I have a 10 gallon tank that I want to use specifically for plants (maybe put some small tetras in there) but I don't know everything which is required for such a task.
I also intend on letting snails breed in there so I can feed them to my yoyo loaches.
Any advice? Or at the very least, any "Absolutely-avoid-these"?
Tips for growing plants in a tank?
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StrangeSavant
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Tips for growing plants in a tank?
Last edited by StrangeSavant on Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Well, a 10 gallon is pretty small, compared to a lot of plants.
Will you be using this as a sort of grow out tank, and once the plants are a bit better grown moving them to a bigger tank? Or is it a planted tank? If the latter then I would suggest looking into the Dwarf and Nano versions of plants.
Dwarf Hairgrass
Dwarf Anubias
Wendelove Java Fern
and similar plants.
Get started with a decent light. A small tank needs more watts per gallon that larger tanks. Specifically for plants, I would look for a bulb that has most of its energy in the reds and blues that plants use the most. Often labeled "plant" or "grow" lights. Then add something like a cool white or daylight so the tank looks good to your eyes. If you can get about 30-40 watts with T-12 or T-8 bulbs like this, the plants ought to really grow well. If you can get a T-5 fixture, then aim for around 2 wpg.
Plants will grow best with a reliable source of carbon. You can do pressurized if you want, but DIY usually works fine on a small tank. Excel is another good source of carbon.
If this is your only planted tank then you might start with liquid fertilizers. Something like the Flourish product line. Each nutrient is bottled separately so you can dose just the right level of each as needed. With more than one tank, and larger tanks than a 10 gallon you might start looking into dry fertilizers from www.aquariumfertilizer.com
Will you be using this as a sort of grow out tank, and once the plants are a bit better grown moving them to a bigger tank? Or is it a planted tank? If the latter then I would suggest looking into the Dwarf and Nano versions of plants.
Dwarf Hairgrass
Dwarf Anubias
Wendelove Java Fern
and similar plants.
Get started with a decent light. A small tank needs more watts per gallon that larger tanks. Specifically for plants, I would look for a bulb that has most of its energy in the reds and blues that plants use the most. Often labeled "plant" or "grow" lights. Then add something like a cool white or daylight so the tank looks good to your eyes. If you can get about 30-40 watts with T-12 or T-8 bulbs like this, the plants ought to really grow well. If you can get a T-5 fixture, then aim for around 2 wpg.
Plants will grow best with a reliable source of carbon. You can do pressurized if you want, but DIY usually works fine on a small tank. Excel is another good source of carbon.
If this is your only planted tank then you might start with liquid fertilizers. Something like the Flourish product line. Each nutrient is bottled separately so you can dose just the right level of each as needed. With more than one tank, and larger tanks than a 10 gallon you might start looking into dry fertilizers from www.aquariumfertilizer.com
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Happy fish keeping!
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StrangeSavant
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:26 pm
- Location: Albq, NM
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