johnsmith Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 (edited) Here's my newly, slightly planted 10g. I got a real hood and put two Phillips 15w Daylight spiral bulbs in it. For substrate I have the Schultz Aquatic underneith the sand. I just put a couple of plants in to see if they'd make it. I've read you should plant a tank heavily from the beginning but w/o CO2 or ferts I didn't think that would be necessary. My plan is to go for the triangle look and get the left side nice and thick with cabomba then fill in the right side with some sort of grassy plant once I get rid of the brevis. So, there are a few cabomba stems in the corner, two crypts infront of them (different types unfortunately - if they spead one will come out) and an old decaying java fern I'm hoping will come to life. I went with crypts b/c they're cheap and I knew they'd be okay. Also, Pisces didn't have any of the other plants that were recommended to me. Unfortunately I have the old style hang on heater so I can't have the water level high enough to cut down on the splash completely. Once a used one comes up for sale I'll probably pick it up. Next I'll be looking for advice with my 40g Edited November 11, 2005 by johnsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garhan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 (edited) Good start. remember that the fert programs are usually designed around fully planted tanks. Therefore you may want to only use 30% of the suggested volume in your tank until the plants get thicker. Try to put a plastic plate over the discharge of the filter. Can I assume it is an AC. If so the plate will not allow the outflow water to disturb the surface as much. Milan did this and found a reasonable increase in his C02 ppm count. That had previously been unable to get to the desired ppm range of 20-30 ppm. i have to chukle to myself as I just put another 38 watt light on my 10 gallon. It now has 76 watts/ gallon....lol Good luck. Garhan Edited November 11, 2005 by Garhan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 He has no CO2 Garhan ... and in my opinion with 30W over 10g he should, although "w/gal" rule on smaller tanks is somewhat skewed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Congratulations Johnsmith! It's definitely a good start ... Pretty much every one of us strated the same way. A couple of plants "just to see if they will grow ...", and eventually progressed into a jungle ... If you are interested I will give you some of my trimmings ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Great start!! I wouldn't worry about the splash from your filter. I've got a planted 15 gal w/o CO2. The HOT filter just pours in, and the plants are doing fantastic! Atmospheric CO2 is the only source for the plants right now, so keep the splashes. If/when you add more plants, you could start to try to ballance it out w. fish respiration. But, unless you get high levels of O2 by the end of the day, the fish will be gasping by morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 (edited) If you are interested I will give you some of my trimmings ... Sounds good, what type of plants will you be trimming? Right now the brevis dig around the area where their shell is so the back right hand corner is sort of off limits for plants. Would the left side look best w. just more cabomba and the crypts or could it use one more plant? Keep in mind, I can always put one of those crypts elsewhere if they start to send off shoots, and I assume they will. Here's another view: Edited November 11, 2005 by johnsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Non CO2 tanks are normally low-light tanks. The more light you have, the plant's appetite toward nutrients, CO2 being the most important (plant bio mass = 42% carbon), go up. In other words, you don't want to get into CO2 limitation. Otherwise, you are in the algae warfare zone. Is Jonsmith in this territory with his plant mass and his lights, , ... I'm not sure, but time will tell, rather quickly ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Sounds good, what type of plants will you be trimming? I've got some Bacopa, Cabomba, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Rotala indica, possibly sagittaria subulata, Anacharis ... Not sure exactly when I will be trimming, but you will have to act rather quickly (on a short notice) ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Is there any harm in adding CO2 to a tank that could do without it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Is there any harm in adding CO2 to a tank that could do without it? Not at all! You will most likely find it necessary in your case. A simple DIY systemwould suffice for a 10g tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 You could even feed the CO2 into the intake of your HOT filter. The impeller will help dissolve the CO2. Even if there is a bit of surface agitation, you will see your Cabomba perk up some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Usually I prefer the cheapest option possible, but I'm thinking I might invest in the real CO2 system just because I don't want to risk a pop bottle full of yeast exploding on my carpet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 I think the Hagen system is great - as far as yeast brewers go. Otherwise, head to a welding shop - they're about 3x less than anything you'll find at the LFS, and probably work better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted November 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Otherwise, head to a welding shop - they're about 3x less than anything you'll find at the LFS, and probably work better. Welding shop? Could you elaborate? BTW - thanks for all your help guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Welders us CO2 in the way that we need it - a pressurized tank w. a regulator, released at very low levels. They have everything you need (tank, reg, needle-valve, tubing) at a fraction of what the LFS will charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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