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What plants should i get?I was thinking of anacharis, a little java moss, and a small anubia nano. The residents will be 3 gups, and 4 ottos. Any thing i should keep in mind?O, and how much do you think a hood with 2 strips of flourecent lights would be? And i have never used anything but cling on filters, is there something else i should get?I will also get a driftwood with a mini-cave just in case of fry or ottos. I have another tank for fry also.

Thank you

O yes and 10 Galoon tank sorry

fishys_cant_fly,

I think your plant selection is fine, the one plant I don't know about is Anachris (aka Egeria Najas or Densa) - maybe it needs more light. Oh, how much light is there to work with? For low light plants in this tank size you should have about 10W at least.

You could for example place a wall of Java Fern in the back, an Anubias nana on the left or right mid section, the driftwood with moss on it to the right, and some small Crypts (like Lutea or Lucens, but better check light requirements on these) in the front.

I don't know the cost for double hoods on 10G, sorry.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks little fish, i think it is about 15 watts of light... is that alot/enough?

thansk for your time :0

fishys_cant_fly,

Seems like it would be enough for plants we consider low-light. We, here at FP, recently concluded (and that was a rare thing, as we usually don't agree on anything ) that the smaller the tank the more watts per gallon is needed to consider a tank on some plant level. A medium sized tank would be low-light at around 1wpg, you have 1.5 on a small tank.

I assume that for the time being this will do

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Your plant selection should do well.

Is Ludwigia red a low light plant? and Could i have sand for this kind of tank???

Ludwigia is medium-high light. The higher the light, the redder it will be. Most of your reddish and pinkish colored plants need higher light.

I have ludwigia growing nicely in 2.24 wpg, but most of the new leaves are green and not red.

*Kristin*

I have egeria najas in my 10 gal with 15 watts of light. It does ok, but it does seem leggier and more sparse than the pics I've seen of it. So it can certainly survive and grow in such a tank, it just won't be as lush. I also have a java fern and a crypto. I tossed a bunch of hornwort to float on top (a higher - light plant), and it does pretty well. It is only a couple inches from the light, after all. It's providing some plant mass and cover until I can afford to plant more.

The one problem with floating plants I can see on a tank that is already low light would be the shading that is created by the floater.

If you already have minimum light to grow your plants, how do they manage when they are shaded from the light?

Ludwigia, if maintainable in low light at all, would most likely lose all lower leaves, grow really slow, and not look too pretty, IMHO. I grow it in 2wpg in a 20G Long (as high as a 10G) and it is doing ok.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

It wont be all floating, just a little..I do not want to add ludwigia red to the tank, i already have some and its not growing at all. I have to trash it.I think it will just be anubias nano and anacharis, i dont like the java moss, it grows to fast.I put some for my betta elvis . He has no light execpent he is next to my 10.It is growing to big even there.

The one problem with floating plants I can see on a tank that is already low light would be the shading that is created by the floater.

True; I should've clarified: My floating hornwort is at the bare end of a tank, with only one java fern and one crypt at the other end. So they don't get too shaded. I did have to secure the hornwort to keep it from floating over the others. My egeria is in a different tank with no floaters to block the light.

I now have 4 ottos in my 10 gallon tank. This is not the tank for the breeding, this is the messed up random fish tank. So i think this will be the way the tank is, if it os ok with you guys. A 10 gallon tank with 1.5 flouresent light,50 watt heater,HOB tetra power filter, black sand(can i do this??)driftwood with a little cave. Living things will be 4 ottos, 2 guppy (what color should i choose!!)java moss, anacharis, and 2-3 anubias nano. Am i forgetting anything? THanks