10 gallon planted

j-man the skater-man · 11-13-2005, 05:45 PM

i will be putting the tank in a corner of my room and i want a planted tank .

i plan to plant the tank and i wanna have good plant growth and i want to be able to grow most plants

i will be planting medium light level plants but want the option of pretty much anything i find...

my ? is can i do this with a stock 15w flourecent light,plain sand, and flourish?????

i will only have cherry shrimp and ramshorn snails in it

shev · 11-13-2005, 05:52 PM

No, the least you can do is buy a plant bulb. life-glo is around 6700k and will be your best choice for a 15W fixture. But even then you will have to stick to low light plants such as java fern, java moss, crypts, aponogetons, anubias and things like that.

ramshorn snails eat plants.

j-man the skater-man · 11-13-2005, 06:02 PM

the ones i have havent touched a plant yet

!!! what do u recomend i do to be able to grow aa large range of plants in the 10??????

Fishboy93 · 11-13-2005, 06:44 PM

Upgrade to power compact light(pc) look on ebay thats where i got mine

kamili · 11-13-2005, 07:15 PM

I used to have a 10 gallon plant tank that looked amazing. I don't think you can grow anything with a 15watt setup, I'm sure you can grow algae if you want.

I would suggest checking out the route that I have taken in the past.....look at ahsupply.com and buy yourself a nice compact flourescent setup. It is amazing the difference you will have in just the visual light, so much brighter and more attractive. I just ordered another setup for my tank where I will be getting 110watts for a 29 gallon (3.8wpg). They will sell you a little setup that goes into your stock aquarium hood and it takes about 20 minutes to install. I think I paid somewhere in the 50 dollar range and if I had to do it again I would pay double--yes, it's that worth it.

DUSTIN323 · 11-13-2005, 09:14 PM

bigalsonline.com has a 20" power compact for 35bucks it has like a 28 watt bulb in it here's a link
http://bigalsonline.com/catalog/prod...d1=1843;pcid2=

MyraVan · 11-14-2005, 06:08 AM

kamili wrote:

"I don't think you can grow anything with a 15watt setup"

No, not true. shev gave a nice list of things that you can grow with 15W, to his list I would add dwarf sag and, if you have hard water, vallis.

shev wrote:

"ramshorn snails eat plants."

Depends on what kind of ramshorn. If it's the small ones you get for free with plants, then they don't eat plants. The big ramshorns, which are actually a close relative of the apple snail, do eat plants. See http://www.snailshop.co.uk/html/tropical_snails_14.html

j-man, your idea of "want to be able to grow most plants" probably won't cut it, as to grow most plants you must have a huge amount of light (3WPG or more) an expensive substrate, and a very good CO2 injection system. This costs a heck of alot of money and is quite complex to maintain.

I would recommend that you keep the lighting under 2.5WPG (ie, less than 25 watts) for your first planted tank, as above 2.5WPG you generally need to add CO2 to enable the plants to use those higher levels of light. And CO2 is yet another layer of complexity, I feel you should start simple before getting into the more complex stuff.

However, even for a beginner tank I would go for a better substrate than just sand. You can pay lots of money for something like Flourite, or less money for laterite mixed with small-grain gravel, or less still for something like Schultz Aquatic plant soil, and go the very cheap route of soil + gravel.

I've got a 10g tank with a 24W CF light, and it works really well. I have some info on that tank, and pics of it, in this thread.
http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6248

j-man the skater-man · 11-14-2005, 11:20 AM

you cant use sand and something like flourite? its really worth buying a new light source for the extra 10 watts?

**Damon** · 11-14-2005, 12:05 PM

In short, yes.

j-man the skater-man · 11-14-2005, 06:09 PM

ok another ? lighting... i have heard lots about the t-5 lighting system what is the deal with those? will they fit on stock hood? can u change the bulbs??

**Damon** · 11-14-2005, 08:25 PM

T5 are identical to T8 with respect to how they work. They are thinner allowing one to put more bulbs under the same space. Very efficient and don't have dark corners like pcs do. The one "annoying" thing is the Kelvin they come in. You are limited to 6500K or 10000K. This is the ideal K range but some people think the 6500K is too yellow and the 10000K is to white/blue. I like 10000K bulbs myself. You will need a new fixture for T5 and I've never seen a 20 inch T5 striplight. Big als has great prices on PC fixtures but the bulb is a 50/50. For a 10 gallon tank this would work perfectly if you change the bulb.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=1843;pcid2=

MyraVan · 11-15-2005, 04:05 AM

Over here at least, T5 linear are very expensive. The bulbs are a bit more expensive than the T8s, but the controllers are much more expensive. You can get Interpet CF bulbs and controllers for much less, so that's what I go for nowadays.

**Damon** · 11-15-2005, 06:20 AM

T5 (not the VHO) are cheap here. Comparable to pc or T8 lighting. But I've still never seen a 20 inch T5 fixture.

j-man the skater-man · 11-15-2005, 05:33 PM

ok i just relized i really need to learn more on lighting than what i already know...any sites that give the basic rundown of who,what,when,where and why???

Fishboy93 · 11-15-2005, 05:41 PM

Plantgeeks.com for plant guide and helpful forum

shev · 11-15-2005, 06:04 PM

Quote:

"ramshorn snails eat plants."

Depends on what kind of ramshorn. If it's the small ones you get for free with plants, then they don't eat plants. The big ramshorns, which are actually a close relative of the apple snail, do eat plants. See http://www.snailshop.co.uk/html/tropical_snails_14.html

Wow thats a pretty neat site. I bet half of those snails are invasive here, too bad they look pretty cool. I thought they all ate plants.

yeah, Cf is pretty cheap. I got a used jebo 110 (2x55) watt 24 inch off ebay for only 20 bucks. you should check there jman.

Magdelaine · 11-18-2005, 08:08 AM

I just wanted to mention that I've had some nice success with my 10 gallon and 17w regular flourescent strip light with gravel substrate...It's the pic for my avatar. Right now I have mostly Apo bulbs and crypts. Apos constantly surprise me because they are cheap (at Walmart), they grow easily and I have gotten about 4 different species, with different looks and growth habits, out of each package. If I was't concentrating on switching to a 29 gallon soon I would be adding Java Fern and Java Moss, and maybe some Anubias, to stay away from rooted plants in the gravel.

11-13-2005, 05:45 PM	#1
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	10 gallon planted i will be putting the tank in a corner of my room and i want a planted tank . i plan to plant the tank and i wanna have good plant growth and i want to be able to grow most plants i will be planting medium light level plants but want the option of pretty much anything i find... my ? is can i do this with a stock 15w flourecent light,plain sand, and flourish????? i will only have cherry shrimp and ramshorn snails in it

11-13-2005, 06:44 PM	#4
Fishboy93 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ft. Myers, FL Age: 15 Posts: 658	Upgrade to power compact light(pc) look on ebay thats where i got mine __________________ 29 Gallon Reef

11-13-2005, 09:14 PM	#6
DUSTIN323 ~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~ Join Date: Sep 2005 Age: 20 Posts: 522	bigalsonline.com has a 20" power compact for 35bucks it has like a 28 watt bulb in it here's a link http://bigalsonline.com/catalog/prod...d1=1843;pcid2= __________________ Gen1Performance.com Gen 1 Performance Forum

11-14-2005, 12:05 PM	#9
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	In short, yes. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

11-14-2005, 08:25 PM	#11
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	T5 are identical to T8 with respect to how they work. They are thinner allowing one to put more bulbs under the same space. Very efficient and don't have dark corners like pcs do. The one "annoying" thing is the Kelvin they come in. You are limited to 6500K or 10000K. This is the ideal K range but some people think the 6500K is too yellow and the 10000K is to white/blue. I like 10000K bulbs myself. You will need a new fixture for T5 and I've never seen a 20 inch T5 striplight. Big als has great prices on PC fixtures but the bulb is a 50/50. For a 10 gallon tank this would work perfectly if you change the bulb. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/...d1=1843;pcid2= __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

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11-13-2005, 05:52 PM	#2
shev Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Montana Age: 19 Posts: 1,561	No, the least you can do is buy a plant bulb. life-glo is around 6700k and will be your best choice for a 15W fixture. But even then you will have to stick to low light plants such as java fern, java moss, crypts, aponogetons, anubias and things like that. ramshorn snails eat plants.

11-13-2005, 06:02 PM	#3
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	the ones i have havent touched a plant yet !!! what do u recomend i do to be able to grow aa large range of plants in the 10??????

11-13-2005, 07:15 PM	#5
kamili Fishy Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Rutgers U. NEW JERSEY Age: 26 Posts: 15	I used to have a 10 gallon plant tank that looked amazing. I don't think you can grow anything with a 15watt setup, I'm sure you can grow algae if you want. I would suggest checking out the route that I have taken in the past.....look at ahsupply.com and buy yourself a nice compact flourescent setup. It is amazing the difference you will have in just the visual light, so much brighter and more attractive. I just ordered another setup for my tank where I will be getting 110watts for a 29 gallon (3.8wpg). They will sell you a little setup that goes into your stock aquarium hood and it takes about 20 minutes to install. I think I paid somewhere in the 50 dollar range and if I had to do it again I would pay double--yes, it's that worth it.

11-14-2005, 06:08 AM	#7
MyraVan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 864	kamili wrote: "I don't think you can grow anything with a 15watt setup" No, not true. shev gave a nice list of things that you can grow with 15W, to his list I would add dwarf sag and, if you have hard water, vallis. shev wrote: "ramshorn snails eat plants." Depends on what kind of ramshorn. If it's the small ones you get for free with plants, then they don't eat plants. The big ramshorns, which are actually a close relative of the apple snail, do eat plants. See http://www.snailshop.co.uk/html/tropical_snails_14.html j-man, your idea of "want to be able to grow most plants" probably won't cut it, as to grow most plants you must have a huge amount of light (3WPG or more) an expensive substrate, and a very good CO2 injection system. This costs a heck of alot of money and is quite complex to maintain. I would recommend that you keep the lighting under 2.5WPG (ie, less than 25 watts) for your first planted tank, as above 2.5WPG you generally need to add CO2 to enable the plants to use those higher levels of light. And CO2 is yet another layer of complexity, I feel you should start simple before getting into the more complex stuff. However, even for a beginner tank I would go for a better substrate than just sand. You can pay lots of money for something like Flourite, or less money for laterite mixed with small-grain gravel, or less still for something like Schultz Aquatic plant soil, and go the very cheap route of soil + gravel. I've got a 10g tank with a 24W CF light, and it works really well. I have some info on that tank, and pics of it, in this thread. http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6248

11-14-2005, 11:20 AM	#8
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	you cant use sand and something like flourite? its really worth buying a new light source for the extra 10 watts?

11-14-2005, 06:09 PM	#10
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	ok another ? lighting... i have heard lots about the t-5 lighting system what is the deal with those? will they fit on stock hood? can u change the bulbs??

11-15-2005, 04:05 AM	#12
MyraVan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 864	Over here at least, T5 linear are very expensive. The bulbs are a bit more expensive than the T8s, but the controllers are much more expensive. You can get Interpet CF bulbs and controllers for much less, so that's what I go for nowadays.

11-15-2005, 06:20 AM	#13
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,982	T5 (not the VHO) are cheap here. Comparable to pc or T8 lighting. But I've still never seen a 20 inch T5 fixture. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

11-15-2005, 05:33 PM	#14
j-man the skater-man invert freak Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: whiteville NC Age: 18 Posts: 345	ok i just relized i really need to learn more on lighting than what i already know...any sites that give the basic rundown of who,what,when,where and why???

11-15-2005, 05:41 PM	#15
Fishboy93 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ft. Myers, FL Age: 15 Posts: 658	Plantgeeks.com for plant guide and helpful forum __________________ 29 Gallon Reef

11-18-2005, 08:08 AM	#17
Magdelaine Persistant Gurgler Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Northern Mojave Desert Age: 38 Posts: 154	I just wanted to mention that I've had some nice success with my 10 gallon and 17w regular flourescent strip light with gravel substrate...It's the pic for my avatar. Right now I have mostly Apo bulbs and crypts. Apos constantly surprise me because they are cheap (at Walmart), they grow easily and I have gotten about 4 different species, with different looks and growth habits, out of each package. If I was't concentrating on switching to a 29 gallon soon I would be adding Java Fern and Java Moss, and maybe some Anubias, to stay away from rooted plants in the gravel. __________________ 29 Gallon residents: 2 long-finned zebra danios 2 long-finned blue danios 1 male guppy 5 neons 3 otos 3 yo-yo loaches 10 Gallon residents: 1 long-finned zebra danio 1 gold mystery snail 1 gold gourami my fishy blog

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