# 10 Gallon Tank - What live plants should I choose?



## snook413

Hello everyone! I have a 10 gallon tank that I would like to stock with live plants. I am pretty new at this and I have no idea what plants would be a good start. Right now I have 3 Black Tetras and 1 Platy in the tank. I hoping to be able to have at least a couple of different plants species. If more specs are needed on my tank I can provide that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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## mk4gti

anubias nana, java ferns, java moss and maybe some small swords depending on how much light you got.


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## Gizmo

mk4gti said:


> anubias nana, java ferns, java moss and maybe some small swords depending on how much light you got.


Agreed. Java anything takes very little love in the way of light, fertz, and other stuff in order to thrive.

One thing - get some root fertilizer tabs. They're the only thing I would consider vitally crucial, unless you have plant-specific substrate (gravel).


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## snook413

Thanks for the advice guys! Right now I just have regular gravel. Am I better off mixing in some other substrate? If so, what would be recommended? Also, the hood have have now takes 2 screw in type incandescent 15 watt bulbs. I am thinking of changing the hood to a type which uses fluorescent bulbs. Would this change in light help growing plants?


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## mk4gti

snook413 said:


> Thanks for the advice guys! Right now I just have regular gravel. Am I better off mixing in some other substrate? If so, what would be recommended? Also, the hood have have now takes 2 screw in type incandescent 15 watt bulbs. I am thinking of changing the hood to a type which uses fluorescent bulbs. Would this change in light help growing plants?


i use ecocomplete planted aquarium substrate and i would go with maybe a 6700k spectrum single T5, plenty of light.


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## Gizmo

snook413 said:


> Thanks for the advice guys! Right now I just have regular gravel. Am I better off mixing in some other substrate? If so, what would be recommended? Also, the hood have have now takes 2 screw in type incandescent 15 watt bulbs. I am thinking of changing the hood to a type which uses fluorescent bulbs. Would this change in light help growing plants?


I grew healthy happy plants just using regular aquarium gravel and root tabs. Don't gravel vacuum either - the plants like the fish waste.

I've got a 2x20 Watt standard light fixture I dropped 2 20 Watt 6700K PC bulbs into. The fixture heats up pretty good, but I'm also pumping ~20 Watts into my tank (assuming most is lost to reflection). Just make sure you block the light up off the glass top or your fixture might melt from lack of ventilation.


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## snook413

[email protected] said:


> I grew healthy happy plants just using regular aquarium gravel and root tabs. Don't gravel vacuum either - the plants like the fish waste.
> 
> I've got a 2x20 Watt standard light fixture I dropped 2 20 Watt 6700K PC bulbs into. The fixture heats up pretty good, but I'm also pumping ~20 Watts into my tank (assuming most is lost to reflection). Just make sure you block the light up off the glass top or your fixture might melt from lack of ventilation.


The light fixture is a great idea! Thank you for mentioning not to vacuum the gravel as well. I was thinking of purchasing one in the coming days for my water change. Are their any tricks using the root tabs or are they as simple as they seem?


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## automatic-hydromatic

if it's the screw-in bulbs, I'm assuming it's probably that 10 gallon kit they sell at Wal-Mart  I know because I use to use the same tank

You can get some CFLs (compact florescent lights) to replace those standard screw in bulbs. Don't use the average CLF like you'd put in your lamp on the end table; use aquarium specific ones, as the light wavelength will be different and more beneficial to the plants. You can find these at Wal-Mart right in the same section those fish tanks are found 













Before:











After:













And I had tons of live plants in my 10 gallon before I tore it down and moved to my 30 gallon. Apongetons, Java Ferns, Amazon and Argentine Swords, Anacharis...


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## snail

Marimo balls are easy too.


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## James0816

Sky's the limit actually. There's only one plant I have failed to grow and you're gonna love this ... Anacharis

10g tanks are shallow and thus pretty much any light you use will give you the intensity they need. With proper ferts and CO2, anything will grow. Definately swap out the incandescent bulbs for fluorescent.

Just keep in mind that being shallow, you will trim more often. ;o)


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## Gizmo

automatic-hydromatic said:


> You can get some CFLs (compact florescent lights) to replace those standard screw in bulbs. Don't use the average CLF like you'd put in your lamp on the end table; use aquarium specific ones, as the light wavelength will be different and more beneficial to the plants. You can find these at Wal-Mart right in the same section those fish tanks are found


My bad, I don't use PC bulbs, I use CFL's I got from my LFS.

Root tabs are VERY straightforward. Just follow the directions on the box. My favorite are the Flourish tabs, because you only have to put them in once a month or so.


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## beaslbob

snook413 said:


> Thanks for the advice guys! Right now I just have regular gravel. Am I better off mixing in some other substrate? If so, what would be recommended? Also, the hood have have now takes 2 screw in type incandescent 15 watt bulbs. I am thinking of changing the hood to a type which uses fluorescent bulbs. Would this change in light help growing plants?


I would (just to insure success but not the only way) take a couple of hours and change out the substrate. Take the water and fish out to a plastic storage container. Then remove you exisiting substrate and rinse out the crud. Place 1" peat moss, wet then level the peat and clean the tank, add 1" play sand and repeat, put your existing substrate back in and wet to top of that.

I would then add plants. (4-6 anacharis bunches, 4-6 vals, 4 small potted types and a single amazon sword)

Then readd your existing water to the tank poured over a dish and the fish.

I would use 2 11w spiral bulbs 6500K (ge from wall mart) and adjust lighting so the plants thrive but the water stays clear.

And don't add any food for a week or so.


my .02


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## snook413

beaslbob said:


> I would (just to insure success but not the only way) take a couple of hours and change out the substrate. Take the water and fish out to a plastic storage container. Then remove you exisiting substrate and rinse out the crud. Place 1" peat moss, wet then level the peat and clean the tank, add 1" play sand and repeat, put your existing substrate back in and wet to top of that.
> 
> I would then add plants. (4-6 anacharis bunches, 4-6 vals, 4 small potted types and a single amazon sword)
> 
> Then readd your existing water to the tank poured over a dish and the fish.
> 
> I would use 2 11w spiral bulbs 6500K (ge from wall mart) and adjust lighting so the plants thrive but the water stays clear.
> 
> And don't add any food for a week or so.
> 
> 
> my .02


Thank you beaslbob. That sounds like a great plan. 

Do you (or anyone else) have any advice or experience on packaged substrates like Eco-Complete Planted Black Substrate or CaribSea Instant Aquarium Tahitian Moon Gravel? I was also a little concerned about CO2. Am I going to get away with not having a CO2 system in place? Is there anything simple I can do to get CO2 to the plants? Thanks again everyone!!!


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## beaslbob

snook413 said:


> Thank you beaslbob. That sounds like a great plan.
> 
> Do you (or anyone else) have any advice or experience on packaged substrates like Eco-Complete Planted Black Substrate or CaribSea Instant Aquarium Tahitian Moon Gravel? I was also a little concerned about CO2. Am I going to get away with not having a CO2 system in place? Is there anything simple I can do to get CO2 to the plants? Thanks again everyone!!!


I do not use the aquarium store substrates but many do and report excellent results.

To me there seems to be somewhat of a "sweet spot" in planted tanks. Where light, plants, and fish just take care of each other. With no co2 required. After all fish produce co2 as well.


my .02


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## jrman83

With that size tank, you can get away with doing a DIY CO2 setup. Go to the DIY section and look over that thread.


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## snook413

Beaslbob, I am hoping for that "sweet spot". This is all new to me so I know I will learn a lot as I go along. Thanks for all the great advice.






jrman83 said:


> With that size tank, you can get away with doing a DIY CO2 setup. Go to the DIY section and look over that thread.



I just checked those out. Really cool stuff!!! I'm all for some DIY and that looks like a plain fun project. After I get everything settled I am going to seriously think about trying it out.


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## mfgann

I have a 10G that I made following beaslbob's advice. It is turning into quite a little jungle. The hood had two screw in standard bulb sockets. I put in two 6500K spiral pigtail CFLs. I did the peat moss, sand and gravel substrate. For plants I have wisteria, najas, corkscrew vals, red ludwigia, hygrophilia polyspermia, pennywort, dwarf sag, dwarf hairgrass, java moss, and a marimo moss ball. Probably forgot a plant or two. Everything grows really well so far, except maybe the dwarf hairgrass, and I believe that is due to the gravel being a little big for it.

I use no CO2, and dont have any real issues, except the log STILL leaching tannins.


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