Forgive me for coming across a bit thick, but I've read through loads of posts here and I just don't know what best for me.

I want to put some live plants in my 10UK gallon glass tank (for those who know me, it's Prowler's tank). It doesn't matter what look I want at the moment because I can't seem to find any plants that will live in my pH 8 tank. Another problem is the temperature. My tanks' temperatures range from 23-27C (73-80F) depending on the weather. I need to find 3 or 4 different types that will work with both my pH and temperature. I want a bit of variety in the tank so 1 or 2 different plants simply won't do. I eventually want an award for this tank so that gives you some idea of the level of detail I'm after.

If someone can point me in the direction of some plants that will work with my pH and are available in the UK (preferably to order online) I would be eternally grateful.

I think Prowler would absolutely love a planted tank but I'm also worried that he'll eat everything and get sick. I know from experience that if you feed too much, the fish get's sick and the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate reading rise. It seems such a delicate balance is needed and it's all too much for my brain to handle..

I won't be starting the project for probably a couple of months so there's no big rush. I want to price everything up and plan it out on paper before I start messing with the tank. Once I've got everything planned out, I'll buy what I need, put Prowler in with Charger for a few hours and do it all in one go.

Also, I want to take out the black gravel and get some lighter substrate, like in Kingyo's 15gallon Betta tank:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=54383
I don't want the really light stuff, so this is just perfect but I can't find it anywhere over here.

Roughly how much do you guys reckon it would cost to plant a 10 gallon with 10 or so plants? What would I need to keep the plants alive that would fall into the category of daily/weekly/monthly maintenance?
How would it all affect the fish?

I have water with approx. the same ph as yours, and I have had good success with hygrophila polysperma, java fern, java moss, vallisneria, cryptocorne wendtii and nymphaea lotus.

I started with a lot of other plants in my 66 gallon tank. Over the last 2 years I haven't added any new plants, and these are the ones that have thrived. Others have died off over the years. I am planning on doing an overhaul on my tank, and taking out some of the plants that are taking over.

I don't have CO2 on this tank, but I do use Excel and Flourish fertilizer. I have approx. 2.75 watts per gallon.

What sort of lighting do you have? That will play a huge part in what type of plants you can grow.

Thanks for the reply.

I've got a fluorescent tube built into the lid. I'm not sure exactly what strength it is but it looks like a 10 watt, maybe an 8 watt at the least. I could always add some smaller lights around the outside of the tank if necessary. It'd give me an excuse to get creative and I could slip a few coloured ones into the mix...

With low light, you should start with java fern, java moss and cryptocornes. They can grow with low light. There are a few others, such as anubias that also can grow with low light.

Thanks. I think what I'll do is just get one of each next time I get paid, or in the new year, and see which ones thrive. It'll give me an excuse to redecorate the tank too I want some rocks but I have absolutely no idea where to get them...

The larger fish stores sell rocks

The only problem is there isn't one anywhere near me. I was hoping to find some for sale on ebay but no such luck. There's a shop down the road from me but it's just a small one and most of their stuff is pretty expensive. The hunt continues...

I was just reading through some older posts and came across a question that's been on my mind since I decided I wanted a planted tank, but it didn't really have much of an answer so I thought I'd ask in here.

When I put my plants in, I know for a fact that my greedy little guys will eat them, and I know that I'll be forever replacing them. This isn't the problem, however. Is all this excessive eating bad for the fish? All my fish do most of the time is root around for food, so having plants in the tanks will make it much easier for them to be overfed. Reducing the normal feeds seems to be the logical step to take, but the food I give them is where they get all of their nutrients, so this could also be a bad thing..

I want to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing, before I do it. I don't like all this trial & error stuff when it comes to feeding & health, so I would be grateful if someone could help me work this out before I start my project, which won't be for a couple of months but if I don't ask now I'll end up forgetting. My fish have been through a hell of a lot due to my lack of experience in the earlier months, and I want to give them the best care possible, so I have to work everything out before I make a start. Thanks in advance...