# Almost Done Cycling-- Time to Think About Live Plants



## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

So now that my 10g has almost completed cycling [nitrites are down from 30ppm to 10ppm!], I have been starting to ponder planted-tank ideas.. 

My 10g has about 2.5 watts per gallon [incandescent light bulb] and 10 lbs of regular sand. I'll need to add another 5 lb bag of sand, as the 10 lbs only gives me a little over an inch high layer of sand. For this last bag, should I get some sort of nutrient rich sand? Or could I just use some fertilizer tablets for the plants? I don't really want to mix two different looking types of substrate-- I want that fine white sand look.

What plants would work well in this set-up? I like moss balls.. [: Hah, any other suggestions? 

Thanks for your input everyone!


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## Danio king (Feb 25, 2011)

some plants that grow good in sand are Crypts , hygrophilia polysperma, and wisteria. its hard to grow most plants in sand because it compresses the roots and makes it so they cant ''breath''. but there is a solution, a lot of plants attach themselves to driftwood and rocks like Java moss Java ferns and many Anubis. So id look into getting some decor for your plants to grow on! P.S. moss balls are cool i have them in my tank too. haha!

good luck, Ian


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

well im in the same boat as you, my 20g has about 35-40 pounds of white sand and about 2.5 watts per gallon and ive been poundering plant ideas, my 55g is filled with 10 diff types of plants but its got 5" of gravel and they all do great in thier, so now im woundering if i need to go out and buy new plants or if i can take sprouts off the ones i got and put them in the 20g, but i dont know how to take starts off them, i know my wisteria grows roots half way up the vine in mid water, i was thinking i might be able to cut right under a root but not sure.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Lose the incandescent bulbs and replace them with the Compact Flourescent aquarium bulbs you find in the pet section of WalMart. They fit in the same sockets the old bulbs fit. They put out much more light with less heat and use less electricity as well. Your tank will be brighter and better able to support a wider variety of plants. Marimo balls need a lot of light.

As for substrate, you won't have optimum results with sand, but you can use the plants mentioned above by Danio King to get around that. Fertilizer pellets can work, but really, you're just as well off, or better, by putting a veneer of sand over some plant-friendlier stuff.


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

Danio king said:


> some plants that grow good in sand are Crypts , hygrophilia polysperma, and wisteria. its hard to grow most plants in sand because it compresses the roots and makes it so they cant ''breath''. but there is a solution, a lot of plants attach themselves to driftwood and rocks like Java moss Java ferns and many Anubis. So id look into getting some decor for your plants to grow on! P.S. moss balls are cool i have them in my tank too. haha!
> 
> good luck, Ian


Yeah, I think I'll do the driftwood thing. And I want some nice rocks in there as well.. Thanks for the suggestions! And yes, moss balls are very cool. I'd say they were almost cute too.. But then you'd think I'm weird. So I'll just leave them at cool[; haha 



TheOldSalt said:


> Lose the incandescent bulbs and replace them with the Compact Flourescent aquarium bulbs you find in the pet section of WalMart. They fit in the same sockets the old bulbs fit. They put out much more light with less heat and use less electricity as well. Your tank will be brighter and better able to support a wider variety of plants. Marimo balls need a lot of light.


I've looked for the fluorescent bulbs at my local ACE Hardware with no luck. Never thought about Walmart.. Are you sure they'd fit? My dad told me they don't make fluorescent tubular bulbs..? Please prove him wrong. The yellow light from the incandescent bulbs is so ugly! Haha.



TheOldSalt said:


> As for substrate, you won't have optimum results with sand, but you can use the plants mentioned above by Danio King to get around that. Fertilizer pellets can work, but really, you're just as well off, or better, by putting a veneer of sand over some plant-friendlier stuff.


Oh okay, well maybe I'll just look into that more. Thanks for your advice!


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

well i have a 50 watt coralife Fluorescent Tube bulb for my 20g long with about 4-5 inches of sand and got some stone slates in their for decor and hiding spaces, was thinking about a chunk of driftwood too, but was woundering if if thier was a way to take starts off my plants i got already in my 55g, like my wisteria has roots growing out of the stock half way up the tank, and i kinda wouldnt mind seeing if i could do moss too but not sure if my tank has the proper lighting.

sorry not trying to steal your thread, just fig we are both in the same boat looking for the same answer's so fig no need to clog up the forums.


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

chronoboy said:


> sorry not trying to steal your thread, just fig we are both in the same boat looking for the same answer's so fig no need to clog up the forums.


oh no worries; you're fine!


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