Im finally breaking down and doing a freshwater tank instead of another saltwater reef tank for a change.

So I wanted to do a tank up with some plants and a few fish. I scrounged up one of my spare ten gallon tanks. Added a bag of Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate. Added a Aqua-Clear 200 HOB filter. 10 gallons of R/O water. After about 2 weeks I added a couple of Guppies. Yesterday I added some Micro-Sword (or something like that I am not sure what Americans call it) and I also added some type of broad leafed lacy looking plant. I am currently using a 10K PC 50/50 bulb for lighting.

What more can I do to improve upon my tank system, since this aint a reef tank its "uncharted territory" for me. I would really like to be as successful at a planted freshwater tank as I am at SPS coral reef tanks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

An AC200 is some major filtration for a 10g.. then again I use one on my 15g so I can't say much! ;)
I also don't think you need RO water for planted tanks, that's generally something you'd use for SW or if you have a ridiculously high pH or weird water with amm/nitrI/nitrA in it.

The Eco-complete is an awesome substrate, it does provide nutrients and such for your plants, which helps.. though my plants are in good old sand and they do just fine.

I never bother with plant lights, TBH.. I've got a desk lamp clipped onto my tank with a 60 watt bulb. Yay cheap uni student! :lol:.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /> Though the lights you've got don't sound too bad at all.

Depending on the amount of plants you add, you may want to look into adding a DIY Co2 system. It might also be a good idea if you're running high powered lights. Anything over 3WPG [though that rule only applies to tanks 30g and over, so think like.. 6WPG for your tank] would require Co2. It's really easy to DIY it, so if you need help, let me know.

Broad-leafed lacy plant might be lace java fern.. that stuff just annoys me, it seems to fall apart too easily. Real java fern is MUCH hardier.

Other ideas on top of your pre-existing micro-sword would be plants like Rotala Indica [grows like a weed in my tank, you can get one bunch and if you're patient, do the entire back of your tank], Red Ludwigia, and Anubias v. Nana. Anacharis grows too large, too fast, and Hornwort can be a royal mess.

Though you can't go wrong with Moneywort either, actually..
I'll see if I can scrounge up some links for ya. :)

HTH

Appreciate the run down. I used R/O water cuase it was readily available (got a lot of saltwater tanks and keep about 40 gallons of R/O on hand. it was easier that getting the dechloronator or what ever it is and using tap water...Im lazy). I releaze thats not the most optimum route though. The 10K 65 watt PC I figured might be over kill. I think I have a 32 watt fixture that might be a little closer to appropriate. I thought that prehaps erroring on the high side of the light issue was better than not enough.

DIY CO2 generator? This wont require a CO2 tank will it (Im a woman and while I can handle wiring lights up I dont know about compressed air and regulators and all that complicated stuff)?

Thanks for the info on plants. I will have to see if they sell any of those here in Japan. I know the Anachorus is available. I am really digging the Micro-Sword. I got the other one cuase the LFS said it was pretty "idiot proof".

As for the filter I think I have a smaller one tucked away in a box of misc stuff that hasnt been used in a good while. I will try that out for size if the AC200 is too much.

Thanks for the 411 and yes, I would appreciate any links or other "spirital enrichment" on this subject that you want share with me.

you can use a Cº2 system they are supose to be really good for plants i have never used ont myself beacuse my plants grow good in my tank. that filter might be to much filteration beacuse it will take all of the crap in the water so the plants cant eat it. try like a ac mini

seriusly if u have that much filtration your plants will get thrown around and un rooted. id go with sumthing small and cheap since its for a planted tank. and do you know the WPG?? i have 2.5 WPG which is not alot but i can grow the hell out of my plants and im using cold water with them. id say that if your getting any plants go with hornwart and bannana and sum type of sword and java plants. most of these are great starter plants. i started on horn and bannana's and not i have lots more. start slow and watch grow if what iv been told. i agree. a couple of fish u could get for 10 galls would be any live bearer and cory cat. i would recomend a pair of german or blue rams for a planted tank along with cardinal or neon tetras there really sharp in a big school

Thanks for the inputs. I am replacing the light with a 28 watt PC bulb and I got in a order of supplies today with a smaller AC filter. My little 10 gallon is looking pretty cool so I might just build a bigger tank on the first of the month. I am still kind of in a gray area on the CO2 system though...may just play that one by ear.

just DIY man i did, its easy but smelly after a wial.

if u want it to look really nice, get java moss and fern and attach it to the drift wood and let it grow on it. i am going to do this on the weekend.

DIY Co2 in a nutshell..

Hell, if I can do it, anyone can! :P

Get a 2L pop bottle, a power drill [or scissors if you're in a dorm room and tool-less like me], some aquarium silicone, an airstone and air tubing.

Make a hole just slightly smaller than the diameter of the air tubing in the lid of your pop bottle. Use either power drill or scissors. Warning :: If you do this at 3am like I did, be damned careful with those scissors!
Squish the tubing into the hole with an inch or so hanging down below the lid. Add aquarium silicone on both sides of the lid, to make sure that your tubing will stay secure.

Let cure for 24 hours.

Pop an airstone on the end of your air tubing and voila! DIY Co2!

Now for the mixture that goes into your pop bottle.

2 cups sugar
1 tsp active yeast

Mix the yeast with a small amount of warm water, until the yeast is dissolved. Be prepared for slightly nasty bread smell.
Funnel your 2 cups of sugar into the pop bottle, and add yeasty water.

Add more warm water to the top of the label on the bottle, and swirl it around so that the sugar dissolves.
Add your lid with the tubing in it, and wait about 24 hours. Co2 bubbles should start to appear.

A lot of people will argue that the Co2 gas escapes when the bubble bursts at the surface using this method, but for some reason when I did it, my plants grew twice as fast. Had to take the Co2 out, I couldn't keep up with the plants and midterms all at once!

Thanks littlefishie for that awesome but simple and discriptive explaination of "the system". I found several links on line some with great pics, some with decent instructions but all were kinda lacking. Im going to have to size that project up and see how it turns out...

Glad to be of some service. :)

If you'd like I can take pics of my setup.. it's slightly different than the instructions I gave though, as I'm running this on a 15g with limited space.
I'm using two 591mL Aquafina bottles, connected with a T-connector. This is because one contains the Co2 mix, and the other is the run-off should any liquid escape the mix bottle. It's placed at a lower level than the bottle with the yeast in it. Wouldn't want that in my tank! :-/

Then I use a plastic hooked suction cup on the inside of the back wall of my tank to anchor the air tubing with the air stone, directly under the filter output. This pushes the Co2 bubbles out further into the water rather than them immediately rising, so they have more time to dissapate.

I'd just have to find the camera..

Sure that would be great!

Might be a better idea to post that and the instructions in the "DIY" section. I take it this is a new sight and there isnt much of anything in that section as I looked before posting here. Just a thought....

i have the pics of step by step, cant member where i posted them tho

omg i bought like 10 plants in 2 days! lol u guys would die 2 see my tank now. it costed over 40$ for the plants in it now

That sounds pretty cool! I am resisting the temptation to do that...it working so far! Now if I only had this much restraint with my reef tanks, LOL!

Well built (and leak tested) that 37 gallon glass tank. Got everything moved into it. Placed a 6700K 96 watt PC. Im using a AC 50 for a filter. Added a CO2 system too using the sugar and yeast thing mentioned earlier. Hopefully this is a improvement over the cheesy 10 gallon/accessories tossed together that I started with.

Well I have identified all of the plants I got to date. I have 2 bunches of something called Water Sprite. 3 bunches of Rotala Rotundifolia and a whole lot of 28 plants of Micro Sword the LFS donated to the cause. I have the "Micro Sword" planted all along the front. The Water Sprite and the Rotala Rotundifolia is planted towrds the back two conners. They are planted in about 2 inches or so of substrate. Are these guys good plants for a newbie?

The middle 1/3 of the tank is kinda empty though...any suggestions on what to fill that spot in with?

maybe for the back use sum type of sword plant. in the middle id say get a piece of drift wood and attach small java ferns to it and maybe java moss?? i think ittl look nice

Thats kinda what I was thinking. I really like the Java Fern and it looks pretty cool. Its a pretty narrow tank though ...just 12 inches I am not sure I really have enoughgh room for the drift wood thing so may pass on that idea. I was thinking though the Sword Plant would add a little texture and kinda look nice too. I dont want it getting too crowed in there.

hope fully i can get a pic of mine, i have 2-3 large swords in the back both producing little plantlets and i dont remember the name of my last plant i bought but i now have-5 java fern plants, 8 bunchs of horn wart, 1 banana plant, 1 small java moss, around 12 sword plants, 3 mystery plants, and i think thats it.