looking into a 10 or 15 gallon max planted for the bedroom. I know nothing about planted tanks. I want to keep this simple yet beautiful, what is the minimum equiptment I will need? I plan on stocking with 1 male betta, 6 neon tetras and 4 pygmy cories.
I want to get into a planted tank
- Thread starter Lowryder
- Start date
http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2
There is an extensive list of low light plants that are easy to keep and require little maintenance. I would go with some moss if I were you.
There is an extensive list of low light plants that are easy to keep and require little maintenance. I would go with some moss if I were you.
You can get a cheap hood with an incandescent light fixture, then just replace the bulb with a cfl. A couple of 13 watt cfls in a 10 gallon hood will do the trick for a low/medium light planted tank. Most stock hoods with flourescent bulbs will be adequate for only basic low light plants.
Wow, great site faster, exactly what I was looking for as way of plant info.
Is CO2 needed for a small, low light tank?
What is the best substrate?
Will fake driftwood be ok, or is real better?
Is CO2 needed for a small, low light tank?
What is the best substrate?
Will fake driftwood be ok, or is real better?
If it's low light then no CO2 isn't needed. It can always be helpful though. As for substrate check out Mgamer20o0 on this sight, she has a website with lots of plants for sale and her own planted substrate which is cheaper then most competitors. As for driftwood, it won't really make a difference but real is probably cheaper if you get it from someone good. I think mgamer20o0 has that too.
You won't fit in a 10 gallon! :lol:
I have 10's, 20's, and 29's planted using stock lighting, no CO2, with low light plants. I have had them for at least 3 years without issue. I never used ferts either until this past winter. On the 10 gallon tanks I have incandescent hoods in which I replaced the bulbs with the screw in CFL's effectively giving me 2WPG and opens up a wider variety of plants I can grow in it.
I have a 10g shrimp tank with 2 15w screw in spiral CFLs, no CO2. I can grow low & medium light stem plants w/o algae issues. I use flourite black sand to help the colors pop. I rarely use ferts, just micros when I do. When it's not too overgrow it may be my favorite looking tank.
correct me if i'm wrong but i thought Bob was a guy.
real wood is better imo. buy it or collect your own, it's up to you. for a 10 gal it shouldn't be too pricey.
root tabs are highly recommended for rooted plants imo. the recipe in the sticky here is better than anything i've bought imo also.
2 full spectrum cfl's should do the trick as previously stated. wattage would depend on plants, tank and personal preference/experiences. 2-3 wpg should be more than adequate for easy plants. i like ge daylight cfl's. i've heard others that liked N:VISION daylight cfl's and a couple other brands.
knowing your water (ferts)... if you have hard water and low lights mixed with a decent stock level you may not need ferts. i am not that blessed but i still never dose more than kh2po4 and micros on my smaller tank. i do amend the gh of my tap water before w/c's though.
a decent filter. there's no need for a cannister for a low light tank w/o co2 but if you are the type that gets into things and may want to go further/take a challenge it's not a bad thing to have. if not i'd go with something that mixes up the water a bit more to benefit with oxygenation, off gassing and/or the extra co2 in the atmosphere. that could keep you from having to buy an airstone as well. or if you stock low enough you can just have a sponge filter and/or a power head.
if the fish you pick are known to jump from time to time a lid or hood would be necessary.
media, don't forget media. ask around... there's tons of ideas from leca to scrubby pads to quilt batting to ceramic rings...
a little space between your lights and your water is often a good idea with low light/cfl's. it can help to spread the light more evenly, distribute it better without algae issues, etc..
substrate... tons of options here too. nothing specific is absolutely necessary since you can amend anything with root tabs and there's lots of plants that aren't rooted or attach to hard surfaces. a good substrate is really the way to go though.
timer... gotta keep your lights on a decent schedule.
plants... cover ~1/2 the tank immediately for best results.
fish
