Hey everyone,

I've been growing Dwarf Hairgrass in my 10 gallon tank using Tom's Emersed growth technique and here is my result so far:



I will be filling this tank in a weeks time when my plants arrive. I wanted some advice regarding my proposed fert dosing regimen. Here is my plant list for the tank:

3 packages of Anubias Coffeefolia
3 packages of Anubias Nana
5 packages of Rotala Indica
1 Java Fern (Will be replaced by Philippene Java Fern when that comes in)

I will also have manzanita wood pieces for hardscaping. I will be adopting the Low-Light, Excel method for growing this tank out. Currently the tank has 2x20 Watt Spiral CFLs which I plan to swap out for 2x15 Watt Spiral CFLs (Worried about having too much light for Excel method with 2x20 Watts). Here is my proposed fert dosing regimen:

1/16 teaspoon of KNO3, 2x a week
1/32 teaspoon of KH2PO4, 2x a week
2mls of CSM+B trace solution, 1x a week
SeaChem Equilibrium 1/16th once a week (Immediately after weekly water change)
50% weekly water change
Dose 1-1.5x the recommended dose for Excel (1 ml for every 10 gallons on a daily basis and 5ml for every 10 gallon after 40% or more water changes).

Tank Size: 10 Gallons

Lighting: 2x15 Watt Spiral CFLs (GE Daylight 6500 K). I could change this to 2x20 or 2x10 if needed. I plan to start with a photoperiod of 6 hours (is that OK?) and then maybe pushing it to a max of 8-9 hours a month later depending on how things go.

Filtration: Aquaclear 20 HOB loaded with 100ml purigen bag, Seachem Matrix Biomedia, Aquaclear filter foam and some filter floss.

Fish Load: 6 female betta fish and 2 ottos (if the bettas are not aggressive towards them)

My plan is to fill the tank up with water, enough to plant all the plants. Then fill it completely and perform a large water change to get rid of any excess ferts that might have built up when I was dosing the tank during emersed growth. After this I would start with the above mentioned fert dosing regimen and weekly 50% water changes. I will also be dosing 1.5x the suggested Excel dosage.

Thats pretty much it. I would really appreciate it if some of you more experienced folks could take a look and see what you think of my plans for this tank and if you have any suggestions/comments or critiques. This is my first attempt at an aquascaped-planted tank after doing tons of research and I'm hoping to start out on the right foot =). Thanks a lot!

Cheers.

I think the 20 watt bulbs will be better than the lower wattage. Also, if you are in an area where it gets very hot during this season you will need to find a way to keep the water temperature under control. The 20 watt bulbs do add a lot of heat to the water.

I wish you the best of luck! My experiences with a ten gallon are not something to brag about.

Thanks for the heads up Hoppy. I'll keep an eye on temps. I think I'll leave the 20 watt cfls in for now, and swap them out if I start having trouble with algae. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on my fert routine?

Hi,
They look a bit on the low side to me. The macros should typically be dosed 3X per week, not just twice.

Cheers,

Hi ceg4048,

This is going to be a Non CO2 tank...only Excel. Do you still think it is a bit on the low side? I adapted the dosages from Tom's guidelines in the Non CO2 thread. I don't mind bumping it up a lil if it seems like it is a little too low for an Excel tank.

Thanks