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Frosty's 10 Gallon Setup

76K views 243 replies 53 participants last post by  FrostyNYC 
#1 · (Edited)
Specs:
Tank: 10 Gallon All-Glass
Lighting: 40 Watt USA Satellite 6500k/10000k
Substrate: Eco-Complete
Hardscape: Zebra rock
Ferts/Dosing: EI w/dry ferts plus Flourish and Excel, but while emersed just misting with diluted Miracle-Gro and Flourish Excel
Filtration: Toms Mini-Canister (later changed over to an Aquaclear HOB)

Flora: HC & HM
Fauna: None so far

Set up this tank on February 25, 2008, so it's been a little under a month since I put it together. I planted an HC lawn in the front, and purchased some HM to use as sort of a "backup" if the HC failed, which I suspected it might. I planted HM to the front right and also in the background. I intend to plant heavily with stem plants in the two back corners once I fill this thing up with water, with HM acting as a midground and HC as a foreground. I planned to grow these two emersed for about 8 weeks, at which point I hoped to fill the tank.

Here's some pics. I'm running into a little problem, which I'll discuss in my next post.

Pic 1: Tank as of 3.9.08 (2 Weeks after startup)


Pic 2: Overhead shot as of 3.9.08 (2 Weeks after startup) (Added a little more HM to front-right and middle)


Pic 3: Overhead shot as of 2.25.08 (Date of Startup)
 
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#31 ·
Mini update:

My red ramshorn snails have developed a taste for blyxa. They're meticulously stripping every new young leaf from the plants. Its so frustrating having to choose between a plant you really like and an animal you really like!

This is a perfect opportunity to start a new tank! :) I've been wanting to start a 5 gallon shrimp tank. But should I move the blyxa to a new tank, or all my ramshorns to a new tank? (There are about 30 snails at this point, most are really TINY but they are baby red rams) Probably going to have to move the snails, since I wouldnt be dosing the shrimp tank or going high light. Now to convince my significant other that I need a second tank... this is the hard part.
 
#36 ·
Well, all my blyxa is dead. I thought the ramshorns were eating it cause they were starving, but they were apparently eating it cause it was dying.

I trimmed my rotala rotifundiola. I love this beautiful pink plant. But, its getting quite a number of holes in it. I've seen this happen to someone else, and it was apparently a CO2 issue. I badly want pressurized CO2. Oy.

The amano lost all her eggs. She carried them for over a week. They all turned yellow, as shown in the pics below. The endlers are feisty and learned that they could pec the eggs off her. One male endler followed the amano relentlessly, and would turn upside down to swim underneath her and pick an egg off, or at least attempt to. It was a constant chase. Occasionally, he'd peck her back, and she wouldnt even move. Of course, she's bigger than this endler will EVER grow. She knows who's boss.

On a completely different note, Seasons 1 through 3 of Lost is amazing, and Season 4 sucks. Im very disappointed.



 
#37 ·
And a pic of the baby ramshorns during feeding time. I keep pieces of pre-sliced zucchini frozen so I can just pop up out, click it, and drop it in the tank. The otos, shrimp, snails, and endlers all love it. The couple pond snails I have in the tank arent as attracted to it, though, for anyone looking for a way to get rid of pond snails. But if its ramshorns you're looking to collect, zucchini is the way to go.

 
#38 ·
Here's an updated full tank shot. Looking back since I first got the rotala rotifundiola, I'm shocked at how it tripled in size over the last 2 months. More than tripled in size! I just trimmed back the wisteria down to almost nothing. Also, I took this picture a few days ago, and this morning I pulled out what HC I had growing, and spread out the new E. tennellus I purchased. There's two new runners since I put it in the tank last weekend. I also pulled out the struggling/dying stargrass in the back left. I'll let the vals fill in that corner.

I should mention, I switched to pressurized paintball CO2, and I have constant pearling now. I lovvvvvve it. I'm using the red sea paintball system. Not the cheapest, but definitely the easiest. My endlers have started reproducing. I'll probably have a population explosion within a month. Oh, and if anyone local wants some free baby red ramshorn snails, please let me know. I have too many.

 
#41 ·
Awesome looking tank. I really like how your rotala rotifundiola is turning out. Can you take clipping of those? If you have spare let me know. Also, can I achieve the same outcome without using CO2 diffuser? I already dropped $200 on my 10gal set up and don't want to waste anymore money. I'm using 38W CF light with Marineland 100 filter rated for 20 gal with occasional Flourish dousing. Is this too much water flow for planted tank?
 
#43 ·
Thanks for the compliment. It's a work in progress. No CO2 diffuser? Are you running pressurized or DIY? What are you using to get the CO2 into your tank? I was using a nano glass diffuser while using DIY CO2, and now I'm using a reactor that came with the Red Sea kit.

I think water flow is a good thing, especially considering how much all the leaves and plants are going to cut down the current in the tank. Just keep delicate plants away from the outflow of the filter. To keep surface movement down, I always keep my tank topped off to the max, and I usually run my filter on its lowest setting. I'm using an Aquaclear HOB rated for tanks up to 20 gallons (or was it 30?). I do use a sponge over the filter intake which somewhat reduces flow, but more importantly, keeps endler fry, shrimp, and tiny snails out of the filter. Big filters are great when it comes to media choices. I love having lots of room to personalize.

The first four inches or so of my rotala is a mess of holes and looks terrible, because my plants suffered for several weeks when I didnt realize that my DIY CO2 bottles werent producing as much CO2 as I thought. I thought it was a nutrient deficiency, but it was actually carbon that they were lacking. So I really need to cut them down and replant the tops and throw out the ugly bottoms. When I do have some nice cuttings, I'll let you know. I only paid $3 for the bunch that I got at a LFS, though... of course, they were much smaller back then.
 
#47 ·
Haha. It has. I'm going to rename the thread "Newbie Q&A".

Tank Updates: As I previously mentioned, I pulled out the meager HC, replaced it with E. tenellus. It looks much cleaner now. In the week and a half or so since I planted it, I have 2 new runners with baby plantlets popping up. The leaf shape has changed from sort of oblong to very narrow and about 3 inches tall. I assume it's transitioning from emergent to submergent growth. This grass lawn will compliment all the vallisneria in my background, so I'm pleased. The HC used to come up all the time and was a pain. I won't miss it.

I have an empty spot in my back left area where I had my stargrass that I pulled out a week ago. I'm looking for some local sunset hygro to fill that spot, as I figured the pink veining will compliment my ludwigia and rotala.

I'll post a pic soon.
 
#48 ·
Growth on the R. rotifundiola really took off this week, I suspect due to the pressurized CO2. Also, as I previously mentioned, I ripped up my HC and tossed it in the trash and bought a pot of E. tenellus. I divided the plant in two, as there were two rosettes in the pot with a ton of leaves. I cut off about half the leaves, as they were all emersed growth anyway. All these little baby plants below have grown within the last two weeks. I'm shocked and THRILLED at this growth. This sure beats watching my HC slowly die and grow upward toward the light over the last 3 months. I only wonder if I should have went with the micro/red version of tenellus instead. Maybe I'll switch over in a few months, since I'm confident that I could grow it in my tank. I'm also aching to try that new(ish) Echinodorus vesuvius plant.

Also, to state the obvious, the Rotala needs a trim. I'm sort of afraid to touch it, after I massacred the wisteria on the right and replanted it, and it hasnt grown an inch since then. Gulp.

As always, suggestions and constructive criticism is welcome. :)



 
#52 ·
I got holes in the lower leaves of my R.r. because of a lack of CO2 a month or so ago. I was overdosing ferts thinking that was the issue, but it was CO2 all along. Since I was pressurized, I'm getting 2 inches of growth a week, plus lots of branching.

I'm curious why you let it grow to 20" though. Now that I trimmed, I'm so much happier with the tank, and there's so much more light.
 
#55 ·
Wow. That really is very very tall for a planted tank. Especially when it comes to stems. I'd probably end up with nothing but vals, swords, and lotuses. Nothing that grows up and needs frequent trimming.

I let my rotala grow as long as I did because it really starts branching heavily once it reaches the water surface. 1.5 wpg on your tank is an issue too because its so deep. 1.5 gallon on a 12" high tank beats 1.5 gallon on a 22" high tank for sure.
 
#57 ·
ya, the stand i have is wide enough, old stereo stand with shelves removed and side pieces left, for a 24 inch fixture. I'm leaning to wards the hagen t5 HO double bulb fixture right now. looks pretty good and once i switch to a 25 long ill have my lighting. like i said one piece at a time.

i also replant the clippings to give the illusion of bushy lol
 
#58 ·
E. tenellus carpet is filling in nicely. It's probably too tall/broad-leaved for this 10 gallon tank, but I like it anyway. I'm a fan of grass-like carpets, and I think I'll give hairgrass a shot one day, as I've never tried it. I think I'm going to add some wood to this. Probably something branching--maybe manzanita.

A question -- Anyone know what kind of swordplant I have? I bought it from Petsmart as a rubin, and it looked like a rubin up until the last four leaves or so, which are extremely long and thin, very lance-shaped. See photo below.



 
#59 ·
Well, I did a major rescape and I'm ROAKing out all the extra vals plus some rotala (see my post in swap and shop).

What do you guys think? What should I change? I definitely want to hear some opinions. Note that this is only 3 hours old, so of course the plants need to readjust to their new locations. The only thing I didnt move was most of the E. tenellus in the front. I didnt feel like dealing with floating carpet plants all over the place. I feel that I need more rockwork on the right, and more branches to the lower middle. No?

 
#62 ·
Wow, LOVE that branch. Your sword is also really beautiful.

I would suggest you put a different plant on the right side, it seems like you have a lot of vals lol.

Maybe a small leaf plant that would add contrast next to the sword?
I was trying to use the vals up! I have EIGHTY that I pulled out when I rescaped this tank. Yes. 80! So yeah, I still have too many, and I'll pull the vals out of the front right and front left when I figure out what I want there instead.

Thank you for your compliments, btw. :) The sword is really growing in nicely now and I was saddened to cut away 6 inches of roots when I moved it. The thing has massive root structure. The leaves are really coming in an interesting long thin shape, and hopefully it'll fill out with even more crimson/magenta leaves. I was thinking of contrasting it with something bright green, but you may have a point with a smaller-leaved plant for contrast as well. Any suggestions? I don't like putting stem plants that grow too quickly right at the front of the tank, as I hate trimming every week.
 
#63 ·
I agree with CobraGuppy. Unless you want a mono tank of all grasses you might want to add a different leaf texture. I miss you wisteria you had in there. It added a little variety. Love your branch and rocks.
I actually massacred the wisteria during a trim, replanted it, and it never grew back. I do like the way wisteria looks. It reminds me of windelov, which is on my list of plants that I want to try one day.
 
#64 ·
When you say bright green I think of bacopa, stargrass, giant baby tears. The first two could go on the sides. All three grow kinda fast. You could always used the annubias bateri gold. They grow slowly and are a beautiful color. Ranunculus is a bright plant that stays shorter and is great in the foreground. I love the look of Elatine triandra but I've never had it.

Just a few ideas for you. :D
 
#65 ·
Very good ideas, Tex Gal. I've actually grown Stargrass, and it prospered for a while and then started to turn black. The fact that it turned black after every trim was a big turn off for me. It would grow back and branch a beautiful light green, but the black leaves would stay black forever. Even so, it is a great plant, and extremely versatile (I even tried making a groundcover out of it)

I like your Ranunculus idea a lot. I've seen a few tanks with Elatine triandra but it covered the ground as a carpet and then turned super bushy. That could work. Baby's tears are another good idea. I could use HM. I've never seen HU in person. Hmmmm...
 
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