# Light needed for a 10gal low light planted tank?



## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

I'm looking at add a few plants to my tank. I previously bought a popular floating plant that is frequently recommended as easy to care for, and added it to the tank as a lovely floating plant.
It has all but melted and died.

I figured it was because the bulb that came with the tank was not strong enough to support plant life.
What would the proper wattage be for some low light plants?
If you could list a couple easy-to-care-for plants, I'd appreciate that as well!


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## BasilBetta87 (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm assuming you're using a standard 10 gal with the incandescent hood. Lose the included bulb and put in a compact fluorescent bulb. If you can do two bulbs that would be best. Two 10 watt bulbs should be plenty of light. 

As far as plants go Anubias is a wonderful low light plant. Here's a picture of what can be done with anubias.
(Tank is not mine. The photo is on another forum posted by ikuzo)


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

BasilBetta87 said:


> I'm assuming you're using a standard 10 gal with the incandescent hood. Lose the included bulb and put in a compact fluorescent bulb. If you can do two bulbs that would be best. Two 10 watt bulbs should be plenty of light.
> 
> As far as plants go Anubias is a wonderful low light plant. Here's a picture of what can be done with anubias.
> (Tank is not mine. The photo is on another forum posted by ikuzo)


I am using a standard hood, so only one light would be possible. A compact fluorescent bulb in a 10 watt bulb or 20? Also, where would be the cheapest place to acquire this? I have walmart/target/petco/petsmart/petsupermarket in my general vicinity. There is a Big Als back home, but I wont be there until possibly this weekend.
I'll look into anubias, I'm looking for something I can leave floating in the long term though. Golem really seemed to enjoy the floating plants I did have.


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## jentralala (Oct 5, 2012)

Walmart. You need a spiral CFL that has a kelvin rating of 6500k or 6700k. I got a pack of three GE CFL daylight bulbs from Walmart for like $7, so they're not expensive. Wattage doesn't really matter, but I'd stick with the lower end just to be safe.

I think mine is a 13 watt on my ten gallon. Plenty of light, plants grow great. 

Good floating plants are dwarf water lettuce, salvinia, and frogbit. You can also use elodea/anacharis and just leave it floating, which is applicable to most stem plants.


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

jentralala said:


> Walmart. You need a spiral CFL that has a kelvin rating of 6500k or 6700k. I got a pack of three GE CFL daylight bulbs from Walmart for like $7, so they're not expensive. Wattage doesn't really matter, but I'd stick with the lower end just to be safe.
> 
> I think mine is a 13 watt on my ten gallon. Plenty of light, plants grow great.
> 
> Good floating plants are dwarf water lettuce, salvinia, and frogbit. You can also use elodea/anacharis and just leave it floating, which is applicable to most stem plants.


Ohhh thank goodness for walmart! $7 is doable on a student budget. 
I think I had bought anacharis and left it floating, and that is what died. Its not like it was expensive or anything but its still frustrating. :/
Thanks for your help!


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

My first batch if anacharis died, my second thrived. Go figure. Worth trying again. I recommend ordering from William Tricker, Inc. for basic plants. They aren't fancy, but they are really hardy. 

I also had a fail on duckweed, of all things. Don't give up! The fun of the hobby is figuring out how to grow all these pretty weeds in a little glass box.


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## jentralala (Oct 5, 2012)

I've found anacharis can be kind of finicky in a betta tank...they don't seem to be super happy with the warm water. I've heard of people 'acclimating' their anacharis to warmer water by keeping it in a separate container and slowly upping the temp on it, but that seems to be kind of a pain.

Oh! Another plant that I've been testing out floating (this is going to sound weird), is _Creeping Jenny_. It's a terrestrial (bog?) plant, you can buy it in the plant section at Walmart. Either rinse it and toss the whole thing in, or clip the stems a few inches from the roots and toss them in (still need to give them a thorough rinsing though). It's doing _excellent_ in my betta tank, growing like crazy and sending roots every which way. I've heard this plant can also transition to be fully submerged and planted in the substrate.


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