New to planted tanks

UWShorty85

UWShorty85

Loving Chaos
Aug 17, 2005
30
0
0
students.washington.edu
10 Gallon, tropical and planted.

I have a "plant light" flourescent bulb that I got at Petsmart in my hood, and a couple live plants. I am currently using Leaf Zone fertilizer, but I have ordered "Flourish," and will be replacing my undergravel filter (used in addition to a Biowheel, which will be kept) with a layering of flourite and gravel when I make the move to the dorms at the end of September. I will hopefully be adding a few more plants, and I have ordered a CO2 regulator, (about $16.50 on www.drsfostersmith.com) for my tank at that point.

I am unsure on a few points though. I like the look of an airstone in my tank, but would having a "bubble wand" attached to an air pump defeat the purpose of the CO2 regulator? And is it still okay to carefully vacuum the gravel in open areas of the bottom of the tank? I would rather not have my tank implode on itself, since I am fairly new to the hobby, so any advice regarding the CO2 combined with the bubble wand would be appriciated.
 
How much light in watts per gallon do you have over your tank? The answer to that question will determine a lot of other things.
You will need to know the kH(carbonate hardness) of your water before injecting CO2.
The gas could be dangerous for your fish if the kH is too low.
You will also need other test kits. How many depends again on light which will determine the need for nutrients.

Len
 
djlen said:
How much light in watts per gallon do you have over your tank?
Click to expand...

I have a 15 watt "nutrigrow freshwater aquarium plant lamp" that is 18" over my 10 gallon tank.

I plan on testing my kH today, and my other levels are all within the safe/ideal range as far as nitrates/nitrites/ammonia/pH go. The water is hard, but I think adding the flourite will soften that a little, at least according to the bag the flourite comes in.
 
It is true you need to measure for KH, but with so little light CO2 is not of much use.

The bubble wand will "stir" water more and get rid of CO2 faster also--defeating the CO2.
 
More light
More co2
Much more light
I have 160 w flourecsent sitting in front of a south facing double wide window, So much co2 that it collects on the leaves and filter intakes.
Im beginning to believe that its hard to overdo either one of them.
 
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I tested the water today at the LFS where I work using the Jungle Lab strips, and the results:
ammonia: 0
chlorine: 0
chloramine: 0
nitrate: 40 (time to change some water)
nitrite: 0
total hardness (GH) ppm: 150
total alkalinity (KH) ppm: 80
pH: 7.0

where would I get a stronger bulb? a hardware store? I know they have plant lights there... my LFS only carries 15 watt lights in the 18 inch length. What wattage of a light would you suggest for a 10 gallon tank? Also, would adding a bubble wand for my fish (since I have few plants) be bad for the plants I do have? Sorry about all the questions, but I'd rather not have everything in the tank kick off.
 
Your kH is OK for injecting, and CO2 will help plants even at 1.5wpg.
Get some 'low light' plants for that tank. It will not require a lot of nutrient supplementation at that wattage, which is good. Cryptocoryne and Anubia will grow nicely in your tank. E. Tenellus (1" - 3") would probably do nicely as a foreground plant. In short, you can develop a nicely planted tank at the present wattage. It will develop slowly, but good results are possible.
You also should have less issues with algae and as I said before less need for extra nutrients.
I would recommend that you start at this wattage to 'get your feet wet' in the hobby and you can always increase wattage down the road if you'd like. This would involve re-fitting your present hood with compact fluorescent light, as NO light(what you have presently) doesn't come in higher wattages in that size tube.
Once you increase you plant mass and get them growing and start to use CO2 you will need to discontinue the use of a bubble wand or air stone. They force the carbon out of the water table and will be counter productive to your injection.
Healthy, fast growing plants will produce plenty of O2 for your fish.
You will find that 'just a few plants' is almost a sacrilege on this forum.:) :)

Len
 
Thanks so much for the info, Len. As far as the "very few plants," keep in mind that I finally got my 10 gallon at the beginning of July this year, and only got the live plants a couple weeks ago. My LFS doesn't have a good selection of plants, so once I am moved into the dorm at school with my tank, I plan to order some online. Thanks for the plant type suggestions, and do you have a URL that I could find that type of hood and light at, for future reference?
 
Another (probably dumb) question for y'all - can the CO2 stay connected and going in the tank all night, when the plants are also releasing CO2, or would that kill off the fish?
 
I run my CO2 24/7 with no detrimental affects to the fish.
You want to start off slowly and measure your kH/pH relationship frequently early on to be sure that you are well under maximum ppm while learning how much to inject.
This is easier done with pressurized CO2, but can be accomplished in a number of ways even with DIY/CO2. BTW, not a dumb question....an important one.
The best source for retro-fit CF lighting IMO: www.ahsupply.com/
You can also use 'screw-in' CF 'bulbs' available at Home Depot/Lowes at a reasonable price, for a little 10 gal. I have two 23watt 55K bulbs over a 10 right now and they light that puppy up.
The only moss that comes to mind for your environment is Java Moss. It will attach itself to anything porous.....substrate included. It can be messy however. It's very inexpensive to buy.

Len
 
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