# 10 gallon



## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

Ok, i ain't going to great in my 55 gallon as people tell me so i want to do a cool sunken garden. It will in my 10 gallon but I got everything and could make a diy co2 for such a small tank and I don't want to use ferts. My lights are crappy screw in lights that are like two little 15 watt bulbs. There is a total of 30 watts and is that enough for a ten gallon? I don't think so. I would like java fern and java moss and what else I don't know. My mirco sword would be cool to do. I like that or something else to cover the subtrate completely. I am willing to spend some money on this and like I said I don't want to use ferts unless they are cheap. I am willing to buy some of that florite iron inriched subtrate and stuff, so if it was your tank what would you do? Thanx


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Are those 15w bulbs fluorescent or incandescent? Probably incandescent. If it were my tank, I'd replace the bulbs with a pair of 6500K screw-in compact fluorescent bulbs, hook up the DIY CO2 and dose some Flourish and Flourish Iron. Your only expense will be the Flourish ferts. 
Flourite would be nice, but not absolutely necessary.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

pufferfreak,

What kind of bulbs are they? Flourecents or regualar incandecent? If they are CF screw ins then they should be fine. You will have 3wpg, which will grow most plants without a problem, however the no ferts comment is interesting... 

Lets put it this way to keep most aquatic plants you need a couple major things, the correct lighting, correct ferts and enough C02. Having great lighting and C02 and no ferts is like building a house with no foundation. You can build it, but it wont be stable.... Fish poop will provide alot of ferts, so will a good substrate, but you will have to make up for some missing elements..... Without the correct balance you will be fighting algea and inconsistent plant growth... Which can be very frustrating...


Jason


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

pufferfreak said:


> Ok, i ain't going to great in my 55 gallon as people tell me so i want to do a cool sunken garden. It will in my 10 gallon but I got everything and could make a diy co2 for such a small tank and I don't want to use ferts. My lights are crappy screw in lights that are like two little 15 watt bulbs. There is a total of 30 watts and is that enough for a ten gallon? I don't think so. I would like java fern and java moss and what else I don't know. My mirco sword would be cool to do. I like that or something else to cover the subtrate completely. I am willing to spend some money on this and like I said I don't want to use ferts unless they are cheap. I am willing to buy some of that florite iron inriched subtrate and stuff, so if it was your tank what would you do? Thanx


Ok... We should clear a few things up.

1.) If you are going to use CO2 and high enough light to use it effectively you are probably going to NEED to use ferts. Otherwise your plants will not have enough food to grow properly. You can't simply increase your light or add CO2, everything works together.

2.) Incandescent lights are not going to grow your plants very well. There are many screw - in compact flourescents that can be used to replace the stock bulbs. This will cost a little money but not too much.

3.) Buying an enriched substrate will certainly help you get started on teh right track. There are a number of cheaper alternatives, but these are NOT for the inexperienced.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, what kinda of ferts? Are the ferts expensive? I would like to get fish but with the co2 people told me that the ph could swing so I didn't want to take the chance but I wanted like 5 otto cats. The lights are stupid blue lights that you get at wal-mart. I want this tank to be very cool and dence. I will move everything to the ten and add some java moss. If I was able to keep it stable it would be cool to get one male and like 3 female fancy guppies and have babys. Any ways can you give me a link of where I can get this stuff and what it looks like? thanx for the help!


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

If you use the search feature of this board you will find a LOT of discussion on substrate choices. If you are looking at getting some flourite then Big Als is a good place to start (http://www.bigalsoneline.com)

Check out this thread regarding screw in Compact Flourescents bulbs, its an older thread, but should give you an idea of what you're looking for.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=870

As far as fert's are concerned, there are many options available to you. Its not going to be as simple as "buy brand X and your set". Every tank is different, and your tanks needs will be different from others. This is where some patience, research and careful observation will come into play.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

well, with micro sword, amazon sword, java fern, and java moss then what kinds of ferts do I need? My CO2 system didn't work to good, wouldn't start, don't know why not enough pressure? What is a site that has the bulbs? What kind of subtrate would you do? Thanx and sorry about the stupid questions.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

I love these ten gallon tanks as far as plants go because you don't have to buy a new hood wth bigger wattage, you allready got it! lol, I don't think I will have any fish, want it dense, and will turn on the co2 and not have to worry about it killing fish! Good experence you think? Should I add everything I have in my tank? I need these bulbs asap!


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

BTW I want to get all the subtrate, lights, and ferts at the same place! Can it be done?


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

I dont think you understand. There is no correct formula for what ferts to use. If there was we would all use it and no one would be discussing algea, and plant growth. We would all have tanks that would be perfect.

You will have to plant your tank and monitor growth and water parameters in combo with your C02 and lighting to determine what ferts you need and which one you dont. You could buy a truckload of ferts and probably need only a handful... The most common are a trace element mixture, potassium and nitrogen. But you just cant dose these blindly, you need to test and monitor growth and your tanks health. :wink: 


Jason


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Start by replacing your light bulbs with these:








You can find them in the pet section at Wal-Mart.

For fertilization, you can start off with just adding a trace mix such as Seachem Flourish or Tetra FloraPride. You can get those at PetSmart or most fish stores. Just follow the bottles instructions. It will take a lot of reading, patience and experience for you to eventually be able to recognize nutrient deficiencies in your plants and tweak your fert schedule, but the trace mix is a good start. 

For substrate, I'd personally just start with regular gravel for this 10g. Someday when you become more advanced and tackle that 55g tank, you can go with an enriched substrate. Fish poop will enrich the regular gravel for now.

You can keep fish, even with the pH swings, as long as they arent' severe. Do you know if your tap water is soft or hard? If you test for KH and pH, you'll be able to figure out your CO2 levels. KH and pH test kits are pretty inexpensive.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, well how will I keep the pH constant? How would I regulate the CO2? How do you do it? I would like to keep fish but not add them till the tank becomes stable and I can keep a costant co2 so it don't swing. I have a water softner but I can get the soft water inside and the hard water outside if I want to. Which one is better? Where can I get a test get for all this stuff? Like Kh and stuff? Thanx for all the help. Man i really wish I had my 9inch Oscar still! lol lots of huge crap! lol


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

If your water is fairly hard, it is "buffered" fairly well and will help prevent large pH swings. You can get a KH test kit at your fish store or Petsmart or www.bigalsonline.com
If your KH is below 3-4 then I'd be worried about pH swings. Since your house has a water softener, its obviously very hard. If you're using Sodium Chloride based water softener, I'd recommend using the outdoor hard water for your aquarium. Some plants have a difficult time in very hard water (above 15 degrees KH) but the low light plants you've got should be fine.


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## digger (Feb 18, 2003)

To get your water to a ideal hardness you can mix your hard water with RO or distilled water. This should only be necessary if you are above 15dKH like GCA says.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

I got soft water that i use.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, got two of those lights! They are bright! Wow! White! After I do my homework i will plant the plants in there and get the CO2 going! Thanx for the recomdations! (sp lol ?)


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, got the plants in there and it looks great! Can't wait till i get the the ferts and test kits. Where can I get the ferts and the kits at the same place?


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, got some pics of my tank. The empty tank was when it was brackish and has the puffer and two platys. The one with the tank is the tank today. I got the 10watt 6500k bulbs and got the co2 working with no fish so I don't have to worry about the fish dieing about the pH. Hope it looks good when the plants get growing!


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

well, some of the pics didn't work. Before when it was brackish it has no plants and a couple of rocks that made a cave with a powerhead and another hob filter. Looks good?


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

That's a good start. Get some more plants in there! You've got some pretty bright light on there so you don't want algae to start using it!


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

I can't get any right now! I want some cool plants, but tonight is my mom's b-day and going near wal-mart, might pick up another cool plant. I want some water sprite! grows like a weed i think. I would like some Hydro or what ever. I will be getting some java moss in a couple of weeks. When i go I could get some cool plants there also. Where can I get the test kit and ferts?


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Do you have a Petsmart or Petco near you? Just about any fish store should have the test kit and ferts but they'll be a little more expensive. Petsmart usually has pretty good prices. 
Don't expect Wal-Mart to have very many plants that are worthwhile other than a few dying swords. Try www.aquabid.com


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## digger (Feb 18, 2003)

Doesn't mallwart usually have aponogenton bulbs? You may want to pick up some of those.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

I will try some bulbs. The amazon sword you see I got a wolly-world. I think they just got it the day before. It had 3 daughter plants. Great condiction. i live in a town of 2,000 people and the closest petco or petsmart is about a 2 hour drive! ok........i will have to get alot when i go or find a good place on the net that is cheap. Anybody have any water sprite? I need some, good plant and fast!


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, got the bulb and some other plant from wal-mart that is in great condiction. I will post a pic asap. I was rearanging my 10gallon and found two little fry swimming around! They are from my two platys that I tookin out 2 days ago! I can't wait till they grow up! lol


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

ok, got the pics of the new plant, and the new layout.


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## pufferfreak (Oct 19, 2003)

Hey i have my DIY CO2 system on here and do you think that I need it? I mean with my plants and all? I made a huge algea bloom in my 55. The pH droped from 7.8 to 6.8. I want some ottos in there but if I have the CO2 going then I don't think I will be able to. With my plants will I need the CO2 or will they grow just fine? I got Amazon Sword, micro Sword, Java fern, drawf lilly from wal-mart, aponogenton bulbs from wal-mart, and my newest plant that I don't know what it is yet. I would only get like 3 or 4 ottos?


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## Newkidonthetank (Apr 3, 2004)

Umm... Hi i am new at growing plants and i bought these wal-mart lillys and i cant get them to grow! i have a 55 gal tank w/ flourescent lights and a 10gal w/ new flourescent bulbs like the ones you showed in one of the replys.. help me... oh and i have soft water is that a problem?[/b]


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## dwhite_2006 (Apr 1, 2004)

Newkidonthetank,
You would probably get some replies if you started a thread. I would help you but i'm a noob too so i have no clue whats wrong.


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