[streamlined]

Hi all, this is my first post, so far the forums seem really great.

So I read the substrate choice FAQ that's stickied on this forum, but the various pros/cons listed there didn't really make much sense to me. While I understood generally what each pro/con meant, I don't think I know how those different attributes will play out in a planted tank. I'd like to set up a 10 gallon planted tank, but this is my first time, and I really have no idea where to start in terms of substrate.

I'm interested in growing the following flora:
Bacopa
Dwarf Hair Grass
Dwarf Sagittaria
Java Moss
Moneywort
Pennywort

From what I've read, these seem like pretty easy plants to grow, and I like the look of them. I don't think I will do off-the-shelf CO2 to start with, but I might try DIY CO2 if it's recommended to me here. I don't know which lights to get, and I have no idea what kind of fertilizers I should be using.

If I could receive advice or suggestions about the substrate that would be best for this situation, along with root tabs/water column ferts/etc., required, that would be fantastic. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Willcooper]

Hi all, this is my first post, so far the forums seem really great.

So I read the substrate choice FAQ that's stickied on this forum, but the various pros/cons listed there didn't really make much sense to me. While I understood generally what each pro/con meant, I don't think I know how those different attributes will play out in a planted tank. I'd like to set up a 10 gallon planted tank, but this is my first time, and I really have no idea where to start in terms of substrate.

I'm interested in growing the following flora:
Bacopa
Dwarf Hair Grass
Dwarf Sagittaria
Java Moss
Moneywort
Pennywort

From what I've read, these seem like pretty easy plants to grow, and I like the look of them. I don't think I will do off-the-shelf CO2 to start with, but I might try DIY CO2 if it's recommended to me here. I don't know which lights to get, and I have no idea what kind of fertilizers I should be using.

If I could receive advice or suggestions about the substrate that would be best for this situation, along with root tabs/water column ferts/etc., required, that would be fantastic. Thanks for all the help!

I leave lights and ferts for more sticky readings that you should do but I will say that the plants you have listed will grow in pretty much anything as long as you are supplementing root tabs with some column dosing if you are going to do DIY co2. DIY co2 is great as long as you use at least two bottles that you replace intermittently. The only plant you listed that would benefit from a smaller grain size is the dwarf hairgrass (even though I have seen it grow well in larger grain sizes such as ecocomplete). I just started another tank and am using inert black sand with roots tabs in it for some dwarf hairgrass. This tank is also higher tech but you can still achieve almost the same with DIY co2. There are literally sticky threads for all those topics so read away lol. The suggestion I can make regarding light is start with a lower intensity than you are probably thinking (40ish par. If you don't know what par is, go read the lighting stickies )

We are always here for questions but take advantage of the threads already available.

 

[streamlined]

I leave lights and ferts for more sticky readings that you should do but I will say that the plants you have listed will grow in pretty much anything as long as you are supplementing root tabs with some column dosing if you are going to do DIY co2. DIY co2 is great as long as you use at least two bottles that you replace intermittently. The only plant you listed that would benefit from a smaller grain size is the dwarf hairgrass (even though I have seen it grow well in larger grain sizes such as ecocomplete). I just started another tank and am using inert black sand with roots tabs in it for some dwarf hairgrass. This tank is also higher tech but you can still achieve almost the same with DIY co2. There are literally sticky threads for all those topics so read away lol. The suggestion I can make regarding light is start with a lower intensity than you are probably thinking (40ish par. If you don't know what par is, go read the lighting stickies )

We are always here for questions but take advantage of the threads already available.

Thanks for the advice. If using root tabs in this particular cirumstane, would I also need to supplement dosing with water column ferts (and/or Excel if I end up not doing CO2)? I did some searching for info regarding root tabs, but I couldn't find and general info on how much / where to place them and how frequently they need to be placed. I would deeply appreciate some additional information on this topic.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Willcooper]

Light is going to be what drives the need for co2 and ferts. If you keep the lights low enough the co2 naturally present will suffice (3-7ppm co2) as will fish poop and fish food. But root tabs will typically dissolve slow enough to be very beneficial if you use an inert substrate like sand for example. At a minimum I would add root tabs with low light. Even in low light adding co2 with ferts will be of great benefit as long as you keep things consistent. I started with api root tabs. Seachem makes some as well and both are readily available at most fish stores. What I do now is; purchased a bottle of osmocote+ from lowes (available almost everywhere) with dissolvable gel capsules (like the ones used in vitamins) and place them every 3-4 inches and replace them every 3 months or so. Most root tabs last about this long.