10g tank, Plant Suggestions

neocharles

Hey everyone...

It seems my tank is pretty stable now, haven't had any casualties in a few weeks :)

I recently upgraded to a Marineland Penguin Power Filter 150B, and things are looking a lot clearer.

I have:
2 Neon Tetra
1 Xray Tetra
1 Long Fin Red Minor Tetra
1 Blonde Tux Delta Guppy
1 Turquoise Guppy
2 Otocinclus
2 Albino Cory Catfish


I am looking to add some real plants into my tank... I have a bubble wand mounted to the back of the tank, but I think I am going to get one or two bubble stones to put in the tank to replace that because the bublbes going right into the filter make it noisier than desired.

With that in mind, I'd like a plant that I could have in a corner to cover (somewhat) the plastic tube going into the tank. I'd also like to put something on the other wide (if possible) to hide the heater hanging down.

A few smaller plants to either put in the front corners, or some mid-tank would be nice as well.


I have black gravel on the bottom of the tank - unsure if that matters.

Any suggestions? I was planning on heading to Petsmart tomorrow to pick some up, unless there's some important information I'm missing out with keeping up with plants in my tank.


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When it comes to snails on there, would it be recommended to put the plants in a bucket of water (w/ prime and stability) for a few days to make sure no guests join me?

alidawn15

Hornwort is a great hiding spot, and really hard to kil. Moneywort takes off fairly quickly. Byron recommends Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive for a supplement.

Byron

It is difficult to recommend plants because we do not know your conditions. Light is very important, some plants can manage with less light than others; and all plants need good light in terms of spectrum, intensity (even if minimal) and duration.

Then there are water parameters. Hardness and pH can affect some plants positively and negatively. Knowing your water parameters will allow us to suggest better plants for those conditions.

Fertilizer is likely going to be needed, though that can also depend somewhat on the plants. If you get any stem plants you will need fertilizer, they are fast growing. But the light may impact this too.

Just noticed, I forgot to comment on the snails. Small snails such as might arrive on plants are very beneficial. An aquarium with these snails is likely to be healthier biologically. As for treating the plants, if they come from tanks with fish they could carry parasites (ich for instance) so a week in isolation (tank with no fish) is an option. Personally, I never bother. Anything strong enough to kill algae or snails or parasites on plants will almost certainly harm the plants.

Byron.

neocharles

PH stays around a 7, but has been as low as a 6 and as high as an 8.

I have a fluorescent light that is on at least 12 hrs/day (depending on what time I go into work). There is also some natural light that comes in the window throughout the day, but not directly on the tank.

I only have test strips to test the hardness, so it isn't terribly accurate, but I have a General Hardness of around 180 and a Carbonate Hardness of around 40.

Byron

Taking the hardness first, that is fine. Your pH shift is not though, that can cause fish deaths. Each degree in pH as from 7 to 8 represents a ten-fold increase/decrease in acidity/alkalinity. So for example going from 6 to 8 is 100-fold decrease in acidity and increase in alkalinity. That can kill many fish. I realize it is probably not this much this fast, but even over a couple days this is a problem.

What is the pH from the tap? [I'm assuming your numbers are from the tank water.] To test tap water for pH, let a glass of water sit out overnight, then test it. Test it first when you pour it too, just to see what if any difference there is. I can explain this later.

Do you have any wood or rock in the tank? And what is the substrate? These can affect pH and hardness.

To the light, a fluorescent tube will be adequate over a 10g, but the type of tube is important. Do you know the kelvin and spectrum? These are sometimes printed at one end of the tube, if you don't have the package info.

Byron.

redchigh

Oh, Byron, remember he said he used test strips.

That could explain the "shifting" ph, perhaps.

neocharles

Test Strips were all over the place, but once I got the liquid test kit (whatever you call that one), PH has been pretty steady in the tank itself... I haven't had a chance to check the tap water, but it will probably be about a week or so for that - I have to go out of town for most of next week.

I decided to hold off until after my little vacation before I do anything with my tank, so I can be sure to monitor it.

squishylittlefishies

cryptocoryne is great! it has long stems and broad leaves so the fish like to swim around in it. my otos love to suck on it and my shrimp love it too. It is really a beautiful plant. I have a cryptocoryne wentdii [brown], and just a week after i planted it it was firmly rooted and sending up runners. it is really tolerant and thrives in most water conditions, even salty water. crypt plants are great!

corwinlame

I would like to suggest Dwarf Sag. Because this is one of the best and fast-growing flower and it needs only midium mild to flourish. One more thing is that it grows to about 3 inches wide (7.5 cm) long.