...Nitrogen, Potassium, Excel, Flourish, and Iron. I go by the chart on seachem's website as to when to dose. Good luck.

*Kristin*