Planted 10gal

[Wolfdog]

Now that i have an empty 10gal (fish went to the 55gal) I think i want to plant it.

As of now it has two 15watt incandescant tubes in it. Temps get high and the light kinda sucks.

Im thinking i could get flourescent bulbs for it. Shoudl i get 25watt or 15watt?

I also plan on doing my whole substrate as flourite.

Would i need co2?

Not sure about fish, i just wanna make this thing into a jungle!

SO will this work?!

Wolf

 

[zig]

Im in the same situation i have a 12 gallon that i want to plant as well, im not quite sure how to go, the watts per gallon rule sort of breaks down on smaller tanks, i would say in your situation 25 watts mightnt be enough, i would say a 36 watt would be better, giving you 3.6 WPG, that would be a decent amount of light, and yes you would need co2 at that level of lighting, diy would be fine.

But see if gf225 replys to this thread as i would be interested to see what he would say as well for your 10 gallon and my 12 gallon, im not saying 25 watts wouldnt be enough for you but i think a bit more would be better in that you would be able to grow anything you want, see who else replys and we will both get a better idea. k

 

[Wolfdog]

No there is room for up to 50watts.

It holds two tubes. I can either get two 15 watt flourescent bulbs for a total of 30watts, or two 25 watt flourescent bults for a total of 50watts. Or maybe one 15 and one 25 for 40 watts.

Thanx for all your planting advice help Zig!

Wolf

 

[jimbooo]

Hi Wolfdog,

i'd say go for 3WPG at first. i have a 12G with 2x 15W tubes (3000K and 6500K), co2 and laterite/gravel substrate. with more light you'll have to be more precice with your water parameters (NitrAte, Phosphate, iron etc..) too much of any of those and you'll have algae problems. 3WPG is more than enough in my opinion.

The tank on the right side of my sig is the 12G, been planted for about 8/9 months

Best of luck with it.

 

[George Farmer]

Personally I would go for a similar set-up to Jimbooo. It obviously works! 3 WPG in a 10G should be fine for most plants if you get good quality tubes AND reflectors (mylar seems popular at the moment for the DIY route). As Jimbooo correctly states, much more light than this and you'll experience a high nutrient uptake rate and consequently may have to consider fertilising regularly - less room for error.

In summary;

1) 2 x 15W full-spectrum tubes with reflectors.
2) Flourite substrate is ideal
3) DIY CO2 20 to 30ppm constant- get this running BEFORE commencing planting and lighting. Nutrafin units are a cheap and reliable alternative to DIY.
4) Plant with plenty of fast growing stem plants from the outset. Switch gradually to your desired plants after your system has fully balanced.
5) Get some decent ferts. If you stock heavily enough (obviously not overly) then macronutrients (N P K) shouldn't be an issue, most common liquid ferts should suffice. Regular water changes, fish food and waste are a surprisingly good source of nutrients in a set-up like yours.

 

[leafs]

I was wondering how much more light would you get if you used mylar as a reflector? Is it a noticable difference?

Thanks

 

[Wolfdog]

WOW! that looks a lot bigger then a 12 gal Jimboo! It looks sweet.

OK that setup sounds good. Ill be getting flourite and lights soon.

How do i test for co2?

Should i make two DIY co2 bottles?

Oh ya, and where do i want to put the tube in the tank? The tube that lets the co2 bubbles out...

Wolf

 

[George Farmer]

How do i test for co2?

Test for pH and KH then cross-refer to a CO2/pH/KH table. Link - http/www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm