A Second Chance?

[wackystarfish]

Hey There Members of UKAPS! I am kind of humble to be here!
After the disaster of my first attempt in a Rio125 which looked rubbish, the plants were eaten and was a total waste of money; i moved on to marines which i am becoming quite successful with. I have been left with the remainder of the tropical stock in a ten gallon tank. Seeing everyones on here and other forums has rekindled my love for freshies' i was wondering if you think i should give it a second go - this time on a smaller scale?

Heres the specs;

Tank: 48 litre Aquartank
Plants: Basically what was left from the plec food fest, some Java fern, and some form of Cryptocrene
Fish: 5 Neon Tetras, One larger tetra, a taentius kribensis and an Algae shrimp
Lighting: It is a compact 11Watt light, giving me around 1.1WPG I think there is room to add a similar light so i could possibly increase that to 2.2 WPG.

Here is what it looks like at the moment:

I have really been taken aback by some scapes on here and would love to give this a go. The one thing that is putting me off is all the expensive scaping soils even thought they look fantastic. Can anyone offer me some advice on the way forward and some possible ideas for scapes? I really like moss tanks, so maybe something with this?
Thankyou so much for taking the time to read this,
Finlay

 

[CeeJay]

Hi Finlay

Welcome to UKAPS .

Are we to assume this is a low tech set up (e.g. no CO2). If so, I would leave the lighting as it is.

Lighting: It is a compact 11Watt light, giving me around 1.1WPG I think there is room to add a similar light so i could possibly increase that to 2.2 WPG.

Most people who are new to planted tanks are under the illusion that you need lots of light to grow plants succesfully. Trust me, lots of light brings lots of headaches .
As you can already see, your Java fern appears healthy enough and most Crypts will grow in low light. As for moss, it's take your pick, as most moss will grow in low light too . You could also try Anubias and Amazon swords, both do well in low light set ups.
So thats your plants sorted .
As for planting, the Anubias, Java fern and moss all need to be tied to something like rock or wood. Do not bury the rhizome of the Anubias or Java fern.
As for substrate, I have seen plenty of tanks on here that have used plain gravel. The key is to get your plant feeding regime in order, as the plants will extract nutrients from the water column and grow just as well.
The expensive substrate that you mentioned most certainly has benefits as most are loaded with nutrients which will feed the roots as well. This means it will not be so crucial if you miss a day of feeding your plants.
If you are on a tight budget you can use plain gravel. Some round here have even used cat litter. I have used it myself on a low tech set up with just under 1wpg, as an experiment, and the plants are doing fine. In this tank I only feed the plants once a week .
See here: Cat litter thread.
So plenty of options for you to consider.

You will be able to grow any of the above plants and mosses with the equipment you already have if you get the plant feeding right