Planted tank questions

[jschall]

Ok, so... I want to do my first real planted tank. It's going to be just 10 gallons. I want to try to spend as little cash as possible.

I've already got an Aqueon incandescent hood with two 20w CFLs in it, for a total of 40w of fluorescent light (they're kind of a pinkish color.)
I'm going to do DIY co2 with yeast and dose flourish excel.

For fauna, I just want cherry shrimp, neon tetras, and maybe black neon tetras. Fauna can wait for later though.

So, on to the questions:
1. Substrate
Can I mix DIY substrate, or should I buy a commercial planted tank substrate? If I can DIY it, what do I need and how do I mix it? How deep does it need to be? If I need to buy it, what brand and how many pounds or bags of it do I need?

2. CO2 and pH
I intend to use RO water instead of my "liquid rock" tap water (tetras need soft water). What do I need to add to the water to keep from completely tanking the pH with CO2? Bicarbonate, I assume? How much?

3. Fertilizers
I want to make DIY macronutrient ferts, but what should I use to do this and where do I get it? Will I need testing supplies for all 3 macronutrients? What's a good commercial micronutrient mix? Do I need testing supplies for any micronutrients?

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

[velanarris]

1. Sub in a ten gal I'd DIY it, probably a mix of lateriate and onyx sand or about 1/2 a bag of ecocomplete (I can get it pretty cheap locally).

2. Depends on a lot of things, the initial pH of the water etc. I'd recommend mixing RO/DI with your tap water. It's easier to dilute hardness with RO/DI than it is to keep a consistent higher hardness with baking soda or crushed coral.

If you really want to use RO/DI you can use crushed coral substrate, or filter material, or even just leave pieces in the tank and see where it levels off after about a month then adjust your kH with baking soda from there. Typically about a tablespoon per gallon, well mixed, will raise pH 0.1 (assuming there are no buffers or other additives).

3. Personally I skip mixing powders and buy the excel line. Yes it can be expensive, but I buy it in bulk. As for DIY ferts jsut find yourself a bulk chemical seller and buy the following:

KNO3-Potassium nitrate
or K2SO4-Potassium Sulfate
(Both are controlled substances so you may get pushback if buying more than a pound at a time)
Iron Chelate (make sure it's without copper stabilizer)
and some CSM.

Dose by the EI method and remember, Poland Springs bottles are 500mL.

 

[msjinkzd]

Ok, so... I want to do my first real planted tank. It's going to be just 10 gallons. I want to try to spend as little cash as possible.

I've already got an Aqueon incandescent hood with two 20w CFLs in it, for a total of 40w of fluorescent light (they're kind of a pinkish color.)
I'm going to do DIY co2 with yeast and dose flourish excel.

For fauna, I just want cherry shrimp, neon tetras, and maybe black neon tetras. Fauna can wait for later though.

So, on to the questions:
1. Substrate
Can I mix DIY substrate, or should I buy a commercial planted tank substrate? If I can DIY it, what do I need and how do I mix it? How deep does it need to be? If I need to buy it, what brand and how many pounds or bags of it do I need?
you don't need a commercial substrate. That being said, I love ecocomplete.

2. CO2 and pH
I intend to use RO water instead of my "liquid rock" tap water (tetras need soft water). What do I need to add to the water to keep from completely tanking the pH with CO2? Bicarbonate, I assume? How much?
Do you have a gh and kh test kit? I would mix your ro with your tap water for your desired parameters.

3. Fertilizers
I want to make DIY macronutrient ferts, but what should I use to do this and where do I get it? Will I need testing supplies for all 3 macronutrients? What's a good commercial micronutrient mix? Do I need testing supplies for any micronutrients?
You can buy dry bulk ingredients for very inexpensive at this site: http://www.bestaquariumregulator.com/ferts.html

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

What sort of plants are you planning on keeping? This really determines your co2 and fertilizer needs. With the amount of light you have on your 10g, you could either do low tech or go the higher tech route. If you decide to dose the EI method and keep invertebrates, please remember that weekly 50% wc's are recommended.