# 10 gallon starter



## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

Over the weekend i started up my new 10 gallon tank. i put in 3 bags of gravel in the bottom and added a piece of petrified wood and several plants. i know two groups of them are anacharis but i don't know the names of the rest. i kinda thru away the tags without thinking and a couple groups didn't have tags and the girl at Petkill...errr Petco didnt know what they were called. I took prelimanary test readings of the water tonight as follows:

ph - 8.1 yeah, I need to bring that down
Amonia - 1.5
NO2 - 0 expected
NO3 - 0 also as expected
so I think I need to put in some amonia and some microbes to kickstart the process. and pretty soon i plan on putting in a piece of driftwood.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

I'm guessing moneywort on the right hand side maybe a type of val on the left and a couple of crypts could be way off the plant gurus will let you know lol.
Definately get the ammonia up to 4ppm and be patient.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If the plants came in plastic tubes with "squishy beads" arounf roots there is a good chance they are not even true aquatics(these seem to be what petco{I like your mispelling better} sells.)If they came from a tank they may be real aquarium plants,most in your picture look like aquarium plants.
Sometimes airating water in bucket before adding to tank will take pH down a little/or it will adjust in tank after adding.If this does not happen try mixing RO/or distilled to lower your pH.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

Yea the plant on the left looks like mondo grass, which is not an aquatic plant. Mondo grass will look fine for weeks them just up and die. Don't get discouraged if you plants start dieing off after awhile, same thing happened to me when I bought my first plants from petsmart.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

jshiloh13 said:


> Yea the plant on the left looks like mondo grass, which is not an aquatic plant. Mondo grass will look fine for weeks them just up and die. Don't get discouraged if you plants start dieing off after awhile, same thing happened to me when I bought my first plants from petsmart.


hmmm, interesting. yes, the one in the far left and the short grass in the center are both the same just different stages of development. they all came from the same tank in the store so i hope they do well considering they were 5$ a piece. but it's a hobby so i suppose money's no object right?? lol


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

That one looks more like a water onion. Did it have a bulb on it?


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

susankat said:


> That one looks more like a water onion. Did it have a bulb on it?


no, it didnt. just a few roots starting to come off the ends.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

i went looking for grow bulbs for the light fixture that came with the tank kit. and of course they dont make any for ten gallon size hoods that use 2 short bulbs. so i had to buy a new light and hood. so much for saving money by buying a kit. lesson learned. i like the new hood tho, it has a mach larger access lid and the light looks great. i also added some driftwood and 4 Blue Platys that seem to really like it and are doing very well:


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

went to Petkill today to get some fish food and was shocked to find they had some Oto cats in. i picked up two of them and they are now settling into my tank. one of them snagged his mouth on my fish net tho and i had a heck of a time getting him off the net. i hope he's gonna be ok.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

i've got real wood in there but here's the little guy sucking on the petrified wood:


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

i have a question now. i've been running my filter full time. is this ok or should i shut it down at night so to give the fish still water so they can rest better?


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

Filter should run all the time.


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## KMoss (May 7, 2011)

Looks really good! Love the petrified wood & natural look.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

well it's been active for about 6 weeks now. i've lost a cpl platys and tetras but the rest seem to be holding their own. i put in a cpl Cory Cats last week and they seem to like playing around in there. thought i would post an updated pic to show the difference in plant growth. it looks like some gardening is in order.


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

Iv seen these plants < all the same as my local petco , these are the 4.99 assorted bunches , they sell and i dont think i have ever seen a name tag on any of them but they always have the stuff. the plants they advertise selling online are kept alongside these yet these are not listed online


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

some of them were only 2.99....*w3


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

i call them Glen and Mitchell. they're inseparable..........you win a nickel if you get the reference.









this little Serpae has been becoming quite the bully. he comes up and nips at their fins and keeps driving them out of this corner. they're about 5 times his size but they dont hit back.









going in again.









Oto cat here will swim up and hug on them frequently and they just stay put. but when that Serpae gets close they get real skittish.


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## CAM (Jan 27, 2013)

Love the cats. Thanks for sharing your pics with us!


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Hope your tanks not "the swamp".


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## tbub1221 (Nov 1, 2012)

That's a nice pare of emerald Cory's you have there thanks for posting the pictures .
The plant on the far right in the original photo (i bought 3 pieces of 2 days ago ..2.99. Each piece had 3-4 stems and leaves on a running root base that looks a lot like cypress even the texture and the waves in the leave are the same. But the cypress I have has a broad 3point leaves and this is single long lacy , I really think that's what it is but either way it's nice .
I only wanted one but the girl pulled all 3 pieces out and said it was one plant , I did not argue , (as it seems they make lots of mistakes usually in my favor.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Hello Bluebone,
I like my ten gallons(2) and looked up a couple of things for you as I like the smaller plants that "fit" the tanks.
But first a word or two. Plants that have any color but green need higher levels of light even if it's just to make the other color besides green. My Rotala are
growing a tad bit slower than I think is normal but have only light green on any of the new growth. I'm now trying to regulate the light in order to see what
works best. Why...the more light the more algae. It will be explained that higher levels of plants use up the nutrients that the algae need. Yes provided
you already have plenty of them before the algae starts. I'm now waging a battle between plants/algae ergo the "trying to regulate". What I'm suggesting
is that you pass on the "other colors" but the green till you get a good bit of them growing well if you intend to use plants of the "other colors". But the Rotala 
still makes a good background plant green or red. I would think Camomba may work as a background but don't know how fast it grows. Hortworth grows very
well but fast till you need to trim every two weeks. Mosses grow very slow as do some ferns(Java especially). Read adds carefully as just because you put
"live aquarium plants" into search don't mean that every listing is a live plant(plastic). I have bought a couple of mosses from overseas sellers and they
show full grown plants in the adds but send juviniles that don't at all match the pictures in some cases. 
Dwarf Sebulata is very close to the plant you have on the left but gets only "up to 8". Got it from mikeswetpets.
live aquarium plants | eBay
eBay My World - mikeswetpets
The Zoo Med Flora Grow(T8) works great but might have a bit less light (visible)than you would like. Not far less but just a bit lower than a regular flo. bulb
would put in your tank. Their Ultra Sun(T8) has lots of visible light and is good for the plants also. I just use the Walmart "under the counter" light strip for
my tanks $8 but you need a clear cover to use one. I take off the " light diffuser". 6700K is best for plants and T8 comes in 6500K or 8000K Zoo Med Ultra
or Aqueon Full Spectrum respectfully. Both good plant/visible light bulbs. $17/$10 respectfully also.
Can't add anything else at the moment so good luck.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

dalfed said:


> Hope your tanks not "the swamp".


havent found any gators yet.k:


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

your tank is looking good.


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## Bluebone (Jan 8, 2013)

took the plunge tonight and installed an Aquatop UV submersible pump. we'll see how much better the water looks in a week. i also took out some plants that just werent suiting me very well.


here's the latest pic after doing a 40% water change tonight.


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