Low Light, Low Tech Tank 12 gal Eclipse, any ideas?

[JennysPlanties]

I had a very very bad fishy and he needed to be separated from everyone else in his tank. I went out and bought a 12 gal Eclipse system b/c it's pretty much the only thing I have room for right now. (And doubtful hubby would have gone for more anyway!)

The mean fishy can't have any tankmates b/c he is a b@$tard so I thought I'd spruce up the tank by adding some plants to it and making it a low tech tank.

So here's my question: without modifying the Eclipse setup too much (I mean, I can switch out the bulb, but I'm not looking to upgrade the ballast or anything like that) what kind of plants can I put in the tank. It's a dinky little 13w bulb, so I'm figuring not much. Probably some anubias, java fern, maybe a crypt from my other tank and ????

Right now the tank looks awful: clown puke gravel and plastic plants since it was an ASAP kind of move before that little jerk killed all my other fish. I'm looking to buy some eco complete for the tank since he's a Jewel fish and I think the red color will look awesome against the black. I have a Hagen CO2 system that I can stick on the tank if you guys think it will help. (Although won't the bio-wheel diffuse out most of the CO2?)

Any suggestions as to how to make this tank more than just a boring prison cell for the meanest fish in town, please let me know!

[John7429]

I've got the eclipse 12 and found it difficult to grow anything without upgrading the light. Stuff just started melting away or not growing. With the stock light, adding co2 won't help either...

I bought a 32w retro for $50 online. A bit much but better than the stock light. Something to consider...

Just my .02

[ItsDubC]

Marsilea minuta may be a good choice for groundcover since it is much more low-light friendly than other groundcover plants. Have you looked at mosses?

[JennysPlanties]

Originally Posted by ItsDubC

Have you looked at mosses?

I haven't had any luck with mosses so far in my high light tank, but maybe they'll do better for me in a low tank.

It's kinda cold up here for having live plants shipped to me, so I'll probably have to wait a while before I can get my hands on any.

[JennysPlanties]

Originally Posted by John7429

I bought a 32w retro for $50 online. A bit much but better than the stock light. Something to consider...

Just my .02

I thought that these systems were hard to retrofit because of their design. Too much heat and not watertight?

How difficult was that to do? How did you deal w/ the above issues?

I'd love to upgrade the light, but I'm not necessarily the most mechanically/electrically inclined, and I don't know how I'd convince hubby to mess with another one of my "damn fishtanks".

[lauraleellbp]

Try java fern, java moss, anubias, small sword plants, these are all low-light plants that other ppl have had success with in a regular 12gal Eclipse.

Or you could try retrofitting it as suggested ^^

[John7429]

The light itself was easy, just a couple screws into the canopy/top.
The harder part was getting something between the light and the water. I saw a thread on this site somewhere that showed an acrylic cover made by a member. I took that idea, cut a template and cut acrylic to stop humidity from building on the bulb itself. The kit I got came with a 15" light that fit pretty well. It has a remote ballast so the only thing actually in the hood is just the bulb connector and bulb. If you wanted, I guess you could make something to just shield the light itself like the stock one.

- John

Originally Posted by JennysPlanties

I thought that these systems were hard to retrofit because of their design. Too much heat and not watertight?

How difficult was that to do? How did you deal w/ the above issues?

I'd love to upgrade the light, but I'm not necessarily the most mechanically/electrically inclined, and I don't know how I'd convince hubby to mess with another one of my "damn fishtanks".

[John7429]

I've tried java ferns, both normal and narrow, and they didn't fair too well under the stock setup. I eventually moved them to other tanks. The java moss was doing ok but not really growing... I guess that could be a good thing for some.

[Sticky230]

according to tom barr co2 will help a low light tank.

[haiau79]

Hi there,

I have an eclipse 12 and I use the default lamp and light. I have an anubias barteri nana which is currently flowering, a crypt wendtii which is growing like crazy and 2 java ferns that dont really seem to grow much. They all seem to be doing pretty good with the lighting. No ferts or anything either.

[Homer_Simpson]

I second that suggestion for Cryptocoryne wendtii. Right now, I am experimenting with the plant in a 5 gallon hex where water temperature hits 30+ degrees celcius. The others that I believe would do well for you include: Tiger Lotuses(you will have to trim them often to keep them compact). IME, tiger lotuses don't appear as nit picky about ferts or lighting or even c02. Asian Ambulia (Limnophila sessiliflora) and onion plant(Crinum thaianum) should also do well. In my 5 gallon hex, the onion plant seems to be doing the best of all and I have only 14 watts of lighting over the tank and the tank hits 30+ degrees celcius consistently.

The problem with the Hagen C02 or any other DIY C02 system is the formation of white snot like material on the c02 output that builds up almost daily and that needs to be manually cleaned to keep the flow of c02 clear. Personally, I find that a PITA. I would recommend using Seachem Excel for carbon, unless you plan on keeping plants(vals) that are known to be sensitive to the effects of Excel.

[Sticky230]

ive been using the excel in my tank since i first got it... maybe i an underdosing, but i test the water yesterday and only had a 6ppm. righ tnow i have wisteria which is doing ok, anubia, crypt lucens, pygmy chain sword, and some dwarf sags. the sags are looking the worst, but there is some new growth coming in. i though of upgrading the light, but the though of dropping around 80 bucks including a new bulb is kinda rough. plus there are some great low light plants out there that will thrive with the 1wpg. i will be hooking up a hagen ladder this week. i'll tell you how everything goes. im sure any algae i have will be starved though.

[Church]

Here is a product specifically for upgrading the lighting on your eclipse hood. In case you're interested. It's not that much $$ so it's worth considering.

[haiau79]

Originally Posted by Church

Here is a product specifically for upgrading the lighting on your eclipse hood. In case you're interested. It's not that much $$ so it's worth considering.

I dont think this product is for an eclipse 12. its for an eclipse 1,2 and 3.

[Sticky230]

the kit for the 12g tank is the smartpaq 1611. it comes with an actinic bulb, so you would have to buy another one.