Hey BubbleBack...nice start you've made...I've been off the site for a long time, checked back in today for the first time in ages. Well, by the look of it your planted 10-gallon will work out great, with the CF lamps and the sand/peat base you are using. If you don't already have one, consider adding a simple timer to the lamp unit to limit lighting duration. I just use a $4 timer plug. Lately I've been reducing lighting time to 5-6 hours a day for my various planted tanks. Some of my tanks struggle with algae because of daylight, so I have short lamp use on those.
You're right about planted tanks making you broke though...join the club! At least as plants grow you can divide them between other tanks, if (more like 'when') you get them!
Cheers, oscaremmy.
