New 10gal recommendations

A

agent86

AC Members
Jan 15, 2006
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Hi all, I just started a 10 gallon planted tank after a 10 year hiatus from fish keeping and would like some advice or critiques of it. I used r/o water to fill it up and eco-complete as the substrate. The filter is a Whisper junior and the lighting is 2 15w 6500k compact fluorescents. The plants are Baby Tears (is there another name for this?), Italian Val, Rotala, and some Corkscrew Val. Do you think these plants will do okay? The plants have been in there for 3 days now and all have new growth already. I am going to add Flourish, is there anything else I should add?
The only fish so far are 3 cherry barbs (1 male, 2 females). As you can see in the picture, the male is in breeding colors and the females are pretty plump. Today I noticed that he is chasing them like mad, do you think their going to spawn or is he just being aggressive? They keep squeezing through the Baby Tears and Rotala and he doesn't seem to be nipping, just chasing. I used to have Cherry Barbs and always remember them as very peaceful, so I would be surprised if he's just mean.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and thanks for all the advice already. Any critiques are welcome. Oh, one more thing, what other plants do you think would do well in there?
Thanks,
Josh

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It's a good start. I've been able to grow just about anything with 30 watts over one of my heavily planted 10's, so get a bunch of plants that you like and see where it goes. Also, you want to get a lot of plant growth started before any algae can creep in and take over.

Don't use R/O water to fill up an aquarium though, there is nothing in the water that your plants or fish can use nutrient-wise. You can use R/O water for top-offs possibly, but unless you add the proper nutrient mix to the water it isn't doing you any good, and can actually be harmful.
 
I have the plant in the middle but I don't know the name (Rotala?). Only mine is redish in high light. It grows very quick, I would trim it and spread it out a little more.

Need some moss for the driftwood maybe relocate that piece.
 
Hemianthus micranthemoides is more commonly called pearl grass now, since baby tears is also the common name for Micranthemum umbrosum.

The Rotala is Rotala rotundifolia, often commonly called Rotala indica.

To repeat what others have said, stop using RO water unless you plan to reconstitute it with something like Seachem Equilibrium to add calcium and magnesium (necessary for plants).

Some java moss and java fern on the driftwood would be nice, as well as some small foreground plants like dwarf sag or dwarf clover.

CO2 or Seachem's Flourish Excel will improve growth. Possibly look into providing additional macro nutrients (nitrates, phosphates, and potassium) if you see growth problems.
 
The problem was my water here in Utah is extremely hard so I figured R/O would give me a better start. I did use about 2 1/2 gallons of spring water from Wal-Mart which I think is just filtered water.
I just started adding Flourish and trimmed the Rotala back and added some Java Moss and 3 Rasboras. In a few weeks I would like to add a display fish of some sort. I was thinking about a Betta, Krib, or a Ram. Any better ideas? I was also thinking about a couple Ottos or a Cory. Is one better than the other? Or maybe some of those Cherry Shrimp that people are selling on here. How many do you think I should get?
Thanks for all your help.
 
Mix your tapwater with RO water, or buy something like Seachem Equilibrium to reconstitute the RO water.

A betta, krib, or ram means no small shrimp like cherries or ghost, they'll become a snack. Small shrimps aren't compatible with many fishes.

Ottos eat algae, cories don't. Ottos hide very well and aren't very active unless they're in a large group. Cories also likes to be in groups so most get too big for a 10g tank, pygmy and panda cories are about the only ones that don't get too big.
 
Ok, here's an updated pic. I just notice what must be algae on the glass. It looks like little trees swaying in the current. What is that? I'm also worried that I'm getting hair algae or something similar. If I look closely at the older leaves they seem to have some brown strands on them. What should I do to stop it from getting any worse? Probably add more plants. What would take the extra nutrients out quickly? Anachiris or Hornwort or something like that? I already have duckweed and I thought that would do the trick (it is multiplying very quickly). Please let me know. btw, I just did a 20% water change yesterday.
Thanks for your help so far.

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More plants is a good idea, hornwort and anacharis are both great choices until the baby tears and rotala fill out. If you have alot of plants and still have algae issues, look into CO2 or Flourish Excel. Then if you still have algae, start dosing additional ferts.
 
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