Tank Set up

[Appistoenthusiast]

Okay...
I am setting up my 10 gallon tank to house one pair of appisto's. I am planning on using the fluval stratum (plant) substrate. As for plants I was going to keep is relatively simple with Java Fern, Java Moss, and perhaps some kind of carpet grass. Of course driftwood,caves, two indian almond leaves too. I was looking at replacing the lights that came with my hood with a set of GE 989091 Energy smart 15- Watt daylight spiral compact fluorescent bulbs. Is this plant, lighting, and substrate a good combination for each other. Is it also a good combination for my soon to be Appisto's?

 

[bseitz234]

if a "set" of 15W compact fluorescents is two bulbs, then it's probably more lighting than you really need... some floating plants might not be a bad idea to dim things down. But it sounds fine to me...

 

[Appistoenthusiast]

Thanks for the reply bseitz
The bulbs are 15w each... is this to much... should I tone it down a notch? Yes I would love to add some floating plants. I just haven't read of any that are hardy and are fairly easy to maintain. I don't really want to add a co2 system....that's why I was getting the java's.... from what I understand they are really easy to take care of.

 

[bseitz234]

Javas are really easy to maintain, absolutely. I can't say for sure that 30W total is too much for a 10g tank, since if you strictly go by watts per gallon, 3.0 wpg isn't way too high. But I have heard that compact bulbs effectively put out more light per watt, so it may end up being a bit high. Nice cheap "floating plant" I've found is a dry oak leaf or two- just float them on top for a few days until they get waterlogged, then swap 'em out for fresh, dry them, and cycle them. This works well if you have an oak tree in your backyard, but could be trickier depending on where you live. Alternatively, just give it a try and see how they do- with enough cover (driftwood, caves, etc) the bright light might not bug the apistos- it may just encourage algae growth, so be ready for that!

 

[regani]

the setup sounds good. the light will be overkill for java fern and java moss which will both do well under low light conditions. more light usually means more algae if you don'r have fastt growing plants that out-compete the algae for the nutrients. as bottom cover you could use e.g. lilaeopsis which will also do ok under low light conditions.
I am not sure how fine the fluval substrate is, the finer the better for apistos as they are bottom sifters and 'chew' through the substrate in their natural environmen; they may uproot a bottom cover that is not well established/rooted. you won't need a special substrate if you are only keeping java fern and moss as their nutient uptake is fairly low because of their slow growth.
for floating plants you won't need CO2, they get all their CO2 from the air. not sure what is available where you are, but I found amazon frogbit to be easy to maintain under a variety of water conditions, virtually indestructable, easy to control (duckweed will magically get into every single tank in the house regardless how hard you try), and lice to look at.

 

[Appistoenthusiast]

Zoo Med sells a compact flourescent 10 watt bulb? I really don't want to promote algae growth... I plan on having a dwarf otto and a small school of dwarf pencilfish in the aqaurium as well. Maybe a mystery snail... Thanks for the info on the floating plant. What kind of substrate would you recommend?

 

[Mike Wise]

Want an easy-to-keep floating plant? Try Duckweed (Lemna sp.). Once y0u establish it, you can't get rid of it!

 

[slimbolen99]

If you can, you can lift the bulb / fixture up higher above the tank -- that will decrease light intensity.

 

[bseitz234]

Also, not south american, but I forgot to mention my Japanese Pennywort- I swear the thing puts out 3 new leaves and an inch of stalk every time I look at it...

 

[regani]

a fine sand (any color you prefer) seems to be the best choice for apistos, just make sure that it doesn't affect (raise) pH.

a 10-15W bulb should be fine for the 10g tank. the floating plants will also reduce the amount of light that gets into the tank and in addition they are great for soaking up nutrients, so you shouldn't have too many troubles with algae

 

[Appistoenthusiast]

Thanks for the help everyone.... mike ill pass on the duckweed lol. So the search for a black fine sand that doesn't raise Ph. Looks like the wife and I are getting our fourth aquarium for the house. 35 gal corner aquarium with a dark finish custom cabinet. I think ill do a pair of blue german rams. It will be on hold until I can get the appisto tank complete. The local ma and pa fish store sells ro water at 49 cents a gallon. Is there anything I should worry about? We tested the Ph on the water it was 6.3. I know if I put some peat in the filter....add the plants...add the driftwood I can drop the ph even a little lower.