# First Planted Tank



## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

This is my first attempt at a planted tank, I went with Anubius, Amazon Sword, Wisteria, Some kind of fern (I forgot the name), some driftwood I added moss to, dwarf hair grass and then setup a Java Moss wall (the semi clear mesh you see in the back). The tank has only been setup for a couple of days, so I am waiting for everything to grow in and for the tank to cycle.

I am going to attempt to add some pics. Let me know what you think. Any tips, tricks, criticisms (good or bad) are greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

Looks great!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Very nice!The fern I see is a java fern. Make sure you do not bury the Rhizome,which is the horizontal stem the leaves and black thread like roots are growing from.Best to tie it to some driftwood as well.Anubias is the same as the java,best tied to wood.Watch that fish do not get stuck behind the craft canvas,many have lost fish this way.Amazon sword will eventually grow too large so keep an eye out for that,you may need to sell it once it does become too large,or go with a larger tank.Dwarf hairgrass,watch it.if it doesnt get enough light it will die away.

The scape does look nice though.I am a fan of the black substrate,I think it makes the color of the plants and fish show out so well.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Yep looks good!


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## Chandavi (Jun 12, 2012)

Looks great! Good luck with the moss wall - it is a look that I really like but don't currently have the setup for. Just be careful about fish getting stuck behind it, as previously mentioned. Have you thought about what fertilization method you will use?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Looks like you're running a standard T8 fixture, am I correct? There's some very affordable ($30-$50) LED fixtures that will save you some beans like BeamWorks, MarineLand DoubleBright and Odyssea. Otherwise, I would advise eventually looking into a T5HO fixture to give your plants some more light.

Great setup so far though! Any plans to add CO2 injection?


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

majerah1 said:


> Very nice!The fern I see is a java fern. Make sure you do not bury the Rhizome,which is the horizontal stem the leaves and black thread like roots are growing from.Best to tie it to some driftwood as well.Anubias is the same as the java,best tied to wood.Watch that fish do not get stuck behind the craft canvas,many have lost fish this way.Amazon sword will eventually grow too large so keep an eye out for that,you may need to sell it once it does become too large,or go with a larger tank.Dwarf hairgrass,watch it.if it doesnt get enough light it will die away.
> 
> The scape does look nice though.I am a fan of the black substrate,I think it makes the color of the plants and fish show out so well.



Thanks, I read somewhere that you can bury the Rhizomes for the first week or so if you keep an eye on them and they will attach to the substrate and then you can pull them up to the surface and it gives a look of the roots growing around the substrate and anchoring the plant to the bottom by the substrate. I'm giving that a try, If I have been misinformed please let me know, thanks!

I am a bit concerned about the lighting, not sure if its enough, it's a LED light source. I haven't really found a lot of information about successes or failures using LED light sources. 

I think the black substrate enhances the colors as well. The substrate is Eco-complete planted substrate.


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Chandavi said:


> Looks great! Good luck with the moss wall - it is a look that I really like but don't currently have the setup for. Just be careful about fish getting stuck behind it, as previously mentioned. Have you thought about what fertilization method you will use?


Thanks, there's no fish in the tank right now, so no worries about fish getting stuck behind it for now, but I will watch out for that.

I am using API Leaf zone and CO2 Booster right now for fertilization. Is there something or some way that might work better for me?


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Gizmo said:


> Looks like you're running a standard T8 fixture, am I correct? There's some very affordable ($30-$50) LED fixtures that will save you some beans like BeamWorks, MarineLand DoubleBright and Odyssea. Otherwise, I would advise eventually looking into a T5HO fixture to give your plants some more light.
> 
> Great setup so far though! Any plans to add CO2 injection?


Thanks, it's not a T8 fixture, I believe that is a fluorescent tube bulb, it's just the LED that came with the Marineland kit. I have been looking into other light sources, because of my concerns about not having enough light, I will look into the ones you listed, thanks for the recommendations. Is there one specific light fixture you have found to work the best? 

As of yet I have just been using liquid CO2, I have just started to look into other sources and information about CO2 injection. Some sources have said that it's not needed, some say it's essential, there's a lot of contradictory information out there.


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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

I know that light, I got it in the kit and was not happy about it, I ended up getting a Beamworks LED 24" 400 Aquarium Light Strip Freshwater Tropical Fish Single Bright 60 cm | eBay for my 29g. It's not as bright as I hoped but for the price I couldn't beat it. I grow Anubus, Java Fern, Hornwort, Amazon Swords, Dwarf Lilly's, Java Moss, and Crypts.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Lunch Box said:


> 1. Thanks, it's not a T8 fixture, I believe that is a fluorescent tube bulb, it's just the LED that came with the Marineland kit. I have been looking into other light sources, because of my concerns about not having enough light, I will look into the ones you listed, thanks for the recommendations. Is there one specific light fixture you have found to work the best?
> 
> 2. As of yet I have just been using liquid CO2, I have just started to look into other sources and information about CO2 injection. Some sources have said that it's not needed, some say it's essential, there's a lot of contradictory information out there.


1. Didn't realize you already had a MarineLand LED fixture. The DoubleBrights are marginally brighter, as are the BeamWorks fixtures (which I use), and the Odyssea fixtures. There are others on here that use GreenLeaf Aquatics LEDs that I've heard are much better, though they are double to triple the price of the LED fixtures I listed. IMO, if you want a lot of light for a relatively affordable price, look into T5HO. Current USA Nova Extreme fixtures are what I swear by, and they're very powerful and effective, as any T5HO will be. Some come with built in moonlights, etc., but are usually more expensive. Keep in mind that such high-powered lighting will be wasted unless you use injected CO2.

2. Liquid CO2 is a good source of carbon for your plants, but not in the way you would expect. Yes, the liquid supplement has some dissolved CO2, but the majority of the carbon in the liquid is from carbonate and bicarbonate ions. Plants can utilize all three, but benefit the most from the dissolved CO2. Your plants will grow just fine without any CO2 supplements, but they really do well with injected CO2 and high light. There are some plants that almost demand that you use injected CO2 and bright lighting (glosso, riccia fluitens, etc.), but most standard aquarium plants don't need it.

Hope this helps!


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Marci99205 said:


> I know that light, I got it in the kit and was not happy about it, I ended up getting a Beamworks LED 24" 400 Aquarium Light Strip Freshwater Tropical Fish Single Bright 60 cm | eBay for my 29g. It's not as bright as I hoped but for the price I couldn't beat it. I grow Anubus, Java Fern, Hornwort, Amazon Swords, Dwarf Lilly's, Java Moss, and Crypts.


I'll take a look at Beamworks, Thanks. Do you know anything about the Marineland hidden lighting.

Marineland Hidden LED Lighting System at PETCO


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Gizmo said:


> 1. Didn't realize you already had a MarineLand LED fixture. The DoubleBrights are marginally brighter, as are the BeamWorks fixtures (which I use), and the Odyssea fixtures. There are others on here that use GreenLeaf Aquatics LEDs that I've heard are much better, though they are double to triple the price of the LED fixtures I listed. IMO, if you want a lot of light for a relatively affordable price, look into T5HO. Current USA Nova Extreme fixtures are what I swear by, and they're very powerful and effective, as any T5HO will be. Some come with built in moonlights, etc., but are usually more expensive. Keep in mind that such high-powered lighting will be wasted unless you use injected CO2.
> 
> 2. Liquid CO2 is a good source of carbon for your plants, but not in the way you would expect. Yes, the liquid supplement has some dissolved CO2, but the majority of the carbon in the liquid is from carbonate and bicarbonate ions. Plants can utilize all three, but benefit the most from the dissolved CO2. Your plants will grow just fine without any CO2 supplements, but they really do well with injected CO2 and high light. There are some plants that almost demand that you use injected CO2 and bright lighting (glosso, riccia fluitens, etc.), but most standard aquarium plants don't need it.
> 
> Hope this helps!



Thanks for the information about lighting and CO2, for now I guess I will stick with the liquid CO2, and I was looking at the Marineland hidden LED light source. I like the idea of the lighting being hidden, and combined with the LED fixture I already have, maybe it will be enough light. I have attached the link to the light fixture, let me know what you think of it. 

Marineland Hidden LED Lighting System at PETCO


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## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

Lunch Box said:


> I'll take a look at Beamworks, Thanks. Do you know anything about the Marineland hidden lighting.
> 
> Marineland Hidden LED Lighting System at PETCO


I don't know anything about that light but with the combination it's got to be better... What size is your tank?


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Marci99205 said:


> I don't know anything about that light but with the combination it's got to be better... What size is your tank?


It's only a ten gallon, I would like to have a bigger tank, but I just don't have the room right now, some day. I may give the hidden lighting a try, like you said, with the combination it has to be better.


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## Cadiedid (Oct 26, 2011)

Looks great! Please add more pics to your thread as the tank grows in. I love watching tanks mature! 10 gallon tanks can be a lot of fun to grow in... I have found them to be very forgiving in the lighting department because they are not very tall and light penetrates to the bottom easily. Their small size also means that DIY CO2 (with a yeast and sugar mixture) is an option. Good luck with your tank. It's off to a very nice start!


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

Cadiedid said:


> Looks great! Please add more pics to your thread as the tank grows in. I love watching tanks mature! 10 gallon tanks can be a lot of fun to grow in... I have found them to be very forgiving in the lighting department because they are not very tall and light penetrates to the bottom easily. Their small size also means that DIY CO2 (with a yeast and sugar mixture) is an option. Good luck with your tank. It's off to a very nice start!


I will add more pics as the tank matures, and I will have to look into the DIY CO2, haven't heard much about that, Thanks!


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

The depth of your tank is the biggest factor on what light is needed. In a ten gallon the light you have will be sufficient to grow almost anything, co2 may be needed but your liquid co2 should be more then sufficient for the plants you have. At most a small DIY system but on a ten gallon with those plants a high end dosing of co2 will be an unneeded expense.IMHO


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## Lunch Box (Jun 11, 2012)

dalfed said:


> The depth of your tank is the biggest factor on what light is needed. In a ten gallon the light you have will be sufficient to grow almost anything, co2 may be needed but your liquid co2 should be more then sufficient for the plants you have. At most a small DIY system but on a ten gallon with those plants a high end dosing of co2 will be an unneeded expense.IMHO


Thanks for the info.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you can grow plants fine with the light you've chosen, I'd stay right there. High light or higher light just brings higher pain levels. Even with a lower light level CO2 (not liquid kind) can allow you to grow plants that maybe not otherwise work with your light level. It sort of makes up for the lack of light. A DIY system on your tank would work great and cost you very little to get it going. Try it out.


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> If you can grow plants fine with the light you've chosen, I'd stay right there. High light or higher light just brings higher pain levels. Even with a lower light level CO2 (not liquid kind) can allow you to grow plants that maybe not otherwise work with your light level. It sort of makes up for the lack of light. A DIY system on your tank would work great and cost you very little to get it going. Try it out.


I agree..with the pic of the tank i seen and the plants he has..the OP wont have any trouble growing those plants..co2 always helps for sure, but if they are on a budget, then not really needed on that size of a tank. Of course the DIY wouldd not cost much to do at all. great looking setup..when that baby grows in its going to be nice

Rick


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