After doing a quick search myself of US sites it seems the US lighting is more geared towards saltwater setups and when it comes to planted tanks the sellers are still of the opinion (as is still the case with some people) that the more lighting you have the better.
I think we in the UK (as with some people in the US) are starting to veer towards the understanding that with the advances in lamp efficiency that this is no longer the case.
True with T8 and less you would still want around the 1WPG mark on your average 30G but with the advances made into T5 and PC lights less can mean equal if you understand what I mean.
With lighting the general WPG rules is base around your average 20-40USG tank. Smaller tanks need more WPG to get the same results whereas larger tanks need less WPG to achieve the same. Confused? Join the club of millions. All of us are left guessing really and seeing what works for our own setups.
I would think that with 1WPG over a 10USG you are going to be on a par with 1WPG over 20-40USG
Therefore you should really look for low light plants. This link could help you a little on you plant choices but this tank although being 1WPG does have nutrients added and CO2 injection. It does show what can be achieved with low lighting:
LINK to 1WPG Tank
You can see here low light plants that are visibly working under very low light. With you not having CO2 or fertilisation and relying on fish waste your plants can look the same but will need much more patience as the growth will be much slower (This can be a good thing as it means less pruning etc.)
Good plants as you can see from the link are Anubias, Ferns, Cryptocryne, Mosses.
For the first few months because of the slow growth I would buy some fast growing 'weeds'. They may not gro too fast under .5WPG and some may not grow at all but they are relatively cheap or free if you know someone. These will help you through in the first few months while the slow growers get a foothold in the tank.
Egeria/Elodea Densa
Cabomba
Ludwigia Species
Hygrophylia Species
As you have very low light they may also get 'leggy' in that because they have to search for the light there will be much larger gaps between the leaves. Dont worry about this as they are your make weight until your other plants develop.
You may wish to try other plants as well because what works for one person fails for another and vice versa. There are no rules to this hobby and someone who has extraordinary success with a difficult plant can fail disastorously with a relatively easy plant. As a general rule steer clear of red plants in your tank as they generally want higher light. You should really look for the darker greens, purples, browns etc. If in doubt research the plant before you buy as this saves money.
Plant guides:
www.tropica.com
www.plantgeek.net
www.dennerle.com
Hope all goes well, Good luck
Andy
. Thanks for pointing that out. I searched the internet a bit to try to find a new one, but I may have been looking in the wrong place or at the wrong stuff, cause I didn't find any. From your post though, I'm assuming that I'd be able to grow a few plants, as is? I see java fern is recommended quite a bit, do you (or anyone) have any other plant suggestions for my current setup?
