Can I grow a carpet with high lighting and no pressurized co2?

I finished moving early this week, and when I was organizing all my aquarium equipment I realized that I (maybe) have all thats neccessary for me to set a planted aquarium.

But there are a few "problems", the spare tank that I have is a 10 gallon and my spare light fixture is made for a bigger tank (its made for medium light plants, but since the 10 gallon isnt as tall I assume that it would be the equivalent of a high light fixture)

I want to grow a carpet but in the only thing I can think is that the light is going to be to high and that if I dont supply pressurized c02 I'll have more algae than water.

I dont have to money for a pressurized co2 system and dont want to mess with a DIY set up

Can I prevent/control algae with Excel and low hours of light?
If you think I can pull this off, what carpeting plant would you recommend?

P.D.: Im planning on using Fluval Stratum. I want a small school of tetras (maybe 6 neon tetras) and a few neocaridinia shrimp

 

staurogynes repens and marsilea crenata are excellent options for no CO2 and will carpet easily with good lighting. Pretty much any species of eleocharis is good for that too. If it wasn't so late and I wasn't so tired I would have posted a full list for you.. I've been reading about industrial capitalism for the past few hours and my brain is pretty much a pile of steamed cabbage at this point

 

It’ll take a while longer to get a carpet without added co2 but definitely possible. I have Dwarf Hairgrass in my 10 gallon tank. Only 6 months in and it’s super dense. Similar setup, moderate to high lighting (cheap china light) and no CO2. I would definitely advise dirting the tank though. If you wan’t a low tech carpet, dirt is the way to go.

 

It’ll take a while longer to get a carpet without added co2 but definitely possible. I have Dwarf Hairgrass in my 10 gallon tank. Only 6 months in and it’s super dense. Similar setup, moderate to high lighting (cheap china light) and no CO2. I would definitely advise dirting the tank though. If you wan’t a low tech carpet, dirt is the way to go.

You prefer dirt over Stratum? Why?
I know dirt is cheaper and has some advantages but I don't think is worth the mess it makes
I've had dirted tanks and they were a pain to clean
But maybe you can convinced me to use dirt

staurogynes repens and marsilea crenata are excellent options for no CO2 and will carpet easily with good lighting. Pretty much any species of eleocharis is good for that too. If it wasn't so late and I wasn't so tired I would have posted a full list for you.. I've been reading about industrial capitalism for the past few hours and my brain is pretty much a pile of steamed cabbage at this point

How would you prevent algae?

 

You prefer dirt over Stratum? Why?
I know dirt is cheaper and has some advantages but I don't think is worth the mess it makes
I've had dirted tanks and they were a pain to clean
But maybe you can convinced me to use dirt


How would you prevent algae?

From what I’ve heard, beyond being cheaper, dirt generally lasts longer than aquasoils, remaining fertile for several years before it begins to loose its nutrients while Aquasoils have a shorter lifespan, beginning to decline in fertility after about a year or two. I have also heard that soil releases a small amount of CO2 as plants break it down, I’m not sure exactly how valid it is, and whatever CO2 released is probably not very much but that’s something to look into. In my experience I’ve just had better luck with getting growth in soil than other substrates. But I think if you don’t want to deal with the mess of it, stratum will work great. In fact I think it may even be better if you plan on doing a carpet of montecarlo or moss, things with very short roots that don’t penetrate the sand cap and reach the dirt as well. Mostly its just a personal preference, I think both are good options for growing a carpet.

 

^Depends on what dirt though, regular potting soil for example has a limited life just like aquasoil
What is your exact light fixture? It's very possible to grow more demanding plants if you make up for lack of CO2 with light, though you're right that it increases the risk of algae.
In addition to marsilea and eleocharis (dwarf hairgrass), I think micranthemum monte carlo is a great option too. Here's my 3-4 week old bunch of cuttings on fluval stratum, under a Chihiros A-series:


(excuse the AR mini, I left my fertilizer behind when I moved )

This article is on growing carpeting plants without CO2:
How to grow carpet plants without injected CO2
The entire website is a great planted tank resource!