Want to try plants

67chevelle

67chevelle

Basset Hound
Jul 30, 2008
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I have had low light plants before,without much luck.They always seem to stay alive,but never thrived.They seemed to clog the filter,and make more mess than they were worth.Right now I have no live plants.
So,I am thinking about trying it again.I am going to try this in my overstocked 10 gallon.If it works better in this tank,I might try it in others.Here is the light I am thinking of buying this light,
http://www.petmountain.com/product/light-fixtures/512404/current-usa-nova-ex
and changing the actinic bulb to one of these http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent-bulbs/511020/t5ho-10%2C000k-d
I will also be using a DIY co2 reactor.Basically a 2 liter bottle with a glass diffuser.What are some of your ideas on this light,and on DIY co2?What plants would you suggest for a 10 gallon tank with tetra,gourami,cory,otos,and a snail?
 
Anubis :] , I really like the look of anacharis as well, possibly some java moss. All beginner plants really. Depends on what you want the tank to look like.

Anacharis as a background, anubis attatched to some driftwood, or even just planted in the substrate, then java moss wherever.
 
red_wall said:
Anubis :] , I really like the look of anacharis as well, possibly some java moss. All beginner plants really. Depends on what you want the tank to look like.

Anacharis as a background, anubis attatched to some driftwood, or even just planted in the substrate, then java moss wherever.
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I guess I am not all that inrerested in what kind of plants.I have had all of the ones you mentioned.I am interested in lighting and co2.Thanks for the response though.
 
Lighting looks good, and for DIY co2, just type it in on youtube, it shows tons of different ones to use and step by step instructions on how to do it.
 
40w of T5HO over a 10g tank is a lot of light, more than I'd be comfortable using with only DIY CO2. Good price though, I'd use only one bulb if you decide to use it.

I wouldn't use a glass diffuser with DIY CO2, it doesn't generate enough pressure to maximize the effectiveness of a glass diffuser. I'd use a powerhead and stick the CO2 outlet near the intake of the powerhead, or stick the CO2 outlet near the intake of your filter and let the filter dissolve the CO2.
 
DIY CO2 primer and build ideas: http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

Another route instead of DIY CO2, is a product called Excel, made by Seachem. Anacharis and Vals are sometimes sensitive to it, but it actually works, and has the side benefit of killing algae also, but that isnt advertised.
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
i would also look into using a incandescent hood and put cfl bulbs in them. i have a 20 long with two bulbs over the top and can grow a lot of plants. really starting out you should low light and work your way up. have any tanks other then a 10?
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Yeah I have a few other tanks check out my tank set up,lol
But I wanted to try it on a 10 gallon,because I have had low light plants before in this tank,and other tanks,and although I liked them,they never really thrived,and made more of a mess,and were a major pain,IMO.So if I try it again,I want to make sure I have proper lighting and CO2.
Someone else had mentioned the light fixture I want to buy with 2 bulbs would be too much for a 10 gallon using DIY CO2.Why is it too much?
Also,I thought DIY CO2 worked fine,but I have no experience with it.If it is not a good idea,can some one suggest another way to get CO2 that is fairly inexpensive,under $50 hopefully.
 
The smallest light linked is a 2x20w T5HO totaling 40w. T5HO is much more efficient than regular fluorescent and even more efficient than compact fluorescents. I have a 12g tank with 50w of CFL lighting and that hood would be about the equivalent. Growth is very fast, CO2 and nutrient uptake is also very fast. At this light level there isn't much room for mistakes.

Unfortunately there isn't a cheap pressurized system. I'm currently using a $200+ ADA mini CO2 system for my 12g. There is a pressurized system that can fit onto a paintball CO2 canister but that's still close to $100, and you still need to purchase the canister.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/4531/product.web

I think 1 bulb on the T5HO fixture is sufficient for your needs. It should be able to grow a wide variety of plants with the addition of CO2 and not go out of control. Mgamer's idea of using an incandescent hood is also good. Screw in two 20w bulbs and you have all the light you'll need.
 
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