Newman's 10 Gallon Journal

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#1
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#1
Hello everyone,

So one day i was looking at my 40 gallon, and a thought popped into my head: why not make use of the empty 10 gal i have hanging around in my basement?

So i put some stuff together today, got some rocks, substrate, and background, plus some other things including a lighting fixture.

Heres a quick plan overview:
Tank-10 gallon long (20")
Substrate- 20 lbs Eco-complete
Rocks- 4x Zebra
Fixture- T-5 HO Coralife 24" Dual bulb
Bulbs- 2x 6700K 24 watt each
Lighting- 4.8wpg
Filtration- Eheim Ecco 2232 (if necessary)
Co2- DYI 2 liter reactor (one)
Diffusion- Limewood airstone
Ferts- full macro and micro line by Seachem including excel
Plants- HC (dwarf baby tears) foreground
Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria subulata) background
Fish- 10 Green Neon Tetra
2 Otos
Heat- Heater... + thermometer

Next step it to add the plants. cant do it until my bulbs arrive later this week. it gives me time to locate a source of HC and dwarf sag...

Got some questions too:
Will i need a filter? normally with that many plants, and very few fish, i would guess no...but with so many fish, i think the ecco might be required... any thoughts on this?

Heres the progress so far. did the "hardscape" or w/e its called when you arrange the gravel +rocks. Obviously the lighting is not gonna be blue. these are just the stock 10000K bulbs that came with the fixture. the two 6700Ks will make it look better.
 

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kenny1tothe6

kenny1tothe6

Large Fish
#2
Apr 14, 2008
691
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#2
I always though Iwagumi looked best when the was 2 littler rocks around 1 big one, Then of course having the substrate work with the curves of the rocks having the rocks buried alittle, but that's just my opinion.

And Yes, Hardscape is the Wood/Rock work...Aquascape is the overall layout.

12 fish BTW...are enough to call for a Filter...but be careful about how much current you have because you don't want the fish blown out of the water and you don't want your plants flying around.

HTH
Kenny
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#3
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#3
Yea i'd have to pack the canister with media to slow the water flow down.
I gotta be careful not to pack it too tight, cuz in the past, I'vefound that if the media (especially the sponges) get too close to each other, water flow stops in some patches on the sponge, and they start to grow mold...ugh.

So youre saying to use 3 rocks instead of 4? Should i break the rock on the left into smaller peices? then use one of the smaller peices with the rock on the right-most side?
 

MoneyMitch

MoneyMitch

Small Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2009
33
0
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37
Marysville, Ohio
#4
in a heavy planted tank like you are planning to have, if you have enough plants you wont need a filter. just nice flow through the tank. you might want to research the Estimative index method i think it would help you tons.
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#5
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#5
Ok i thought that i didnt need a filter fo planted small tanks. but i am going to have 99% stocking level...so i think after all the ecco will come in handy sometimes.

DOH!
Yea, i forgot to mention what dosing strategy i'll be using. It will in fact be the IE strategy. I have read about it lots. I use this strategy on my 40 Gal right now. been workin out.

How about rock formation suggestions? should i do what i said above, and limit my self to three rocks?
 

kenny1tothe6

kenny1tothe6

Large Fish
#6
Apr 14, 2008
691
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#6
Well, a powerhead *might* work if you put a Prefilter on the intake..but those plants aren't really nutrient absorbers....

That idea sounds good BTW for the rocks! You could always send me the extras[;):D] J/K
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#8
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#8
Well the zebra rock turned out to be tougher than i expected. Didnt crack at all. i removed the smallest peice, and further buried the rock on the left.

Originally i didnt really bury them much cuz i figure the plants will do that for me.

This is what the three rocks look like; any suggestions?
 

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Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#10
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#10
glad you think so :)
now i gotta get this thing planted and cycling...
If things get bad with algae in a few weeks, ill add amanos.
fish feel like a long time away....
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#12
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#12
By adding an established sponge media from my 40 gal's canister, into the ecco canister filter for this tank. I'll be adding a tiny amount of pure ammonia each week just to be sure that its cycling/established. That is until i get the amanos in there.
Ammonia should be beneficial to the plants right?
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#16
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#16
I take it that would be GOOD lol.
I'm not sure if HC or dwarf sag are fast growers. certainly not as fast as some stems like cabomba i bet tho. so i plan on using a filter anyway, and seeding that with some sponge media from my 40gal's canister, like i said before.

And yes i plan on using the DIY reactor with dosing excel 2x a week. very small amounts (like 2-3 ml) I hear using excel with CO2 injection produces even better results as long as the excel isnt ovedosed. I've been careful doing both of these in my 40 gal, and it has been working out well.
I dose about 5ml of each of my fert to my 40 gal on a regular EI schedule. Since this is a small tank, ill be using less of the ferts obviously.
 

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Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#17
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#17
Any good methods out there for combating algae? I want to prevent the algae from even appearing; to not let it get a hold of my tank.
Heres what i was thinking of doing:

When i get all of my plants on Thursday , ill plant all of them, completely covering the substrate (i made sure to buy LOTS of pots of each plant), and ill raise the water level to about half.
Since i still dont have my two 6700K bulbs until monday of next week, ill run the two 10000Ks i have for 4 hours each day until then. when i get the new bulbs ill make the switch, but continue to restrict the light to 4 hours a day for about a week or two.
All this time CO2 will be on, but i wont be dosing anything yet.
If any algae starts to show up within two weeks, ill test my water, and see if its clean enough for shrimp. if its not then ill wait till it is. if it is, then ill throw three amanos in there to keep the algae in check.
The amanos will be temporary and shall be replaced with otos at the end.
Does my plan sound like it might work?
Can anyone suggest anything else i can add to my plan (ie. floating anacharis/cabomba plants to soak up nutrients)?

And also...
Should I leave the tank half full for a few weeks? i was thinking that would give the plants more light...

Thanks for any advice guys :)
 

kenny1tothe6

kenny1tothe6

Large Fish
#19
Apr 14, 2008
691
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16
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#19
Excel and Co2. Huh? I'm thinking that for my pressurized 55 that is a work in progress. The vals would hate me, but my mom wants them for her 20gL. Obviously, either would trow off the balance of the 29 and probably 52 and other 55.
 

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