# Back into the hobbyist scene: 10g planted tank



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

I've had fish ever since I was a young kid, but my dedication towards my fish and plants have been on and off as I have way too many costly and time-consuming hobbies. Just recently I decided I would be starting back up my home aquarium hobby, by starting a new 10g project from scratch.

The setup I've been using for the past 3-4 years, it's definitely seen better days. This tank has been neglected for the past 2 years or so. I'm slightly embarrassed to be showing this here 


























My new tank will be a low-tech non-CO2 Excel tank. Substrate will be CaribSea Eco-Complete, growing Anubias nana on driftwood and elsewhere, an HC carpet in the foreground, maybe a couple water sprites in the back and possibly jungle vals as well if they don't meltdown once I start using Excel which they are known to do if not used sparingly or within the recommended dosage.

Have already purchased the following from J&L, today was my first time visiting and I absolutely love that place. Excellent customer service and very very awesome deals.


























Was going to purchase Seachem Equilibrium as well, but I decided not to for now as I'm unsure if I actually need it. Would it be good to have anyway?










I decided to still use an HOB just for peace of mind that I have some sort of biological and mechanical filtration since for a 10g most water pumps would create too much of a current in the tank, and an HOB does create a decent current in a 10g. Went with the AquaClear based on good general recommendations and for the fact that the carbon pouch can easily be taken out with extra foam or biological filters put in place. Haven't decided if I want to use the extra AquaClear bio-filtration pouch that I purchased or get some Seachem Matrix, any recommendations?

As for tank layout, I'd like to aim for something along the lines of this.










Over the past week I've probably looked at more than 200 different planted tank setups ranging from 2.5g to over 100g to get an idea for what kind of style I want. I'm particularly fond of Amano however I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage. Although I do not have extensive knowledge about aquarium plant care, I'd like to start things off on the right foot instead of "coping" with "easier" alternatives to save time and effort. I'm a bit of an OCD perfectionist when it comes to my hobbies (PC building, motorsports/cars, anime figurines), so I expect to be spending a very hefty amount of time and money on this project now and in the long run as I progressively upgrade over the years.

I will be more or less ready to set up my new tank in the next week or so after I purchase a bag of Eco-Complete and cure my driftwood. I've got everything planned out except for what kind of lighting to use, and what fish to put into the planted tank. I will most definitely select a species of tetras to put in, some ottos to eat up any green algae, are there any other species that any members would recommend that are particularly hardy in well-planted environments?

As for lighting, I had originally planned on getting one of Aqueon's single tube strip lights which comes with a T8 8000k 15w bulb, however I'm not sure if would be any more effective alternatives out there that won't break the bank.










I'll be posting updates on the project as I get to work on it. As a new member of BCA and someone who has just recently rediscovered his love of fishy things, I'm open to any opinion/suggestions which may help me along the way with my project.

Cheers


----------



## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

welcome =). I do have a 18W LED that is pretty good for your tank... you can check it ou t, it is $70 =)


----------



## Master wilkins (Dec 10, 2012)

If you ever want to special order equipment or livestock, my buddy kurtis that owns the new bosleys in poco on lougheed and shaugnessy can order in whatever you need.


----------



## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Welcome back Kaoss... you are up to an awesome start.... those HC will take off in no time. Nicely done.


----------



## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Frank (Aq LED) has some great fixtures. Otherwise, if you can find the appropriate hood you can consider something like this:
http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/planted-tank-specific-13/tubular-cfl-led-lighting-31018/


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

Everything's ready to go. Ended up getting Flourite Back Sand instead of Eco-Complete, and man it's such a mess, all that dust.


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

Decided to rinse the sand. 2 hours later, ready for plants!


----------



## crimper (Oct 20, 2010)

Looking good, keep the updates coming.


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

Three days after planting. Water is still slightly hazy which probably is not going away until I do a w/c. Dosing Excel twice a week, Flourish once a week, and Equilibrium with every w/c. Have been dosing Stability for quite some time now, should be ready for fish in another week or so.

I'm surprised the crypt didn't melt, and in fact two out of four of my crypts have began to sprout new leaves. Very excited. Not sure how my glosso is doing as I haven't seen any noticeable growth and I'm quite a newbie at planting them so they look a little sad at the moment. Dhg seems to be doing well, ready to cut off and plant some more on some hairs, and anubias hasn't changed much which is no surprise as it grows pretty slowly.

Planning on getting a dwarf gourami or two, and a school of small tetras.


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

Just did my first water change. Does it matter if dechlorinater (Prime) and Equilibrium/Flourish/Excel is added into the water before in the prepped water to go in, or after once the new water is added in?


----------



## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

i usually add the prime in the bucket before i add it to the tank, but im sure someone else here can tell you much more..

great lookin tank any updates?


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

Well, after several months of complete laziness, I think my journal is due for an update. All my glosso and hairgrass melted for reasons unknown to me. My entire tank is now full of crypts and my anubias is thriving. Going to test my luck with vals in the background, as my current background plants aren't fairing so well either. Photos later this weekend!


----------



## Otocinclus (Aug 31, 2012)

Have you added any fish to the tank yet? I think it's almost time haha!


----------



## Kaoss (May 31, 2013)

There are seven neon tetras and two otos that have been happy inhabitants of my tank since around late July! Haven't bothered to update this thread much as classes began again and I haven't been able to take care of the tank as much as I wanted to. However, it's still going strong! I will definitely get some photos up very soon, even if it means just taking one with my phone.


----------

