Lots Of Plants Questions

[Super Dude]

I've had my freshwater aquarium for 2 years. I've only had one live plant, and it didn't turn out so well.

After a little while, I've decided to give a more whole-hearted attempt. I have a 10 gallon aquarium soon to be filled with tiger barbs, some type of bottomfeeder and something else. I would like it to be a balance between a totally fish based aquarium and a totally plant based aquarium. Here's a few questions:

1. Will plain gravel work fine? I currently have the artificially coloured stuff.

2. How do you get the plants to stay on the ground? My live one was the real version of the fake one pictured below and it never, EVER stayed in the gravel. It just wouldn't grow any roots. I would wake up each morning to see it floatin' around, doing it's own thing.

3. Do I need a CO2 thingy? I'm planning on having quite a few fishes in there.

4. Do I need any supplements other than the basic fertilizer that I already have?

5. How long should the light be on? With my last plant, algae became a problem because I think there was too much light.

Thanks, and sorry about all the noobish questions.

 

[tom_os]

I've had my freshwater aquarium for 2 years. I've only had one live plant, and it didn't turn out so well.

After a little while, I've decided to give a more whole-hearted attempt. I have a 10 gallon aquarium soon to be filled with tiger barbs, some type of bottomfeeder and something else. I would like it to be a balance between a totally fish based aquarium and a totally plant based aquarium. Here's a few questions:

1. Will plain gravel work fine? I currently have the artificially coloured stuff.

2. How do you get the plants to stay on the ground? My live one was the real version of the fake one pictured below and it never, EVER stayed in the gravel. It just wouldn't grow any roots. I would wake up each morning to see it floatin' around, doing it's own thing.

3. Do I need a CO2 thingy? I'm planning on having quite a few fishes in there.

4. Do I need any supplements other than the basic fertilizer that I already have?

5. How long should the light be on? With my last plant, algae became a problem because I think there was too much light.

Thanks, and sorry about all the noobish questions.

gravel will be fine

you can use lead weights that come when you buy plants. take of the cotton wool type thing and just wrap the metal sround the base of the plant. the plant you are talking about is a cabomba plant

you shouldnt need co2 but depends on your lights i think. i would wait for someone else who knows more then me about that

the fertilizer you have should be fine

lights should be on about 8/9 hours a day

good luck

 

[Truck]

what is your lighting like? total number of watts? tank size? and are they T8's or T5's?

 

[Super Dude]

it's a t8

the bulb is either 15 or 20 watts. idk

it's 10 gallons, and a single bulb

 

[Truck]

your looking at 1.5 -2 wpg then in that case you should be running CO2 and ferts

 

[Ficious]

you can make a very cheap DIY co2 system. i have done it myself and it works great...just need sugar and yeast every 2 weeks or so

 

[lljdma06]

your looking at 1.5 -2 wpg then in that case you should be running CO2 and ferts

No, not so. A 10g isn't the same as a 20g. You need a lot more light on a 10g to achieve the same effect as 1.5WPG on a 20g. Almost 2x as much light, about 30W of good T5s before you get the light levels needed for CO2 and ferts. With a 15W over a 10g, don't bother with CO2 or ferts. Your best bet will be the following:

Cryptocorynes
Egeria densa or najas
anubias
java fern
some hardy hygrophila species
mosses

For now, since you are new to this, keep your lighting, and try the above species. You can have a really nice planted tank with just the above.

A note on your fish choice. Opt for a smaller barb. Tigers a might boisterous for a 10g. Better option is the cherry barb, or better yet, a dwarf rasbora if you can find them. You're fine with your gravel too, unless you tire of the mult-colored stuff.

llj

 

[theshadowinc]

Hmm known as fan wort i guess would be the name(Comomba). I use ferts in my planted tank as well as co2 as far as someone saying its 1.5wpg nope no where near close probably not even .6wpg on a 10gal you would need something like 70 watts over a tank that size and I think the calculations would still only give you medium lighing something like 1-1.5wpg.

Key ingredients
1. Ferts
2. Filtraton
3. Light
4. Fish(to enjoy the senery)
5. A person to watch it grow

Since i have gotten mine the roots are huge on it now and just like the nickname for it fan wart it has faned out, they are also known as oxygenators in ponds (The way they work in ponds are you plant a few in there, next year they come back 5x thicker meaning way more than what you started off with) I have seen these in ponds shoot off lilly pads and small flowers white in colour and and yellow centre to them don't know if they ever did it in a aquarium setting before.

Tip if not willing to root. I have found that sometimes they dont' want to root or take awhile to root in aquirum settings, what I do is take a pot some soil mixed with peat and vermaculite and plant it in a pot stripping the bottom 2" of the plant after a week there should be roots, then just transplant.