# suggestions for 10g



## koffee (Aug 21, 2005)

I have a el natural 10g going well for over a month. Plants include Java Fern, Tropical Hygro, Wisteria, Ludwigia repens, Anubias v nana, and some dwarf sag. (The sag isn't doing well at all, though.)

I also have some floating Watersprite that could easily take over the tank without constant trimming. It kept trying to push new stems above the water, so I finally raised the lights about 6 inches or so to give it some room.

Well, the leaves on the new above-water stems wither almost as soon as they appear. The plant still does great in the water.

What can I add that would take advantage of the raised lights and lack of a top, and won't overwhelm the 10g?

Btw, I'm running a standard 10g NO hood along with a standard 10g screw-in bulb hood using two 14W fluorescents. That is potentially 42W, though the screw-in bulbs loose a lot to strike-back. No specialty plant bulbs yet.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Koffee,

I've had the same experience with some of my tanks. If you're really interested in getting emersed growth your best chance is to trim the plants and then lower the water to about 1/4 inch above the cut portions and then let it evaporate enough to expose the new shoots. The shoots will grow up and should be the emersed form. The same trick can be applied to a full aquarium but it doesn't usually work as well for me. Lowering the water level allows more room for the tender new shoots to establish themselves before getting close to the high temperatures of the light.

Regards,
Phil


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