[Django]

I have a 10 gallon with 2 10W CFLs about 4" above the top of the tank. I just lost what I had typed because I went and logged in.:angryfire. 2 13W was too much for my tank. Eh, I'm ambivalent about the wattage you should run. The thing is, those CFLs put out a lot of light in the configuration including a 10-1/2" brooder dome aluminum reflector. I think that where you are using a lot of light, you have to have adequate ferts or the plants will stop growing and the algae will start.

 

[Django]

Dang, that really sucks that you lost what you typed. Are those 2X10W CFLs too much light for your tank now, even though they are 4" above the top of your tank? If you don't mind me asking, when it comes to ferts, which dosing method do you use, and which ferts you you purchase? I just bought some dry ferts, and I'm not sure which dosing method would be best for a 10 gallon tank. I'm trying to go for a method that would be ideal to dose 1 time per week. I keep hearing all these things about the Estimative Index, but I'm not sure if there are other more efficient methods.

I have only been dosing Flourish Comprehensive and Root Tabs. My plants stopped growing and I had problems with algae. Now my substrate is MGOCPM and I'll have unlimited ferts for a couple of years.

I think there are at least a few fert methods. You could google "fert method comparison" or just "fert methods."

 

[Django]

Yeah, I user a timer like that too. And I like the way it's set up with those little switches all the way around and you don't have the little colored plastic things that you push in where you want them, that can be lost.

I have one dome clamped to a tripod and the other clamped to a floor lamp. 10W seems good for me and I have 13Ws if I have to go up. They're about 4-6" above the top of the tank now, so I can go down a ways.

 

[Django]

I heard something like 3 years, but the idea of fish poop increading the time, especially in a small tank, is encouraging.

No, I didn't use red clay on top - I used good ol' Petco black sand, but what I bought wasn't enough, so I ended up having a lot of dirt going into the water, enough to darken it considerably. So I bought another bag and put some more in the front. I'm going to trim the Swords' roots I have two that are together - one was an offshoot of the original plant. So while I'm doing that I'll put more sand there and on the rest of the back.