Questions about lighting for a 10 gallon tank..

First, regarding screw-in CF bulbs--plants ideally need a bulb with an output of 6700 K -10,000 K. These type of bulbs are not easily found in hardware stores, but are often available in aquarium shops (although pricey). Secondly, a warning: the more light you put over your 10 gallon tank over and above 15-20 watts, the more risk there is for algae, unless you start injecting C02. More light is not always better!

A single 15 watt fluorescent aquarium plant bulb will easily grow low-light plants in a 10 gallon tank.

You could get a glass top instead of a hood if you wish, then buy a shop-light or aquarium lighting fixture that lies on top of the glass and shines into the tank. This way, you can easily upgrade to more lighting by simply putting another fixture on top of the tank.
 
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everyone is forgetting that 30 watts of light over a 10g tank does not equal 3 watts per gallon. i have 30 watts over my 10g and it looks so dim compared to my 20g long which has 50 watts. the small tanks need a bit more light to equal the same ammount in a larger tank.
 
The watt-per-gallon rule is just a guideline. It's a good starting point for determining your light levels. You can adjust up or down once you see how your plants are doing.

I'm using the rule for both my 10 gallon and 3 gallon, and the it seems to hold true for me.
 
If you want to start simple with easy to grow low light plants, then you can get away with anything from just under 1 wpg up to about 2 wpg. Good low light plants like ferns and anubias etc. will do better at lower levels than they will at higher levels where they often need to be shaded to prevent algae. In a low light tank you do not need to add co2 and need little to no fertilizers/suppliments and, imo, these can cause more problems than benefits in a low light tank.

I have four 10 gal tanks chocked full of thriving plants and they pretty much have 15 watt fluors over them. (The strip light is one designed for a longer tank and it hangs over the each end of the tank by about 2 inches- but the bulb itself is about the same length as the tank.) They have been up and running for years and all require regular pruning. They get a small dose of tropica mastergrow and a dose of flourish excel with their weekly water change, and that is it.

Until one gets their "plant legs" under them, I normally suggest they follow the KISS theory and then work their way up the planted tank learning curve.
 
Until one gets their "plant legs" under them, I normally suggest they follow the KISS theory and then work their way up the planted tank learning curve.


What is the KISS theory?
 
I am back from both Walmart and Petsmart. I wish Flagstaff had more options.
Anyways, I purchase a 10 gallon glass tank for $7.99 and a Incandescent Hood made by All-Glass for $15.99. I then bought 2 Compact Fluorescent bulbs from Wal-Mart. The bulbs are 20 watts and work nicely in the hood. With people telling about how the WPG rule is different on small tanks, I thought 4 WPG would be good on the 10 gallon. I guess I'll try it out and see how it goes. I plan on going to the LFS tomorrow and buying a bag of Eco-complete along with some gravel. I think I will also order some Bio-spira and add both fish and plants and the same time. I think I am ready to begin the journey. My head is starting to hurt with all the information so I am just going to start. Sometimes it's better to do things yourself and learn from your mistakes.
 
its is an old saw that means: Keep It Simple Stupid- (that is not meant to imply you are stupid btw- its just what it means). basically don't try to start with the most advanced type of high light planted tank which needs co2 and almost daily dosing of suppliments. Start at the low light end of the plant spectrum and as you gain experience and success, then you can move up the curve.
 
I've had a lot of luck just going with plain gravel, hygrophilia species, sag grass, water feeders (elodea, hornwort, java moss, java fern), some occasional light from a north-facing window and a CO2 bubbler. Btw, run the CO2 through your filter to break up the bubbles more. Oh yea, a 28w cf light fixture, but that was after a whole year of an 18w bulb.

It's a bit tricky sometimes, but will look ok after a few weeks of "grow in." Don't expect phenomenal growth or the ability to prune your plants a lot. Good luck!
 
hb3133 said:
With people telling about how the WPG rule is different on small tanks, I thought 4 WPG would be good on the 10 gallon. .
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First of all, only 1 person told you this! Second, the WPG rule is NOT different on small tanks!

4 watts-per-gallon over a 10 gallon is a lot of light, and probably way more than you need. Anything over 3 wpg will likely require the addition of C02 and/or fertilizers to keep up with plant growth. Without good plant growth, algae can become a real problem in high light tanks. IMO low-light = low maintenance = Simple :)
 
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