# new to planted tanks...



## CopenGrizz01 (Sep 5, 2011)

okay i have a 10gal tank that im wanting to put some plants in but im looking for plants that are easy to take care of cheap and nothing that will over take my tank. i saw these things at wal-mart there these small bulb looking things i cant remember what there called but any idea how long it would take to grow?
also will they grow in regular tank gravel and is there any special lights id need? my 10gal can only take regular bulbs not tubes.
thanks for any help guys!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

The bulbs at Walmart are either Apongetons or Dwarf Lilies.Both will grow in gravel,and stock lighting will do ok for them,but they do get rather large.If you dont mind trimming a little then they are a good price.

Other easy to care for plants are Java moss,Java fern,Anubias,Cryptocoryne wendtii,anacharis,wisteria and chain sword.All these will grow in basically gravel with a light source.First four will grow slower than the other two.you may need to search your LFS to find some of them or even go online if you dont mind shopping like that.

On your light,you can place some 6700 CFL bulbs in there to be more plant friendly.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

bulb plants are fun but they actually IMHO grow too slow to be as effective as other aquarium plants.

I would use 1" peat moss, 1" play sand, 1" pc select (or gravel) for a substrate.

For plants on a 10g I use 4-6 bunches of anacharis, 4-6 vals, 4 small potted (swords, crypts) and a single amazon sword.

for lighting I use an old incandescent 2 bulb hood with 2 6500k ge spiral (pig tail) 11w lights from wall mart.

I think if you get that setup you will be amazed how great the tank will be.

my .02




(hey guys/gals a whole post where I didn't say beaslbob build. *old dude)

Woopse. *NA*


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

lol, a sword is like one of the slowest growing plants I've kept. With high light, CO2, and heavy ferts they still took forever to grow (Amazon). I have a kleiner bar sword that is 14 months old. I can only imagine how slow they grow in lo-tech tanks. Bulb plants have to grow faster than they do.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

My ozelot sword is a slower grower than my amazons were.My amazon,once acclimated to being submerged and with the high light and CO2 would throw a baby leaf every few weeks,but they would still grow slow.My apongetons,and lilies once sprouted were throwing leaves daily,and the apongetons would grow an inch a day.

My chain sword though was throwing runners on an almost daily basis,under the high light.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello Copen...

You want easy, no real maintenance, then get some Java fern and attach it to a piece of driftwood or lava rock with black sewing thread. Anubias is just as easy. These two will grow in low light and will do well just sitting on top of the gravel. They're slow growers and won't take over the tank.

Perfect for a very small tank.

B


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## CopenGrizz01 (Sep 5, 2011)

thanks for all the help guys guess im going to get some of them bulbs from walmart and see what they do and go from there


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I started off with some of those bulbs, and while one rotted (it's good to start them in a separate container so that if they rot, it won't be in the main tank), the other turned out to be a very nice dwarf lilly. The only time I've had to trim it was when it was throwing 3 lilly pads a week! Sure, the betta liked the jungle, but it was a pain to work around. It did take quite awhile for mine to sprout though, nearly 3 weeks. I can only assume that mine took longer to sprout than most, but it was definitely worth it.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Keep in mind plants will keep growing and will eventually occupy the entire tank. At this point or before, all you need to do is prune the stems and/or just pull out handfuls (if you have something like Java Moss).


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## CopenGrizz01 (Sep 5, 2011)

i bought some Dwarf Lilly - Hybrid Ulvaceus bulbs from walmart and am i supposed to just let them float at the top? it says not to put them in the gravel but they float so?.... lol thanks!


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

drop them in, and eventually they will sink (or rot). Personally I'd start them in a separate container until they sink so that if they do rot, it won't be in your tank


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## CopenGrizz01 (Sep 5, 2011)

alright thanks. and how long does it normally take them to sink?


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Anywhere from immediately to a week I think. I only had two, one sank, one floated until it rotted. I heard the company has a really really good return policy on the bulbs, like they'll send you a sprouted one if you get a bulb that rots or doesn't grow.


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## CopenGrizz01 (Sep 5, 2011)

both of mine are still floating, how can you tell if it rots?


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

It will have grey-ish fuzzy slime (or maybe other colors), smell _horrible_ and most importantly, be squishy when you squeeze it gently. A good article on them is here: How to care for dwarf aquarium lilies, Nuphar stellata, with pictures 
and here:
Aponogeton ulvaceous from "bulb" to show plant with pictures


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