10 Gallon Planted from the ground up

[geofied]

phanmc may be right about the micro swords, but I got lucky with one bunch of them that was struggling for a while. It actually came back to life in my 10 with clown-puke gravel, no CO2, and the same 2x10watt light combo you have. I have since added CO2 to this tank and they are still hanging on. They aren't propagating mind you, but they look fairly healthy. Either way, add the CO2 if you want to give them a fighting chance. I know you just bought those lights so I won't suggest you upgrade just yet. That combo gave my heavily planted tank a great start. I only upgraded to 2x15watts when I gained a full cover of duckweed.

That CO2 should be fine in a 10g, but I would be a little skeptical that it would cover the 29g. Any CO2 will help though, and you aren't high on the lights on your 29 either, which matches little or no CO2. I'm assuming you will put the CO2 on your new planted 10 anyway, since that was the focus of this "mission".

 

[skillful abbot]

Alot of people use the Zoo Med canister filters, usually used for turtle tanks, for smaller planted tanks. Here's a link: http://www.healthypets.com/zoomedfilter.html.

If you are going to have CO2, then I'd go with a 40w light fixture. Higher light is needed in smaller tanks, and 4wpg would give you pretty good plant choices, as would the addition of CO2, even if it is DIY.

Wow! that's the Edenic Scelta in Japan. Hahaha. Interesting... Very popular here since most have small sized tanks!

 

[eugenet]

Just an update, finally got in my Nutrafin CO2 system, I got it from Ebay and had a lil trouble, there was no lid for the canister but the company sent me one free of charge. Also the nozzle that connects to the end of the tubing in the bubble ladder was missing, so I bent the tubing where it will deposit the bubbles into the ladder so they can climb it like normal. It's working so far but I wonder if the nozzle was supposed to hold back pressure or make the bubbles smaller? Also the suction cups I guess were old because they will NOT stick to the glass even after I cleaned it nice and shiny. Oh well it's working at least and I saved a lil money. :wall: Haven't swapped the 10watt CF's out for the 15watt ones yet, I think I will wait till I get some floating plants and figure out what others I want to plant in there. Any suggestions? Here are a couple pics right after I installed the system. And you can see my purdy lil CT betta Spidey crusin his way around Geofied when you mentioned the microswords propagating, I know they spread by runners right? But do they also send out little green specks that develop roots? I keep finding them in the tank and its the only thing I could think of that they are baby microswords?

 

[geofied]

Also the nozzle that connects to the end of the tubing in the bubble ladder was missing, so I bent the tubing where it will deposit the bubbles into the ladder so they can climb it like normal. It's working so far but I wonder if the nozzle was supposed to hold back pressure or make the bubbles smaller? Also the suction cups I guess were old because they will NOT stick to the glass even after I cleaned it nice and shiny.Geofied when you mentioned the microswords propagating, I know they spread by runners right? But do they also send out little green specks that develop roots? I keep finding them in the tank and its the only thing I could think of that they are baby microswords?

Yipes, how much did you end up paying for this special Ebay version of the Hagen/Nutrafin system?

The nozzle you mention is actually just a slanted end-piece (hard plastic) to place the bubbles better when it is seated properly. No adjustments to the flow or bubble size. You can do this yourself with your tubing by cutting it(wonder if you got the original tubing or just airline). You might be able to use other suction cups if you can find ones with similar ends. I would either contact the company again to get replacements (for the nozzle too while you're at it).

I'm not following you when you say little green specks. The runners look like green roots slightly arching on the surface of the gravel that eventually grow a miniature plant, roots and all. Pictures?

 

[eugenet]

Well I'm pretty sure its the original tubing, so far it is working good, I just need to get the suction cups fixed now. The little green specks kinda look like a small leaf and after they float around for awhile they have very fine trailing roots on them. I'll try to get some pics but they are very small.

 

[GirlieGirl8521]

If you want the Microsword to spread faster, break it up and plant in small groups instead of the big bunches.

I'd also think about getting some stem plants for the background. Bacopa caroliniana should grow well in that light.

 

[eugenet]

Well it dawned on me the little green specks I mentioned are probably a floating plant that had been mixed in with my microswords. I'm not sure what type it is though. They all have 4 leaves coming out from the center and trailing roots. It's so small its hard to get a clear pic with my camera, this is the best one I got. Can anyone tell what it is? Sorry for the picture quality, I tried taking a macro shot but I think my camera hates me. :mad2: My CO2 is working better now, even without the outlet piece, threading the tubing into the ladder track itself makes the bubbles still follow the path. I can already tell my crypt looks alot better and the 1 sprout of vals I put into this tank looks a hundred times better than the ones in my 29. I'll post updated pics when there is more of a visible difference. I probably will be ordering some floating plants and some Bacopa caroliniana soon. Again thanks for all the help everybody.


:headbang2: :headbang2: :headbang2:

 

[eugenet]

Ok so I got in an order of floating plants and now the 10 is covered with fairy moss. I was going to upgrade to 15 watt bulbs but when I put them in I noticed the bulbs are just enough larger that they touch the splash guards. That kinda made me nervous of them melting and starting a fire so I put the 10 watt ones back in. Can anybody tell me how they put the larger bulbs in safely? I'm pretty sure Geofied has the same set up but I'm not sure how he installed the bulbs to make sure they won't melt his splash guards. Growth is coming along good, I need to refill my CO2 mixture soon, I'll get some updated pics when I get my camera back.

 

[Sammie7]

Well it dawned on me the little green specks I mentioned are probably a floating plant that had been mixed in with my microswords. I'm not sure what type it is though. They all have 4 leaves coming out from the center and trailing roots. It's so small its hard to get a clear pic with my camera, this is the best one I got. Can anyone tell what it is? Sorry for the picture quality, I tried taking a macro shot but I think my camera hates me. :mad2: My CO2 is working better now, even without the outlet piece, threading the tubing into the ladder track itself makes the bubbles still follow the path. I can already tell my crypt looks alot better and the 1 sprout of vals I put into this tank looks a hundred times better than the ones in my 29. I'll post updated pics when there is more of a visible difference. I probably will be ordering some floating plants and some Bacopa caroliniana soon. Again thanks for all the help everybody.


:headbang2: :headbang2: :headbang2:

That's duckweed... http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/floating_plants/common_duckweed.htm
http://plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=143

 

[eugenet]

Thanks that's what I suspected but I wasn't sure. Says it can be very invasive, let's see which one wins fairy moss or it Anybody have any tips on the CF bulb question?