[ZoZoe]

Small update post of my tank & wondering if the planting experts think I should add or change anything to the set up. My main concern is lighting

Tank: Ten gallon
Light: Aqueon glass top on tank, desk lamp next to tank w/ 13 w CfL 6500k
- I read that some people put the desk lamp directly on their glass top? I would want to do this to have the light shine straight down but have concerns over safety....
- is my bulb enough light for low maintenance low/medium light plants?

Plants: Java fern & ludwigia on driftwood w/ java moss floating around or lightly wrapped to them
Anacharis & Ambulia in the substrate

I do have Flourish Comprehensive and the flourish root tabs

Any advice or tips would be great
I enclosed a pic, my tank has a perpetual light tint of tea thanks to the driftwood but I really don't mind it at all

 

[mpooyan83]

I would move the long plants to the back and the ones that stay shorter to the front. Not sure if that's guppy grass or hornwort or what, but it will probably block the front view of your tank.
As a rule of thumb, normally the longer fast growing to in the back and shorter slower growing to the front.

 

[lilnaugrim]

Looking good so far! Though if you wanted or can, you can add another light to illuminate the other side as well. If you don't care if the plants don't grow as quick on the darker side and like it that way, that's fine too though ^_^
Here's a pic of what I did with the clamp lights over my 10 gallon, you can do the same with two desk lights or just move that more towards the middle of the tank directly over top; there really aren't any risks to doing that, especially since you have a glass top!

 

[ZoZoe]

Since last time I got a huge shipment of java ferns from a lovely tumblr user who only asked me for shipping. I moved the ambulia more to the background and added a couple of adorable nerites. I have a jungle growing :lol:

 

[mpooyan83]

Do you have any plants that stay short to put up front. I think some small leaf anubias variety would look nice in the front. Or maybe a few smaller varieties of the Crypt plants.

its looking really nice tho, once the plants start filling in and growing it will be even nicer.

http://www.petco.com/product/102917/Anubias-nana.aspx

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/profiles/parva-crypt/

 

[ZoZoe]

Thank you so much for your feedback!! I really appreciate it
Doesn't Anubias need to be tied down to driftwood or rock? I have no more room on my driftwood after my java fern jungle came in x_x
I am primarily concerned about the light factor, if it is enough for everything, and the substrate factor, I got plain aquarium gravel and didn't even think I would start planting... Until I did start and now I don't want to stop :lol:

 

[mpooyan83]

Anubias can go on rocks and wood, however, you can put it in the substrate, as long you keep the Rhizome right above the substrate, otherwise it rots. (rhizome is the red circled part in the pic, u can hold it down with the actual roots.
Crypts are rooted plants so the entire root can be under the substrate.

I totally understand the cant stop thing. lol ... I started just wanting a Betta tank with fake silk plants. Now i went from a 3 gallon (my 1st) to a 12 gallon. ... then I went as far as taking down the tank completly so I could replace the substrate with Eco-Complete. But if you dont go that far for now, the root tabs will be plenty.

All the plants you have are low light, so you should be ok. Anubias and Crypts are low light plants as well. When I used regular gravel, I put Seachem Root Tabs under the gravel to help the plants as well.

 

[Betaphototramp]

My 10 gallon jungle started with only wanting a few live plants so my community fish have a place to hide. I added a nice piece of red lava rock on one side and a piece of driftwood on the other and then went nuts planting. (was it a mistake? No I don't think so and the fish aren't shy any more. But when I started planting I started with low light plants and then added some moderate light plants. I learned with my lighting I needed more light for the moderate light plants so I bought a Finnex Fuga Ray Planted + light. It is a 20 inch by 2.5 inch strip of Bright white LED and Red LED lights for the plants. It also came with blue LEDs for that night light look. (I don't use that feature because the lights are on a timer of 10 hours.) Lighting, Fertilizer, and CO2, and the right plants, are the key to a healthy planted tank. And, you are by the looks of it, well on your way to a great looking tank.