# Starting a 10Gal with plants & maybe shrimp



## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

I found my 10Gal in my basement and i want to set up a tank with some plants and maybe shrimp.

I found a lid and and light but got a new light today n got a 15watt light with 5500k Its a 18" Zoo Med Tropic Sun. I dont know much about wpg so does anyone how good that is for med light plants/high light plants?

Im also thinking about a diy co2 a simple one but all the sites i found are for like 125g tanks and they all say diff stuff to add so if anyone has a diy co2 for a 10g can you help me out?

The substrate is just gravel out of my 75G just black rocks. If i add an air stone (co2 or not) i wont need a filter to keep my water moving right? but if i get shrimp im going to have to get a sponge filter i believe unless i put screen over my wisper filter the kind that sits in the water. What do you guys think, am i doing this all wrong?


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

cherry shrimp right?


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

yep


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

You dont' really need co2 and big lights if you are just starting out w/ a low tech tank. I'd get some low light plants (moss, dwarf sagitaria, crypts, anubias) and see how it goes.... I have no filter, no co2 on my 3 gal, just air bubbles. I have 11 celestial pearl danios and I started w/ 6 cherry shrimp. I now have 20 or so cherries. I think if you get a bubble filter you'll be fine. I'd start out slow if I were you and just get the feel of it before you dive into a high tech tank. I started out in planted tanks w/ a 20L and several basic plants, no CO2 just a HOB filter. If you have any questions hit me up on PM.


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

sorry it was a pic from my web cam because i cant find my cam but atleast you know what it kinda looks like and sorry i didnt wipe the tank down yet and didnt add water really










Is that what your talking about?


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

O and No i dont like the look of my rocks ill end up mixing the black and the blue i just put them in there just to mess around.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

obviously it's up to you, but if you really wanna do a planted tank and not just a tank with a couple plants in it, i would take that gravel out of there and either use some aquatic soil or natural looking gravel, it's just not gonna look right with blue and black gravel and a bunch of plants


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

joedizzlempls said:


> obviously it's up to you, but if you really wanna do a planted tank and not just a tank with a couple plants in it, i would take that gravel out of there and either use some aquatic soil or natural looking gravel, it's just not gonna look right with blue and black gravel and a bunch of plants


Well aqua soil is a little more than i would like to pay if i start this and dont care for it so im thinking starting like this then if im liking it slowly upgrade and yes get some aqua soil but for now im thinking starting low and slow.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

I think he was suggesting Shultz Aquatic Soil. You can find the stuff real cheap at Home Depot or even Wal-Mart.


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

maknwar said:


> I think he was suggesting Shultz Aquatic Soil. You can find the stuff real cheap at Home Depot or even Wal-Mart.


ok yea well ill look tomorrow but they prob dont have it..our walmarts a joke and lowes would be the next guess


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

Tison said:


> I think he was suggesting Shultz Aquatic Soil. You can find the stuff real cheap at Home Depot or even Wal-Mart.


ok yea well ill look tomorrow but they prob dont have it..our walmarts a joke and lowes would be the next guess
[/quote]

Haha i went to walmart n just got back i asked the guy about the soil he said he knew what i was talking about but they dont have it..shet..but would shrimp still be ok with soil if i get some?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

try home depot for the shultz aquatic plant soil, or you could even get natural colored gravel if that's all you can find, i'm just saying that it's much better to start with better substrate off the bat, cuz once your plants have settled in, the last thing you wanna do is rip them all outta there and replace the substrate.

the whole idea of doing a planted tank is to make things more natural and to have it look good, i just don't think that you can acheive that with blue and black mixed gravel, it'll just be a pain in the ass down the road. a better substrate will also help your plants thrive in your tank, so look at it as spending around ten bucks upfront on something better and having your plants do better instead of leaving it and having a bunch of money go down the drain on plants that die end up dying on you.


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

Ok ill run up hmm tomorrow prob cuz i work today and gos my lighting am i low on wpg? if so can anyone tell me what kind of light system you have or am i ok with mine?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

it's all really gonna depend on what kind of plants you wanna use, but if you wanna start out slow and not spend a bunch of money right off the bat, i would start out with a few low light plants to get going and then you can upgrade your lighting down the road and get some co2 going as well, then you can move into the more demanding plants.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Here is a great DIY CO2 setup if you are interested. It will ALWAYS help your plants grow nicer.


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## tison 30 (Feb 29, 2008)

Hey guys, I ended up getting sand and i found my old black light from likr 4years ago and put a bulb in it so it works im just going to get another of the same one i have which is 15watts so ill have 2 which is 3o watts so 3wpg in a 10G correct? So how am i now, Still in Low lights or Med?


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## rickstsi (Apr 6, 2007)

Tison said:


> Hey guys, I ended up getting sand and i found my old black light from likr 4years ago and put a bulb in it so it works im just going to get another of the same one i have which is 15watts so ill have 2 which is 3o watts so 3wpg in a 10G correct? So how am i now, Still in Low lights or Med?


3wpg Is high light. Co2 teritory.


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

rickstsi said:


> Hey guys, I ended up getting sand and i found my old black light from likr 4years ago and put a bulb in it so it works im just going to get another of the same one i have which is 15watts so ill have 2 which is 3o watts so 3wpg in a 10G correct? So how am i now, Still in Low lights or Med?


3wpg Is high light. Co2 teritory.
[/quote]

not necessarily.... I'd try it see what happens first.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

3wpg I would never do without at least a DIY CO2. the reason I said DIY is cuz it's not a PC or T5 fixture


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