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10g Low Tech

1623 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  vca2004, 
K
Hey guys. Been lurking for a while and have decided to take the plunge and get some plants in my tank. I've got a 10 gallon that currently houses 5 neons and 4 ghost shrimp. It's been running for about 6 months or so. I've got the standard hood on it with a 15 watt bulb in it. It is a GE Plant and aquarium bulb and has been in the tank for a while. (I've had the tank for about 7 or 8 years, just not running the entire time) I'm wondering if I should replace it or not. I've been to Lowes and saw the same bulb I currently have and one labeled daylight. Which would be the best? I'll put links to both at the bottom of this post. I've ordered plants and they should be here in a couple days. I got Java Moss, Four Leaf Clover and Dwarf Sagittaria. These should grow OK, right? I've also got some Excel Flourish on the way. I have no idea how to dose this. Should I just follow the directions on the bottle? Thanks in advance for all the help!

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=149115-371-49892&lpage=none

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=196250-371-85154
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P
I would get the daylight bulb. The plant and aquarium bulb info says its only 3100K which will give things an orange tint, may not grow plants all that well and colors will definitely look better under the daylight bulb.
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T
Hi Kyle, welcome to TPT!

What are your goals for the tank? Do you want fast growth/high maintenance? Slow growth/minimal maintenance? Maybe something between those two? Is money an issue? Do you just plan on dosing excel? because you will have to dose other things to give the plants what they need.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's important to have a plan, it will help you obtain your goals and potentially save you lots of money (I know, from experience)! =)
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K
Thanks for the replies. I'm wanting a slow growth tank. Something that doesn't require too much time. I am a college student so money and time are both issues.
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T
I have simliar goals.

Read up on this method of a low maintence/ no c02 / no water change tank:
http://www.barrreport.com/articles/433-non-co2-methods.html

I think the daylight bulb in your first post would be good for a low light tank.

You may want to get a new substrate, Mineralized top soil is cheap and does extremely well in planted tanks, search for it on the forum.
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vca2004
I would get a new bulb, too. You might not actually need the Flourish Excel as you only have low light. Unless you see some kind of deficiency in your plants (e.g. holes in the leaves, browning of leaves, stems getting brittle, or plants turning lighter green), you shouldn't use too much fertilizer as it may only give you problems with algae.

Just change out the bulb, plant the tank and enjoy.
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