10 Gallon

[dcarmor927]

i have an empty ten gallon tank and wanted to do a planted tank with it...i have no experience with plants or planted tanks...
i know that i have a single standard 15 w light bulb for the tank, and standard gravel substrate as of now...I am willing to buy new substrate and a new bulb if necessary tho...substrate would have to be changed i imagine...

what are some good hardy plants that i can keep that are easy to maintain and don't need any special equipment??

can anyone point me in the right direction? thanks for any help!!

 

[SuperColey1]

Do you have a budget?

What filtration are you using?

I would change the bulb if it is older than a year old and put a reflector on it too. Just a cheapy reflector would do.

AC

 

[dcarmor927]

the bulb is like 2 months old...i dont really have a budget...under $50 if possible, maybe under $75

right now i have a sponge filter in the tank...i was using it for breeding

probably going to get the penguin bio wheel 100, (not part of the budget btw) which is rated for a 20 gallon tank

 

[SuperColey1]

I would get a reflector still. The white plastic inserts above stock lighting aren't really much use. A cheap clip on would be OK and cost circa $10.

Plantwise thats a reasonable budget. I assume you already have a hardscape in place and just want to plant around it? If so you should be able to get a cheap plant collection off ebay for $20. Get one that suggests it is for double your tank size and that will allow you to pick and choose what you like from it, plant heavily from the start and also allow for the inevitable non aquatics that always seem to be included in these packs.

AC

 

[dcarmor927]

actually all i have in the tank right now is the filter and the gravel...but from looking at planted journals on this forum i would find a suitable scape then get the plants...

I'll for sure invest in the reflector...should i change my substrate?

Thanks for the replies!!

also, this might be a dumb question but how do you do clean the substrate if its covered in moss? the same was as normal or do you just leave it? this always perplexed me lol

 

[Truck]

you leave it, all the crap rots down, and aids root fertilization

 

[dcarmor927]

you leave it, all the crap rots down, and aids root fertilization

sweet!! i should have done this before lol...thanks!

 

[SuperColey1]

you leave it, all the crap rots down, and aids root fertilization

Then you get algaefied moss from the localised ammonia that gets stuck within it. Moss gets littered with all sorts of debris and need cleaning to avoid it going bad!!! Get your gravel vac and wave it over the moss to dislodge the crap and then suck it up.

I'm not really a carpet man so I'm not sure how others clean their 'carpets' I know the succesful ones do though.

AC

 

[dcarmor927]

I'm not really a carpet man so I'm not sure how others clean their 'carpets' I know the succesful ones do though.

HAHA thanks, would i need to change the substrate for rooted plants tho?

 

[SuperColey1]

I wouldn't worry about that under low light. Depends on wether your budget allows really. substrate is often the single most expensive upgrade working out at circa $20+ for your tank size.

AC

 

[dcarmor927]

alright, thanks alot for the info! i appreciate it!