Thinking About Planting My Tank...

[jsmathieson]

I am thinking about putting live plants in my 10 gal tank. I was wondering how many plants I could put in there, and what else I need to get. All I have in the tank at the moment is 3 albino corys. I don't know if I will get anymore fish anytime soon. I keep having ammonia problems, will that effect the plants? Any advice would be very helpful

Oh and I can't seem to get my ammonia to go away completely... I have been doing daily water changes for about two weeks. Is it supposed to be like that? my ph is 7.0 and nitrates and nitrates are 0.

 

[Snick]

Good idea on planting the tank! Plants will help reduce the amonia in the tank, which will be good news for you. If you are planning to get some hardy plants (valisnera, anubias) you do not need to really worry about the lighting, Co2 and fertilization. But if you want to go with a really heavily planted, dense tank (i will... a nice planted 10 gal looks great! ) then i would add some full-spectrum lights to your hood, some fertilizers (i prefer tablets, which you put in the ground, as liquid fertilizers in my experience produces algal blooms), and a Co2 system. All this might sound overwhealming, but it is quite simple to get and build; the fertilizers ou can get at a LFS (make shure they are aquarium friendly) for about 6 usd. the wide spectrum lights you can get at a hardware store, but i recommend going to your LPS and get some special ones there. (these are a little more expensive, probably around the 14 usd). Co2 is pretty easy as well. You can make a cheap Yeast Co2 maker with a cup of sugar, 6 cups water, 1 tbs yeast and a pop bottle. Visit my site for more info on plants and how to grow them! (www.stuffit.vze.com) . Its inside the links section, btw.

 

[jsmathieson]

So there are some plants I can put in there and not worry about co2, fertlizer and lights? I work alot and have very little time but I do want my fish to be happy

 

[4ftguppy]

So there are some plants I can put in there and not worry about co2, fertlizer and lights? I work alot and have very little time but I do want my fish to be happy

what filter do you use - Most rooted plants don't like undergravel filters - amazon sword is the only exception i've found

Really easy plants that grow in ANY tank with ANY light include several no-rooting types (tie them to driftwood/rocks) like java fern, java moss, bolbitis, anubias. These plants grow slowly but are generally uneaten by fish and pretty much unkillable

 

[jsmathieson]

thanks so much for all the help!!! wish me luck