I've been researching setting up a community planted tank. But have a
feeling I'm getting in over my head. I apologize for the long and rather
convoluted post (hopefully it's clearly written...), I've been reading
posts through google groups, as well as the FAQ at actwin, and some
other sites, so hopefully I'm not saying anything too stupid or annoying...

I recently bought an eclipse system 12 (acrylic) as it seemed
recommended for a beginner, but am having second thoughts. (My neighbor
gave me a betta, so I thought I'd get a kit and throw some fish in with
it. Heh, it's a good thing I did some reading first...although after
reading about plants I'm starting to debate that. I'm feeling
overwhelmed between trying to find a way to incorporate the betta into a
community tank, and then figuring out the plants on top of that. The
betta seems like an intelligent creature, and it seems, to me at least,
most intelligent creatures it must need something to keep them
entertained...a 1.5 gallon bowl just seems too cruel. But I digress...
The tank is still in the box it came in.)

I like how the tanks looks, it's bowfront, clean looking, everything
including the wires seems neatly organized and compact. I chose acrylic
b/c I wouldn't have to worry about leaks (but apparently have to be
concerned about scratches and the tank cracking) It seems like it would
be easy to maintain. But the lighting doesn't seem adequate from what
I've read so far (1 watt per gallon). And I'm wondering about the
filtration being compatible with plants (and the betta).

I've had the misfortune to see some photos of Amano-style tanks online
(they're way too enticing), but I think that would be way too advanced
for me now.

I'm trying to determine how to start out moderately. With low light
plants, no Co2 injection. Keep it low tech and low maintenance as
possible till I get my feet wet and understand better what I'm doing
(whether or not I keep the eclipse in the end).

I've tested the water from my tap the other day (it came out slightly
hard, and 7.4-7.6pH, and there was some ammonia - somewhere between 0
and .5 - the test wasn't any more exact). I don't know if this remains
consistent. I don't know enough yet to know how this will all affect the
plants. I live north of Dallas, and in late summer we have a period of
algae bloom in the tap water (yuck!). I don't know what kind of algae.
Hopefully I can plan ahead and store some water for that period.

The tank is still in the box, so no damage done yet. (I can still quit
while I'm ahead)

I guess my questions are, if I were to go with the eclipse, would the
plants survive pretty healthily or kinda struggle and look all straggly
(or die)? I haven't found info on how many plants to start out with a
10/12 gallon tank. So if plants would work, I don't know how many to get.

So far I've been considering some of the following:
Anubias nana
Java moss
java fern (also I've read it needs at least 2 watts/gallon somewhere)

I've seen suggestions for the following medium light plants that do well
in low light (I'm not sure if this means they suffer, or are healthy,
but grow slowly)
water sprite (I understand it's fast growing and will take up
nutrients, preventing algae, and that I keep cutting it back till the
other plants get established. But will it grow fast enough in low light?
Or is my light too low to worry about algae?)
amazon swords (but need extra fertilization)
aponogeton ulvaceus (sp?)
crypto ciliata (read somewhere that it's the most hardy of crypts, and
not likely to melt with drastic environment changes. Which is likely
because I'm new and will probably do something dumb at some point.)
african bolbitis
crypto balansae

There is some (I think northeasterly - the room never gets hot that I
recall) sun coming into the room, the tank will be along a wall away
from the window, but some sun will reach it.

And I guess if I can maintain plants, I am unsure about the amount of
substrate. The java moss and fern I understand can attach themselves to
driftwood (which I would like to add to my tank) and rocks. So they
probably wouldn't need much substrate. But I'm not sure about how deep
it has to be for the others. I've read 2-3 inches is good for most
plants. (Would that add a lot of weight?) And some seemed to think that
seachem florite, or seachem florite mixed with gravel would suffice, as
the florite provides iron. Hopefully that is correct.

I've heard about retrofit kits, but am concerned about the fire hazard
(saw a photo of a melted eclipse.) I'm wondering if this will work. It
seems that most of the time kits are discussed for the eclipse 1,2,3
hoods. My concern is also if I stop using the hood, finding something
that will work with a bowfront would be hard to find.

OR maybe I should exchange the tank for something else...

Laura wrote:

I've been researching setting up a community planted tank. But have a
feeling I'm getting in over my head.

That's standard. It's part of the fun.

I recently bought an eclipse system 12

I'm personally very fond of the Eclipse systems. I have the 3 gallon
little brother of the tank you have, and I also have an Eclipse hood
on a 20 gallon tank.

The bio-wheel filtration does a really good job, and changing the
filter cartridges monthly is super easy - it takes me far more time to
remember where I put the new cartridges than it does to install them.

trying to find a way to incorporate the betta into a community tank

This will depend a lot on the betta. Their personalities vary a lot
from fish to fish. I would recommend that if you do try to keep a
betta in a community tank, you put the other fish in first, or at the
same time as the betta.

I have a betta in my 20 gallon, along with a gourami, red eyed tetras,
leopard danios, otocinclus cats, and ghost shrimp. He gets along fine
with everyone, unless he and the gourami happen to be chasing the same
piece of food - when that happens, the betta flares, but I've never
seen him attack.

On the flip side of the coin, I had a betta in my 3 gallon all by
himself, and when I added another fish (several different times), he
tried his level best to kill it. He ended up with just a couple of
snails as tank mates.

So, you see, "it depends".

betta seems like an intelligent creature, and it seems, to me at least,
most intelligent creatures it must need something to keep them
entertained...a 1.5 gallon bowl just seems too cruel.

Hehe, yeah, that's how I ended up with the tanks I have now - I kept
upgrading to better and better homes for two bettas.

A betta would be fine in a 1.5 gallon bowl, especially if it's
filtered. He'll be in absolute heaven in a 12 gallon.

I chose acrylic
b/c I wouldn't have to worry about leaks (but apparently have to be
concerned about scratches and the tank cracking)

Scratches can be avoided by simply being very careful when moving
rocks and such around. The Eclipse tanks are single piece molded
construction, so cracking seems unlikely under normal conditions.

But the lighting doesn't seem adequate from what
I've read so far (1 watt per gallon). And I'm wondering about the
filtration being compatible with plants (and the betta).

The filtration will be no problem at all. With the size of the tank,
the fish will be able to get away from the current when he wants to. I
found that my bettas actually played in the current - once they got
used to it, they liked it.

The filtration also won't be a problem for the plants, per se - the
current won't bother them at all. Where it might be a problem is if
you add CO2 injection somewhere down the line. The Eclipse system
causes a lot of surface agitation, which causes the CO2 to escape
before the plants can make use of it.

The lighting is a different issue. With low light plants (like the
anubias you're considering) one watt per gallon will *probably*
suffice. There are other low light plants available as well, which
some research should turn up.

However, you may also want to look into upgrading the light. Do a
search for Eclipse, light, and retrofit, and you'll find loads of
information. I recently upgraded my 20 gallon Eclipse hood to a total
of 56 watts. You can almost certainly improve the lighting on the
System 12 if you're a little handy.

One other thing you'll need is a heater. You can get a 50W submersible
for pretty cheap on-line (get Ebo-Jager brand).

I've tested the water from my tap the other day (it came out slightly
hard, and 7.4-7.6pH, and there was some ammonia

That's not unusual, mine is the same way. It's not a problem once your
filtration is established.

And I guess if I can maintain plants, I am unsure about the amount of
substrate. [...] I've read 2-3 inches is good for most
plants. (Would that add a lot of weight?) And some seemed to think that
seachem florite, or seachem florite mixed with gravel would suffice, as
the florite provides iron. Hopefully that is correct.

It will add some weight, but not enough to worry about. Figure you're
in for over 100 pounds anyway, just because of the water.

I would go with 100% Flourite, rather than mixing. Especially since a
single bag of Flourite would probably be about ideal for your tank.

There is another new substrate out, called Eco-Complete or something
like that. It's a black sand sort of material (very sharp looking,
IMO) and comes packaged with water - it's supposed to already have a
live bacteria population. It's a new product, so I haven't seen any
reviews yet, but it looks intriguing.

I've heard about retrofit kits, but am concerned about the fire hazard
(saw a photo of a melted eclipse.)

Any decent lighting will get hot, there's no doubt. It's a valid
concern. The problem can be reduced by locating the ballast away from
the tank.

My concern is also if I stop using the hood, finding something
that will work with a bowfront would be hard to find.

Closer to impossible. The Eclipse tanks really have to go with the
supplied hoods.

Good luck!

--
www.ericschreiber.com