10 gallon planted

j-man the skater-man · 08-15-2006, 07:26 PM

im currently planing on redoing my 10 planted tank. i currently have a plain sand substrate and a 15 watt fixture. i want to clean the tank out and use a plant substrate and get higher lighting for wider range of plants. i am plan on using flourite or eco complete but i havent found much information pointing out which one is better. also, would either of the two substrates need to be covered with gravel or sand? any opinions or experences would help. also ive read that for a smaller tank like a 10 gallon, more light is needed to acheive the same amout of wpg on a larger tank. would 36 watts (ahsupply.coms 36 watt kit) be high enough to require the addition of co2? if so would DIY co2 work?

thanks j-man

Puffer Pita · 08-15-2006, 07:40 PM

There's not much difference between the efficacy of Eco Complete or Flourite. They both work equally well and come in black or red shades. The biggest difference is that Flourite is a PITA as it needs to be rinsed, A LOT, and Eco Complete doesn't. It just gets dumped from the bag into the tank and you're good to go. I have Flourite in all of my planted tanks but if I do another, I'm going with Eco Complete.

Neither one needs to be covered with gravel or sand or anything else.

With 36w of light on a 10g, CO2 would be good. I have 40w on one of my 10g planteds with CO2 and the growth is great. I use the Red Sea CO2 kit (and have one of the Hagen kits on my 15g high - they both work really well but I do like the Red Sea kit better).
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...04+113779+2035
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113779

Ownager2004 · 08-15-2006, 07:42 PM

I also have a 10 gallon planted. I think flourite and eco complete are pretty equal. Just came down to how they looked when i choose eco complete. Works great for me. I also have the AH supply 36W kit and it is also working well. Im able to grow a glosso carpet so the lighting is pretty good. And finally im also using DIY CO2. I use a 1 gallon gatorade jug. I use 2 cups of sugar and a small amount of yeast. I go for longevity, which is not exactly the best way to go about things, but it works fine for me.

I think the only reason to use sand would be to make a nice looking foreground that isnt plants, but that can get messy and be a pain IMO.

Good luck

blcknwitecuban · 08-15-2006, 09:59 PM

red lilys are nice they add color 2 the tank...they grow kinda quickly tho and BIG. also amazonswords. there 1 of my favorites

08-15-2006, 07:26 PM	#1
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	10 gallon planted im currently planing on redoing my 10 planted tank. i currently have a plain sand substrate and a 15 watt fixture. i want to clean the tank out and use a plant substrate and get higher lighting for wider range of plants. i am plan on using flourite or eco complete but i havent found much information pointing out which one is better. also, would either of the two substrates need to be covered with gravel or sand? any opinions or experences would help. also ive read that for a smaller tank like a 10 gallon, more light is needed to acheive the same amout of wpg on a larger tank. would 36 watts (ahsupply.coms 36 watt kit) be high enough to require the addition of co2? if so would DIY co2 work? thanks j-man

08-15-2006, 07:40 PM	#2
Puffer Pita Puffer Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,677	There's not much difference between the efficacy of Eco Complete or Flourite. They both work equally well and come in black or red shades. The biggest difference is that Flourite is a PITA as it needs to be rinsed, A LOT, and Eco Complete doesn't. It just gets dumped from the bag into the tank and you're good to go. I have Flourite in all of my planted tanks but if I do another, I'm going with Eco Complete. Neither one needs to be covered with gravel or sand or anything else. With 36w of light on a 10g, CO2 would be good. I have 40w on one of my 10g planteds with CO2 and the growth is great. I use the Red Sea CO2 kit (and have one of the Hagen kits on my 15g high - they both work really well but I do like the Red Sea kit better). http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...04+113779+2035 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113779 __________________ Tina Puffers: Auriglobus silus x2 Colomesus asellus x1 Tetraodon travancoricus x1 Tetraodon biocellatus x2 Tetraodon nigroviridis x1 Tetraodon baileyi x2 Tetraodon lineatus x1 Tetraodon palembangensis x1 The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. - Mohandas Gandhi

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08-15-2006, 07:42 PM	#3
Ownager2004 L33t n00b Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Athens, Ohio Age: 25 Posts: 466	I also have a 10 gallon planted. I think flourite and eco complete are pretty equal. Just came down to how they looked when i choose eco complete. Works great for me. I also have the AH supply 36W kit and it is also working well. Im able to grow a glosso carpet so the lighting is pretty good. And finally im also using DIY CO2. I use a 1 gallon gatorade jug. I use 2 cups of sugar and a small amount of yeast. I go for longevity, which is not exactly the best way to go about things, but it works fine for me. I think the only reason to use sand would be to make a nice looking foreground that isnt plants, but that can get messy and be a pain IMO. Good luck

08-15-2006, 09:59 PM	#4
blcknwitecuban SuperCowMonkeyShiner Join Date: Apr 2006 Age: 17 Posts: 496	red lilys are nice they add color 2 the tank...they grow kinda quickly tho and BIG. also amazonswords. there 1 of my favorites

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