what to start off with.

[7620le]

hey guys. So i'm new to planted tank and i wanna start my first..
i will be starting with a basic 10G tank.
can anyone tell me what i need? i just wanna keep it a low maintain planted tank. will i be fine with garvel or will i need fert? what kind of plants to start off with? do i need a heater? what does co2 do? what kind of light to use?

thx

[Fish-Addict]

If keeping tropical fish in that tank, then a heater will be needed. Also, if you are keeping corkscrew vallis in there, that will need a heater since it originates from Australia.
Plants need Co2 to grow. In an aquarium with no Co2 injection, there is usually enough to grow low light and low demanding plants. As you increase the amount of nutrients and lighting, you need to increase the Co2 at the same time to keep it balanced.

As for lighting, I know there is a prefered llighting colour and stuff like that, but I have only ever picked up the tropical daylight lamps I get along fine with them.

Good luck!

[jpappy789]

What is you current lighting? For a ten gallon I use the cheap incandescent fixtures from WalMart with the CFL screw-ins. A nice amount of light that won't be overbearing.

You can get away with adding Flourish excel instead of Co2 as a carbon source. Itll be easier to handle and for ferts some simple dosing of flourish for trace amounts is a good start. The flourish line also has specific NPK bottles as well if you want to stretch your fert dosing sometime in the future. Gravel will work just fine.

As for starter plants look for java moss, java fern, anubias species, and cryptocoryne species. Others you can try are hornwort, anacharis, vallisneria, etc.

[7620le]

thx guys.
that was useful

[BoCoMo]

What is you current lighting? For a ten gallon I use the cheap incandescent fixtures from WalMart with the CFL screw-ins. A nice amount of light that won't be overbearing.

You can get away with adding Flourish excel instead of Co2 as a carbon source. Itll be easier to handle and for ferts some simple dosing of flourish for trace amounts is a good start. The flourish line also has specific NPK bottles as well if you want to stretch your fert dosing sometime in the future. Gravel will work just fine.

As for starter plants look for java moss, java fern, anubias species, and cryptocoryne species. Others you can try are hornwort, anacharis, vallisneria, etc.

:iagree:

Best beginning advise you are going to get!

[7620le]

i am goin to be using gravel as substances and also one of those light that was mention from walmart. i also want to know what does Flourish excel do?
and if i added a air stone, would that be any help?

[7620le]

!

[thebrandon]

air stone will create surface agitation which would cause you to lose co2, so no air stone is needed.

[7620le]

air stone will create surface agitation which would cause you to lose co2, so no air stone is needed.

im not planning on adding a co2 in it.

[Fordtrannyman]

Here is what you can get from a low tech 10 gal.
Might give you some inspiration.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186897

[7620le]

Here is what you can get from a low tech 10 gal.
Might give you some inspiration.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186897


thx...sure did help :D

[Mgamer20o0]

a bigger tank. really 20 gallon tank wont cost much more to start with but will give you way more options for stocking and plants.

[7620le]

a bigger tank. really 20 gallon tank wont cost much more to start with but will give you way more options for stocking and plants.

yeah i kno a 20g doesnt cost much more more but the problem would be about the spacing...course everyone would go for the bigger :D