# 10g Soft water plant tank.



## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

I haven't posted any pics of this tank in a long time.. I should have waited until I trimmed all the plants.. But I was lazy and only trimmed the Ludwigia 'Pantanal' (the red plant).. 
For all who are interested.. This tank's params are somewhere around this: pH-5.7-6.0~ KH-3~ GH 6-8 ..That is the biggest concearn about keeping a tank like this.. Other than that, it is all the same as any other high lighted planted tank.. CO2 @ 35-40ppm, nitrate 20ppm, phosphate 2-3ppm, micros and iron every other day..
I should have trimmed more..lol


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## "qickshot" (Apr 19, 2005)

drippy im sorry but i hate you. im so mad because i could never make anything like that and to you its so simple. it is so beautiful tho i would love to have one but i could never care for it


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

"qickshot said:


> drippy im sorry but i hate you. im so mad because i could never make anything like that and to you its so simple. it is so beautiful tho i would love to have one but i could never care for it


?? It isn't so simple to me! I had to read, read, scrape, read, scrub, trim, read, start over, bleach dip, ask a billion questions, ponder, read more, and then do more maintenance before I could run a tank like this.. Oh, and spend $$$$! (I got some deals from being patient though)

You can do it for sure, the question is, do you have the patience to do it, time and $$. Seriously, now that I know sort of what I'm doing (sorta) it is much less time and effort. Anyone can do it!


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## "qickshot" (Apr 19, 2005)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> drippy im sorry but i hate you. im so mad because i could never make anything like that and to you its so simple. it is so beautiful tho i would love to have one but i could never care for it


?? It isn't so simple to me! I had to read, read, scrape, read, scrub, trim, read, start over, bleach dip, ask a billion questions, ponder, read more, and then do more maintenance before I could run a tank like this.. Oh, and spend $$$$! (I got some deals from being patient though)

You can do it for sure, the question is, do you have the patience to do it, time and $$. Seriously, now that I know sort of what I'm doing (sorta) it is much less time and effort. Anyone can do it!
[/quote]
not not at all. it takes skill.... and you are one of the best IMO


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> not not at all. it takes skill.... and you are one of the best IMO


Thanks a lot for saying that, but I don't see it that way, at all. I learned just like anyone else could. Furthermore, it isn't my knowledge, I borrowed it from someone who knew better than me. 
Now I want to pass it on to anyone who wants to know. This tank is run basically the same as my others.. Honestly, there is no secret to this tank.. *Ahem, Ahem*..Aquasoil.. *Ahem..


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Beautiful looking tank dippy... ill always be jealous of some of the plants that Ill probably never be able to grow but at least I can see pics







Love the downoi too, I cant wait to get mine growing!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

therizman1 said:


> Beautiful looking tank dippy... ill always be jealous of some of the plants that Ill probably never be able to grow but at least I can see pics
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can grow them! High light, pressurized CO2, AquaSoil, and ferts. Oh, and at water changes, I use 2g of R/O water. That is it


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

DiPpY eGgS said:


> Beautiful looking tank dippy... ill always be jealous of some of the plants that Ill probably never be able to grow but at least I can see pics
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can grow them! High light, pressurized CO2, AquaSoil, and ferts. Oh, and at water changes, I use 2g of R/O water. That is it
[/quote]

4th pic on the right, I forget the name, but spikey looking... I know they are super rare and if it died I would be very sad. I think I might setup a cherry shrimp tank in a 20long I have with pressurized CO2... I just picked up a 24" Coralife Aqualight 65K bulb, 65watts with mounting legs for $25 last night so I am super excited about that... and I can get free RO water at my LFS so I might eventually try some of the super rare plants in that since it will be a lot more controlled than a 125 or 75.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

Good tank Dippy. I really like that substrate.

Quikshot, in fishkeeping, pretty much anybody can do just about anything. There is no reason you couldnt do that if you had the time, money, and knowledge. There is also no reason you couldn't have a stunning 800 gallon SPS reef tank other then the big three. These people that are keeping plants (or hard fish, corals, anything) are not magic. They just have more time and money. Although, people like dippy do have a skill in planting and aquascaping.

Rizman, I recently got a Coralife 24" 65w 6700k/10000k with mounting legs too. I got it for $5, employee discount, plus it was covered in salt buildup. They are great lights. I just don't know what I'm going to do with my old bulbs, I have 5 20w light fixtures.

IMO Dippy you should take out that red plant and throw a amazon sword :laugh: I would like to see how big you could get a sword.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> 4th pic on the right, I forget the name, but spikey looking... I know they are super rare and if it died I would be very sad. I think I might setup a cherry shrimp tank in a 20long I have with pressurized CO2... I just picked up a 24" Coralife Aqualight 65K bulb, 65watts with mounting legs for $25 last night so I am super excited about that... and I can get free RO water at my LFS so I might eventually try some of the super rare plants in that since it will be a lot more controlled than a 125 or 75.


The plant you are speaking of is Eriocaulon cinereum. It is doing ok, but I think I need to divide it soon, it is getting so thick.. It also seems to be trying to flower, so I'm a bit worried because I heard that when they do that, they go into a 'dormant' stage, and I don't know how to care for them at that point..
Wow, that is a lot of light! That tank has a 36w AH Supply bright kit on it. 65w would be a beast to control over a 10g IMO. Maybe try a 20g..? The free R/O water is awesome! (I cut mine with tap water so it doesn't have 1-2 KH) But if you plan on getting these types of plants, make sure you either get aquasoil, florabase, or use a thin layer of peat at the bottom of the tank.. 
I'll help you if you want. It can become a mess easy if you do things hastily.



> IMO Dippy you should take out that red plant and throw a amazon sword :laugh: I would like to see how big you could get a sword.


Umm, it is a 10g. A sword would take up the whole tank, grow out of the top, and have to be removed in short order. Especially how that tank is set up.. So, no. Never! lol.
I don't like to even use swords in the 75g, because I have too many rare and beautiful plants that I could use instead!







Swords are beautiful, but I like many other plants that take up less room


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

I am planning on using a 20g long that I have just been using to grow out some convict fry.

I could definitely use some advice though... I plan to keep some red cherry shrimp in it to begin with... hopefully one day get some snowballs or cherry reds to have in it.

As far as plants, I definitely want some taiwan moss, some downoi and not too sure what all else...

This tank will only be about 10' away from my 125g so I can do pressurized CO2 on it and just run the hose along the wall to a small diffuser... Im not sure if I want a filter on it or just to leave it unfiltered and just be an open top.


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## benJii (Feb 17, 2005)

therizman1 said:


> I am planning on using a 20g long that I have just been using to grow out some convict fry.
> 
> I could definitely use some advice though... I plan to keep some red cherry shrimp in it to begin with... hopefully one day get some snowballs or cherry reds to have in it.
> 
> ...


I would definatly put a filter of some type on there. If the water has no circulation, it could get stagnant quickly, having no surface agitaion. At least put a small powerhead on there.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> I plan to keep some red cherry shrimp in it to begin with... hopefully one day get some snowballs or cherry reds to have in it.


If you go with low pH, maybe have a separate cherry shrimp tank with a higher pH. They might now work out well in a tank with such low pH, especially if you use excell to destroy algea outbreaks. Maybe you would be better off using Nerite snails or otto's


> This tank will only be about 10' away from my 125g so I can do pressurized CO2 on it and just run the hose along the wall to a small diffuser... Im not sure if I want a filter on it or just to leave it unfiltered and just be an open top.


I thought of this also, but my major plant geek friend said that it doesn't work good. Not only can't you use a controller, but also he said that one tank gets all the co2, and the other suffers
something to think about. 
He said one of those dual regulators would work better for that



> At least put a small powerhead on there.


I agree completely. Nutrients need to circulate for plants to utilize them better


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

I just took a bunch more pics after trimming the tank the other day.. I sold about $30 worth of plants out of here in 1 day..darn weeds..







Hope you like these..


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## NeXuS (Aug 16, 2006)

looks great i hope to one day to be able to grow plants like that


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## nicksf2000 (Sep 13, 2004)

As always, that is one fantastic looking tank!


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

> looks great i hope to one day to be able to grow plants like that


If I could do it, anyone with the desire to do it can.. that is for sure.. You just have to read, listen, and take many things into consideration. Plus you have to be willing to get the things needed for these types of plants. It is a mini investment..

If you get to where the plants are growing well, selling the trimmings really helps keep the hobby going for you!

I have a 1x36w AHSupply light over this tank, (pictured) a 20lb CO2 cylander (overkill lol) Milwaukee regulator (no controller on this tank..bubble count only), ADA Power Sand, and Amozonia substrate, Flourish comp, iron.. greg watson nitrate, and phosphate.

I think that's it lol



> As always, that is one fantastic looking tank!


Thanks very much!! 
I love the 'Nano' look that it has.. but one day, I want to either try to remove the rim on the tank, or get a rimless, and hang the light over it, for a cleaner look


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