[ChargingSoldier002]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and to this beautiful hobby. I just got my tank a few months ago and just recently decided to try raising a planted tank. Ive seen many of the other members pics (CrownMan, MacFan, Jaxon777, Tex Gal just to name a few) and am very impressed.
I currently have a 10g tank, with DIY Co2, and the DIY Co2 reactor I got from a thread on this site (posted by Niko I believe). I picked up a few stems of Hygrophila Difformis, and one of those cool looking banana plants from the Pet O Rama in Bedford just to test my setup. The Hygrophila seems to be doing great, its growing like crazy and have to trim it a few times a week.
I'd like to try some Glosso in my tank, from the way Ive described my tank do you guys think it'll do alright or are there some things I change or invest in? I'm open to any suggestions.

 

[CrownMan]

Welcome to the DFWAPC.

I would ask about your lights - type and wattage and what critters are you keeping in with the plants. Also what your plans for dosing Macros and Micros are (EI, PMDD, Fishfood and poop, etc.).

Glosso is not an overly difficult plant to grow but it does need the basics; light, NPK, micros and CO2 or alternate carbon source. Substrate choice could make a difference also so please list your tank specs and we will try to bombard you with more info than you possibly need.

Also, look for the announcements for the monthly DFWAPC club meeting. I believe it is to be in Hurst in November but I may be mistaken.

 

[ChargingSoldier002]

I'm just using the two five inch 15watt bulbs that came with the tank and I have six little guppies in there. For substrate I have black aquarium gravel.
I'm not familiar with the terms Macros and Micros. Could you explain those to me?

 

[stuckintexas]

those are fertilizers. you will need to dose ferts...i guess the 30 watt bulbs are doing ok since you are growing the hygro. some plants might do better with better light. how long is the tank? niko can hook you up with a badass idea for very good light for cheap on a 10G tank. i am making a guess that your tank is 20" long. if thats true you can use a single 23" bulb that is 24W and its T5HO bulbs. slap a good reflector on that and you can grow lots of stuff. this may not be the best option for you but if you have trouble with plants like glosso or other light demanding plants then you might want to think about it if you want to grow those types of plants. also, diy co2 should work well for a tank that size.

okay, sorry i went off on lights but back to ferts. macros that we dose are N, P, K. alot of people use dry ferts because they are cheap but for a small tank you can use liquids like seachems line of ferts for cheap. plants need macros! micros aka traces are other elements that we dose and i dont know what they all are but iron is in there for sure. same as macros, there are dry and liquid form ferts. bottom line, if you want healthy plants in the long run then you gotta dose and use good light and co2. except if you are like crownman and can grow anything with just low tech setup. never mind that for now, soon enough you will know what i mean.

welcome to APC and hopefully you will attend the next meeting. you can get alot of info there if some of your questions dont get answered here.

 

[supersmirky]

Welcome! Glad to have you here!

Get us some pics. These guys have helped me out tremendously so I am sure you will learn a lot from them too

 

[Tex Gal]

Hey there! Nice to meet you. Check out my 10g shrimp tank thread for light bulbs that will just fit right into your current light. You can get them at Frys electronic. Easy sheemsy!
I think it's post #61, (???? I hope).

 

[ChargingSoldier002]

Here are a few pics of my tank and the lights I'm using.

I use something I got from Petco called API Leaf Zone in my tank weekly, I'm not sure if it falls into the fertilizer category.

Thank you everyone for all the knowledge and advice you've shared with me. I look forward to meeting all of you at Novembers meeting.

 

[ChargingSoldier002]

Oh yeah, I have that big filter in the tank, can anyone recommend me something thats a little less obvious?

 

[supersmirky]

Wouldn't a little Duetto 50 or maybe an elite mini work good?

Then if you use CO2 you can use those filters as the diffuser.

Looks like the tank needs a top off of water. I like the banana plant you have in there...looks like it has tons of "bananas"

 

[ChargingSoldier002]

I already have an Elite mini in there as a diffuser, can I use it as a filter at the same time?

 

[supersmirky]

I don't see why not. I have 2 tanks that are 20 gallons each with no filter as I have tons of plants in them. The Elite was meant for filtration in tanks so as long as the foam is in there, it should work good for biological filtration. Or if you feel better, you could put in just a little sponge filter

 

[stuckintexas]

what you put in the water will dictate the ammount of filtration needed. if the elite is used for diffusion, it really doesnt do much filtration. the sponge is taken out of the filter and put on the output of the filter...you see what i mean if you read through the thread on that diffusor.

for a 10G, a sponge filter works...what about a small hob filter, just make sure water level is high enough so it doesnt agitate the water too crazy. again, depends on your bioload...