Hi all! I'm new to plantedtank.net but I've stopped by and read articles and post over the past 3 years. I've been in the fish hobby for about 3 years and have kept 3 Oscars, a Jack Dempsey and a breeding pair of Convicts. I've always wanted to do a planted tank but didn't think I had the time, but now I'm ready.

To start I'm going to try a 10gal setup, I have an Emperor 280 filter, and a 150watt heater. I currently don't have a cover or light fixture but i was thinking about using a CF with a 36 watt bulb. I noticed many people use Java Ferns and Java Moss but I'm not sure how those fair in this setup. I would also like some suggestions on plants I can use so I can take a look at them with my girlfriend and see what we would like.

I've used sand in all my tanks and plan to do so here too, what would be a good supplimental subrate? Would laterite be fine or should I go with something else? (I know this also partially depends on the plants I decide on.)

This site has been a great resource so far and I hope to do a journal when I get all the info and develop a plan. I hope you guys can help steer me in the right direction. Thanks.

~Andy

I'm new to planted tanks myself. However, I do know hardware. That filter and heater are HUGE for a 10g, yes?

Welcome to TPT! The people here are very helpful. With a 36W light, you can likely grow whatever you'd like. I would recommend AH Supply lights if you are handy. I have their 36W bright kit on my 10, and I love it. As far as plants go, take a look at the Plant Profiles (near the top of the page) here. Here are two other links that afre really helpful for plants http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...c/plantfinder/

As far as substrate, lots of people just use plain old sand and have good results. You can simply fertilize the water column to feed the plants. Take a look here rexgrigg.com That site has tons of great info about planted tanks/lighting/fertilizing/co2/substrates, etc.

Any plans for fertilizing or CO2?

HTH

Welcome as well! IMHO, overfiltering doesn't really hurt, as long as the flow doesn't just blow stuff all over the tank. I use a Cascade 500 canister on my 10g, and it works great. Just my $0.02

36w over 10g, is roughly 3.6wpg...pretty HIGH! At least I think so...maybe the rules of watts per gallon change over smaller tanks? check out www.rexgrigg.com, like mpodolan said...that goes over pretty much what you need to know for a high-tech tank (co2, fertilizers, EI, lighting, etc etc)

High lights make for more difficult times in balancing fish load=plant load=co2=fertilizers=light. If you don't have the right balance, most likely you'll have algae. Lower light=more wiggle room.

Need to read up, if you are doing high tech or low tech....see here:
https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ge...tml#post480332

Substrate...you can grow anything in gravel/sand by dosing the water column. But, using something like Eco or SMS etc w/ micro nutrients in it, only helps (root plants)...if low tech, then a pinch of ferts (macro & micro) weekly and your fish waste will take care of the plant's needs, but Eco or SMS etc only helps...

here's a link to a new low tech tank someone just setup, following the same general low-tech "theory" outlined in the previous link. Remember to get stem plants (LOTS) at the beginning to try and fight off the seemingly inevitable new tank algae...you can replace them with other plants once your tank settles in or just cut them back....
https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lo...tech-tank.html

This is correct. if you go with 36 watts, you will need co2 and consistent fertilizers.

See I assumed if I went with a high watt light I would have to do CO2 and dose with ferts. If I went a bit lower say a 24watt would that be sufficient light? I was thinking of going with an algae eater that stays relatively small and a few neon tetras. I think what I want to do is have a grassy look to the bottom with a piece of driftwood with something that will grow on it, something tall in the back corners and something kinda thick midrange on both sides.

Since it's my first planted tank should I start low tech?

yah 2wpg"ish" is probably max'ish' for low tech....and more than you'll need...heck, both my 29g & 55g have only effectively 1.2wpg (see sig link), and another 1.2wpg from Actinic which most folks don't count as "real" plant light...you can see I grow most plants just fine in there...I just don't pick out plants I know have high light demands (well, try not too, being stubborn trying to grow one plant in there that prolly isn't enough light for...).

low tech=slow growth. a 'little' limited on low-tech plant selection. No real daily maintenance. Minor weekly maintenance. Less cost for Co2 equipment & brighter lights.

high tech=faster growth (exciting, but also you have to weed it out). more plant options. daily ferts. weekly water changes. DIY or pressurized Co2 (so consider co2 delivery, drop checkers, all the fun toys).

Kind of up to you....both employ same principals of the hobby (obviously). take a look thru the "photo album" area or nano tanks sub-forum (I don't think 10g is really "nano" but ..sorta...) and see what other folks have done w/ 10g's and either high-tech or low-tech and see what you want to shoot for...both of them will provide challenges, but any good hobby will right? If its not challenging or dynamic you'd get bored of it pretty quick...find a tank or three that "inspire" you....

I went shopping around last night and did some more reading. I'm think of going with a layer of flourite then a layer of sand for my substrate. An Aquaclear 20(or mini) for my filter with a 50 watt heater. I'm not looking at plants just yet or fertilizers. I plan on having 6 neon tetras a few corys and maybe a small gourami , I know those are pretty basic but the plants are the true showcase here.

I'm having trouble finding a decent fluorescent fixture, this tank doesn't have one at all. should I go with a CF fixture with a lower wattage bulb?

Sorry to tell you this, but the sand will sift down over time, and you will have your flourite on top. And the more you play, and plant and rearrange, the faster this will happen.

I went to talk to a guy at a LFS today and he suggested Eco-Complete because he's had a high success rate with it. Now that sparked a question about keeping corys but he said they do fine. Based on what I've read here I'm a little leary about having corys if I use Eco-Complete. He also recommended a "Satalite" fluorescent fixture over the Coralife, which would run me around $60 plus buying the 24watt bulb. I really want to make sure I have an almost flawless setup going in to eliminate any problems. Here's the tenative setup:

Filter: Aquaclear 20 (mini)
Lighting: Satellite Compact Flurescent w/24 or 27 watt bulb
Heater: 50 watt Ebo-Jager or similar
Substrate: Eco-Complete (nothing else)
CO2: None except for dosing with Flourish Excell
Fish: 6 Neon Tetras, Corys maybe a Gourami
Plants: Undecided (Low-Tech)

I feel like I'm getting closer to a good setup, please keep giving the feedback it really helps.