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I know nothing about plants :p

7K views 74 replies 11 participants last post by  Sagat 
#1 ·
Specifically I am wondering about these plants: water sprite, hornwort, java moss, jungle val and duckweed. (Or any other plants that would be easy to keep alive.)

I have a ten gallon tank that will soon be a sorority tank and I've been interested in live plants for awhile but they seem too hard to keep alive :p I'm not going to do a full on NPT right now. The hood I have right now had incandescent lights but I think (?) I can put different lights in it :p I also have regular aquarium gravel from Walmart and a lot of silk plants.

So far, I have read many threads on live plant care and have even posted previous threads but I am still absolutely lost. I've never been much of a plant fanatic :p I am confused about the specific care of plants... Lighting and nutrient needs and such. I've heard that there are many low light plants that need little care and then I hear that these "easy to care for" plants are dying and turning brown and causing ammonia spikes and all this other stuff that is really making me want to stick to silk plants for the rest of my life, lol.

Specifically... What do I need to do for lighting? I can buy different bulbs for the tank good that would be good for plants, right? (Lol). Amount of light needed? Number of plants needed to keep them all healthy? (Like, I can't just stick a floater or two in the tank and expect them to live?) Any specific additives I need to add for the plants (using gravel substrate)? Will these plants (or other suggested plants) need to be trimmed often? Can I trim them and use the parts trimmed off in other tanks? How would you trim a plant, lol? I've also heard that some plant roots can grow into the sides of the tank and make holes in the sides 0_0 (that doesn't sound great to me!)

I'm sorry these are probably kind of stupid questions and there are a lot of them. I don't want to do a full on NPT at this point and I also don't want to get plants and have them die and cause problems and make me wish I never even thought about live plants :p
 
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#42 ·
#43 ·
i bought some little marimos from them a few weeks ago and they're in the mail... i did a lot of googling, and aggregate opinion is apparently they are a reputable seller in that they're very good about shipping what you buy, and replacing dead plants when they arrive, but possibly a little shady in that a couple of the plants/mosses they sell may not be "true" aquatic plants, just air plants that have been submersed (and slowly die underwater). so i would make sure to google the exact plant you want to buy by its scientific name before you make your purchase, and make sure other people are successfully growing it in aquariums.
 
#45 ·
Most places do that. The plants can be emerged but not submerged. Meaning they are meant for vivariums and terrariums. You can also use them as filter plants. A good way to tell if it shouldn't be completely submerged is if it says varegiated or is a bamboo.
 
#49 ·
the amount of plants is something I'd check with oldfishlady about. the largest tank I have right now is a 26. I have about 6 different bunches of different species stem plants and like 6 rooted plants and it doesnt look very dense at all, so double or more?
you need to get 2 watts per gallon, so 100w total, minimum, rated for 6500k in spectrum. you can get away with 5000-10000k, but 6500 is the most benificial to plant growth.
 
#48 ·
yes, they are a huge seller on both ebay and aquabid. looking at my e-mail i placed my order december 31, and the seller was projecting they might get here january 10-14. not bad for overseas shipping if they make it! but i don't think it would get to you in a week. i've been going around to my local pet stores one by one using the yelp app and picking up most of my plants and equipment locally, i am also new to this. i've read good things about their shipping in general, but yeah, i would expect it to take more time than that. aemaki, the issue i was reading about was that some people believed that the moss they were selling as submersible would only thrive emerged, one of their species of fissiddens (sp?) that looked really cool. i don't know if they were right or wrong, but it did make me cautious, there's no harm in double checking what the seller is telling you! :)
 
#50 ·
there are people out there that will sell moss balls as marimo, that arent really marimo. I dont remember what moss it is exactly, but it doesnt actually grow in a ball like marimo does and when the sellers roll them it causes the insides to eventually rot. You have to go through a reputable seller for the balls. BUT since the seller has mostly positive reviews I dont think that is the case.

Also, just letting you know for future referance, that it's illegal to import certain (if not all) plants without going through a transhipper. Some sellers will send them to you without bothering about the transhipper just to make it cheaper and faster for you, and they make more money. BUT if those plants were to get caught in customs you would be the one geting in trouble for them since the seller isnt a US resident.
Be careful about importing in the future
 
#51 ·
Oops!! Mushumouse -- i got you mixed up with Rangerserena for some of what I was typing. Disregaurd what doesnt apply. But most of what I said can be applie to you both!
Sorry about that!
 
#52 ·
Oh, boy. The plastic cover things to protect the light bulbs from condensation touch the bulbs I have. I wonder if I can take them off? I don't think OFL recommends them anyways, but wouldn't the bulbs getting all wet from condensation be a problem? 0_0

I still need to get a pic of the lightbulbs I found to see if you think they're alright :p
 
#53 ·
I don't know about removing the guards, I dont imagine it being a problem, I tend to get water all over my lights during wc's. Good question though. I am sure whatever you got is just fine to use! But maybe next time look for a tube light they don't seem to be so wide.

Maybe ask OFL?

Finding good lights is so much work! Lol gets rediculous! From now on whenever I find a good one I'm just going to buy out the entire stock! Lol
I actually need to get 4 more for my mini bows, but spent all my money on AB bettas so it'll have to wait
 
#54 ·
The lights are the spirally ones, lol.

They were the only 10watt 6500k ones I saw. There were no other 10watt or 6500k ones. (Also the only box that had the k rating on the front instead of in tiny letters on the back.) I looked for ones shaped like the bulbs in the tank but didn't find any. My Walmart also sucks, though, lol. The new lightbulbs aren't too much wider than the old ones, but apparently they are still too wide and the guard things don't even cover the entire bulb, either. The ends of both types if bulbs (the new and old ones) stick out of the end of the guard. I need to get pictures of the box the new bulbs came in and pictures of the tank hood because I just don't know how to explain it. :p
 
#58 ·
I got it at petsmart.

Its in their medications aisle. Made by seachem
Its a white bottle with green leaves on it
 
#60 ·
I suggest the one at home depot, but both would work just fine!
 
#63 ·
I have lace and regular (not sure of exact name but sold at PetsmArt) the lace doesn't do as well for me so regular, or windelove as suggested.

Anubias, bartieri, nana, practically any of them really
 
#64 ·
What's the difference between bartieri and nana? Lol

Also, I finally got a picture of those bulbs and also the light guards on the hood :p but today one of the lights decided to stop working. The bulbs are not the problem, its the hood.. I'm not sure if I can fix this or if I need a new hood... Anyways,



 
#65 ·
Hmm, Hopefully you dont have to purchase a new hood! their pretty pricey IMO.
It looks like the light bulbs fit just fine. I'm thinking a fuse or something popped. IDK how to fix it though, I've never had that issue yet.

As for bartieri and nana -- bartieri gets pretty big -- about the size of java fern probably and nana is a foreground plant --actually the roots are pretty thick on the nana type so I've started to plant them in the gravel and they stay in there a lot easier than the java fern does with their thin hair type roots.
 
#66 ·
That is one LOUSY condensation guard for your lights.

Incandescent lights are somewhat SEALED so moisture can't get inside.

CFL's are more susceptible to moisture issues. Any condensation is small enough to get INSIDE the bulb @ reach the circuitboard/microchips that ignite the gas that turns ON the CFL bulb.

Too much moisture/condensation around the electronics = short circuit.

  • Excess heat = melts the microchips (if you can smell plastic it's overheating)
  • Condensation = shorts out the circuits (lights start to flicker & buzzing noises)

Both will cause early bulb failure.

You need a better lid that keeps "water vapor" from getting INSIDE your bulb.
 
#67 ·
Thanks! I got another hood from petsmart not to long ago and I didn't get the incandescent one with the lousy guards this time... Instead I got the fluorescent one with a better guard.
Now my problem is I can find a long 18" fluorescent tube bulb that is more than 15watts. Should I just supplement by placing another lamp near the tank? I'm at menards now and still can't find any 20watt bulbs.
 
#68 ·
If its a t-5 or t-8 bulb you should be okay..
Also if you go to the lighting section of walmart they have 20w 18" flourescent tubes.


Also, I just wanted to show you the lights that I was talking about from walmart, if you ever end up needing more CFL's -- I've seen them in the fish section of all the walmarts in my area.
 
#69 ·
Well, it is a t8 bulb (full spectrum daylight) but its not that screw in type. It's the long bulbs that are like, connected to the hood on both sides? Lol.

 
#70 ·
LOL no I know what you meant.

T-8 is good. I have a 15watt t-8 over my 28 and it grows plants and algea like crazy!!!

I was just posting that pic in case you ever needed screw in flourescents again lol
 
#71 ·
Thanks! What does t8 mean, lol?

I don't think I'll use that other hood again since only one light works... Even with a single 20watt bulb, not all the plants would receive the same lighting because one side is dark and one is light, lol.
 
#72 ·
I'm not 100% sure actually. One of those things I've never bothered to look much into. It's just higher strength than regular flourescent. T-5 was supposed to be the best of the best strength wise but people are saying T-8 outdoes it now.
and thats as far as my research went lol
As long as I know it'll work for my tank that's fine by me!

Like I said, i have 15 watts over a 26 gallon and both plants and algea grow like weeds, so yours will be more than enough.
 
#73 ·
When I suggested a cover for your tank....

I meant using piece of glass to fit BELOW your "stock" hood.

The condensation from the evaporating water will probably short out your CFL light bulb in about 2-6 months if you're lucky.

I'm not sure if I would use that AquaCulture mini CFL bulb because they don't specifically list the Kelvin rating.

If you're trying to grow plants, any bulb that specifically states it's rated @ 6500K can be used as long as it fits in the socket.

Shouldn't cost you more than $1-$2 each if you look around.
 
#74 ·
I meant using piece of glass to fit BELOW your "stock" hood.

The condensation from the evaporating water will probably short out your CFL light bulb in about 2-6 months if you're lucky.

I'm not sure if I would use that AquaCulture mini CFL bulb because they don't specifically list the Kelvin rating.

If you're trying to grow plants, any bulb that specifically states it's rated @ 6500K can be used as long as it fits in the socket.

Shouldn't cost you more than $1-$2 each if you look around.
They list the kelvin at 6500K
It's on the back of the box in what looks like a nutrition table does in food
 
#75 ·
I forget the exact specifics, but:

T5: Newest fluorescent. Most energy efficient, by about 5% iirc
T8: Developed in the 80s
T12: Developed in the 30s

Interestingly, a web-search to try and refind the details I forgot revealed that t12s are no longer being manufactured as of the end of 2012
 
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