Help with my 15g planted!

[Cheesetian]

I've recently bought a 15g, 2x1x1 ft tank. I was hoping to get a dwarf snakehead or two and throw em' in. But i also want the tank to look nice as my mum's complaining my other tank with my gar inside is quote, "a barren desert".

I've been looking at pictures and reading a bit through the stickies. Was wondering, what would be a good plant because i want to carpet the entire tank with some short carpet grass like plants and probably place a suitably-sized piece of bogwood in the centre of the tank. Don't want any tall plants in the tank, nothing that grows more than 2-3 cm vertically. Would be best if it didn't need CO2 because this 15g is supposed to be really low-tech and nothing fussy. And also, please include type of what substrate would do well with the plant you're gonna' possibly recommend. The temperature will be around 80-82 degrees.

And what kind of light would i need because i tried and i repeat TRIED reading WyldFya's sticky regarding lighting a planted tank and i nearly had a heart attack.

Thanks guys!

 

[JasonG75]

"15g"
"dwarf snakehead or two"


1st off Dwarf snakeheads can reach upto 10" are you aware of that.


Playsand is suitable for Substrate

Dwarf Sag is what you should consider, however you didn't post any info on your lighting.

 

[Cheesetian]

"15g"
"dwarf snakehead or two"


1st off Dwarf snakeheads can reach upto 10" are you aware of that.


Playsand is suitable for Substrate

Dwarf Sag is what you should consider, however you didn't post any info on your lighting.

Yea i'm aware of that, don't worry. About the lighting, i don't know what kind i would need that's why i asked about it as well. Thanks <:

 

[Cheesetian]

And also, i checked out the dwarf sagitaria you mentioned. Isn't quite the plant fitting my description. I wanted something more like "Hemianthus callitrichoides" although it would seem HC is high maintenance.. Suggestions please c:

 

[jcardona1]

If you want a thick, low growing carpet, you're going to need co2 and good light levels. It is too difficult to grow a lush lawn w/o high levels of co2.

 

[Cheesetian]

If you want a thick, low growing carpet, you're going to need co2 and good light levels. It is too difficult to grow a lush lawn w/o high levels of co2.

Hmm, it would seem i have to go a bit higher than low-tech. Alright J, would DIY CO2 be okay? If so, what kind of bulb would you suggest for my 15g with the HC i'm planning on getting and how many hours do i need to keep them on per day? I'm probably gonna' go get a few buckets of sand from the beach behind my house. Thanks <:

 

[jcardona1]

DIY co2 should work ok on a tank that size. As for lights, since a 15g isn't very tall, I'd try a power compact fixture. T5HO may be a little too intense. Also, you'll want to stay away from plain sand if going with a demanding carpet plant. Your better off using a planted tank substrate like Flourite or Eco Complete

 

[Cheesetian]

DIY co2 should work ok on a tank that size. As for lights, since a 15g isn't very tall, I'd try a power compact fixture. T5HO may be a little too intense. Also, you'll want to stay away from plain sand if going with a demanding carpet plant. Your better off using a planted tank substrate like Flourite or Eco Complete

For the lights, i'm a complete noob. Could you give me some specifics like wattage and should it be fluorescent or what? I have no idea what i'm even saying here. Haha. Hmm, i'll have to check the LFS for the substrates you've mentioned. Also, does HC need any trimming?