completely intimidated! Many newbie questions...

[Elle2]

Hi,

Today I got a 20 gallon tank and was so excited to get it up and going and now I am thinking of running back to the store for a refund! Well no, I am still excited but this is so much more complex than I thought. years ago I had a ten gallon and honestly, the thing pratcially ran itself. Aside from changing the charcol and fibre in the filter I did nothing to it and it was a very full community tank. Then I got a 5 gallon for some of the guppy babies that the big tank produced and it was a mess.... I am beginning to see why but sure wish I knew what is right with the first one.

sorry for the babbling.

So that I don't annoy the forum with too many questions I thought I would try to ask a few at once here and take the advice of one of the sticky posts and ask for some thoughts on fish varieties.

Firstly, I am looking for a relatively low maintenance ecosystem- so I guess that means hardy species?

I am interested in smallish catfish, neon or cardinal tetras, Platys, Swordtails, maybe zebra danios and Angels? Anything colouful?

Any thoughts on Dwarf frogs?

How many fish can I squeeze into 20 g?

Lastly, I have read conflicting things on gravel colour- some say it matters others not?

Sorry for the long post... I will go try to find out what cycling means now.

Thanks,

Elle

 

[Fishyfanatic]

By small catfish, do you mean Cory cats or actual catfish?

Is your tank a regular 20 gal or a 20 L? When working with community fish, the general "guideline" is 1 inch per gal. That is the adult size, not the current size. But if you properly proportion the levels in the tank, you should be able to push that. But do it slowly. If you have a 20L you have more options than a standard 20.

IMO gravel color does not matter. It's all personal preference. I use tan pool filter sand mixed with black Estes sand. It gives a nice natural peppered look.

Post away, that's what the board is for.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Congrats on the new tank! You'll be addicted soon.

Corydora catfish are a great bottow dwelling fish that add lots of personality to a tank. They are hardy and come in many varieties. With neon or cardinal tetras, the key is to get the from a reputable place, and after they have had them in their tanks for a while. Neons/cardinals stress out easily, and some people don't have much luck with them. Pick them carefully from the start however, and you'll be fine.

Platies, swordtails, mollies, etc. will all breed easily, if that is something you are into. They can add lots of color to a tank as well. Zebra danios are best kept in a school and are peacful. In a 20 gallon, angelfish may be out of the question with other fish. If you opt for angels, you may be able to get 2 maximum, and maybe 2-3 mollies/platies and that's about it. If you get angels, don't get neons. They'll become angel food.

Dwarf frogs are great. Again, add in lots of personality.

The amount of fish you can get in your tank depends on the fish you get.

Gravel color, IMHO, is for your personal taste. You have to look at the tank. Some colors stand out more in lighter/darker gravel.

Welcome to AA.

 

[Elle2]

Thanks! I Think it is just a regular 20 g.

Hmmm... I don't know what a cory catfish is. I Think I meant smallish plecostomus. I think I just want something that will help clean.

Is sand more difficult to clean?

 

[SerLunchbox]

Hi Elle and welcome!

I have to agree with the others on the frogs, they are a great addition and fairly low maintenance.

As for catfish i would definately go with Corydoras species. They are always fun to watch in larger schools of fish.

If you want something that will be full of color for mid to top of the tank then i would go with swordtails or platies or any of the other species forementions. As for angels, i would hold off on getting those for some time until your tank becomes more mature. It has been my experience that angels do a lot better with more mature tanks.

You could also do Cardinal tetras as they are a little larger then neon tetras and i think that they have better and more cold coloration. There are lots of options available to you. Look around at photos and see what you like.

 

[Elle2]

Do frogs usually get along with most fish?

How many fish constitue a school?

I have noticed that sailfin mollies look nice- are they fussy?

 

[fearlessfisch]

dwarf frogs will fare best in a longer, shallower 20 gallon tank, rather than the taller, deeper kind. i accidentally drowned two of them a while back by putting them in a 55 gallon. they could not get to the top easily enough to breathe, and i didn't notice until it was too late. i still feel guilty about that.

also, i could be wrong (given that my experience with frogs is so short and tragic), but i believe that they are very sensitive to water conditions. you will want to make sure that your tank is fully cycled and stable before adding them.

 

[SerLunchbox]

Sailfin Mollies are a nice addition ... big and bold of coloration. They can get a little agressive, like any other fish, when they are about to give birth to their fry but that is about it. A school/shoal of fish can be anything 3 fish and over in my opinion. I personally like to keep a school a minimum of 6 and prefer up to and above 12 fish.

Frogs will get along with most fish as i have actually kept them with more agressive species and they did just fine (some species that i had were botia modesta, angelfish, rams and clown loaches.)

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! Post away and ask all the questions you want. We've all been there.

For bottom feeders, cories and otos are great. I have had ADF's and they are easy to care for, you have to target feed them though as they are slow to find food. I used a turkey baster and fed blood worms to them right in front of them. The do prefer a shorter tank and make sure it is well covered! They are escape artists!

Any of the above suggestions for stocking are good IMO. All livebearer's are easy to breed and you very may well find that you have more than enough babies.

Links to fishless cycling and the nitrogen cycle.... Fishless cycling . You can use pure ammonia for this instead of shrimp if you prefer.

Nitrogen cycle.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

As for cleaners, instead of a pleco, you could do a few cory cats to do the cleanup for you, and also a couple oto cats for the algae. They stay real small as well, and do better in groups as the cories do. So for the oto's, I'd do a minimum of 2.

 

[Elle2]

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to try to start my set-up today and go fish 'looking'- so I will probably be back with many questions.

Thanks again!

 

[7Enigma]

Elle2,

Here's a pic of my cory's. They are great little fish, and I highly recommend them.

 

[SerLunchbox]

i was thinking that you could do something like a bulldog pleco or even as forementioned cories and otocinclus catfish. I personally am a fan of albine BN plecos.

 

[Elle2]

ooo... I really like all these suggestions and those are cute little fish. How many cories, otocinclus catfish (I really like the zebra ones) and plecos can I have?

I am actually a little confused as to the major differences b/w them. Do Chinese Algae eaters fall into any of these categories? I have heard that these, or the sort of 'generic' algae eaters that you see at the pet stores, can become quite agressive.

Thoughts?

I can see how addictive this can become.. instead of working I find myself doing ALOT of fish surfing!

 

[DepotFish]

A thought on the frogs- make sure you get dwarf frogs. Many stores in my area sell clawed frogs as dwarfs. They look the same when young, but clawed frogs can get softball sized or bigger. Here's a good site http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/clawedordwarf.html

 

[Zagz]

I have 2 albino clawed frogs that are quite large and definately are not housed with any other fish. They can easily kill most community fish. ADF's on the other hand are peaceful and won't harm other fish.