New 20 gallon Suggestions for Newbie

[seabunny]

Hello!

I am brand new to aquariums and am in my researching phase currently. I was hoping I could state my current plan, and get feedback from folks who know better!

I intend on buying a 20 g Marineland aquarium kit (includes heater and Penguin 150 filter). I think I will do a fishless cycle, but am wondering if fishless or with fish is better?

I am thinking of stocking with 6 lemon tetra, 6 julii corydoras, and 1? 2? German blue rams OR Bolivian ram OR golden rams OR dwarf gourami. According to aqadvisor.com, this would leave me at 90% stocked or so. Suggestions? Is this okay? Is there something that would be better?

I'm thinking I will do a sand substrate for the corys - is this a good idea? I don't feel ready to attempt live plants yet, so plan to get fake... are plastic or silk better or worse for any reason?

Thank you in advance for all help and suggestions! ^__^

 

[TMaier]

I recommend quartz sand. No silica to deal with and cleaner than standard play sands to start out with.

Real plants are great they help with nitrate consumption. Java fern and Anubias are good they should not be buried. So you attach them to rocks or wood and can rearrange as you tank evolves.

I recommend fishless cycles. Fish in can be stressful.


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[YamahaR1]

Rams like a population of 3+. They are amazing fish, but they are very sensitive. They might be difficult for you to keep alive. They have short life spans at well, something like 2 years. I can only keep these in primary tanks that get my full attention. With their cost ($14 each around my parts ...) might not be ideal to start with

Outside of that, in a 20g tank you;d be looking at ~5 rams, maybe a couple tetra fish and not much else. Overstocking a 20g is too easy and with a high pop expect eco crashes.

IMO, run fishless cycle. Seeing fish suffer and die is demotivating and frustrating.

 

[Brookster123]

Rams like a population of 3+. They are amazing fish, but they are very sensitive. They might be difficult for you to keep alive. They have short life spans at well, something like 2 years. I can only keep these in primary tanks that get my full attention. With their cost ($14 each around my parts ...) might not be ideal to start with

Outside of that, in a 20g tank you;d be looking at ~5 rams, maybe a couple tetra fish and not much else. Overstocking a 20g is too easy and with a high pop expect eco crashes.

IMO, run fishless cycle. Seeing fish suffer and die is demotivating and frustrating.

Where in the world wide Web did you grab that piece of info? You are wrong in that... tetras like 5+ and rams like m/f pairs... no more no less..

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[YamahaR1]

Which specific part? I keep GBRs. If your implying I googled it quick just to make some forum post... well... whatevs

 

[Barliman]

Hello!

Howdy, and welcome to AqAd!

Good on you for doing your research first: you'll have a much more enjoyable experience for it. Since it's your first tank, here's what I recommend:

Always remember patience is your best friend. Mistakes most often happen when you rush.

With that in mind, go with a fishless cycle; it's much less stressful on the fish, though it will take longer. However, you'll also get a useful education in aquarium water chemistry.

Nothing wrong with artificial plants. I think the silk ones look best. That said, consider getting at least some real plants, because they'll help filter your water. Attractive, easy to keep plants include java fern (one of my favorites) and java moss.

For stocking, good choice on the lemon tetras: they're very pretty when kept right. Consider upping your school to 8-9. They'll be happier and you'll see more interesting behavior.

(One note: AqAdvisor is a good site, but remember those numbers are very approximate. A reasonable guess, not an exact prescription.)

I'm a little concerned that juliis, which can hit a max of 2.5 inches, will be a bit much for that tank in a school of six. You're right to want that many (corys are happier in groups, too), but you might want to consider a smaller species, such as the panda. On the other hand, if you're diligent with your water changes, you could make six juliis work, too.

For centerpiece fish, rams are beautiful (I adore German rams.), but I wouldn't recommend them to a beginning keeper. They can be too delicate, as someone else mentioned. (I think they also want higher temps --80+-- than your other fish will like.) And I'd be concerned of them coming into a conflict with the bottom-feeding cories, should the rams start to breed. They can be territorial when defending young.

Instead I'd suggest going with a single male dwarf gourami: attractive, reasonably peaceful (with exceptions), and a good contrast to the others.

Be sure to get a good test kit: most, including myself, favor the API liquid master kits, but the Tetra test strips are fine, too.

Good luck with this, and don't stop asking questions. We're here to help.

PS: This site has a good article on getting started here.

 

[seabunny]

Thank you all so much for the advice!! I am going to look into the Java fern for sure, and scrap the ram idea for this tank.

Thank you, Barliman, for the stocking advice! What are your thoughts on diamond tetra, instead of lemon tetra? I kind of thought I would do either lemon tetras with German blue rams and Julii corys, OR diamond tetras with dwarf gourami and panda corys. So if dwarf gourami and panda corys are recommended, I would like to find a shoaling fish that kind of goes with a more white/black/blue-ish colour scheme.

I hate to be shallow and have a focus on colour, but with so many different colour options, I figured I have the flexibility to do so! I know the corys will be the most bland in colour, with the center piece fish the most brilliant in colour - I'd like my tetras to be somewhere in the middle!

 

[chelsi.reber]

Don't add to many fish at one time. It throws the water level off and can kill your fish. When I fisrt started with my 15gal wide I added 10 neon tettras, 5 black skirted tettras, 5 dwarf frog, 2 sucker fish, and 3 snails. Yep everything died except 3 black skirted tettras. Later i added gouramis, they died too. Start slow and work your way up. Good rule is 1gal per 1" of fish. If you have a 3 inch fish that fish requires 3 gal of water minimum. I hope this helps. Good luck with your tank. Show us some pictures when you get it going. Happy fish tanking.

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[Barliman]

Thank you, Barliman, for the stocking advice! What are your thoughts on diamond tetra, instead of lemon tetra? I kind of thought I would do either lemon tetras with German blue rams and Julii corys, OR diamond tetras with dwarf gourami and panda corys.

Sounds fine to me. Diamonds are a lovely tetra. And never feel bad about considering how the fish would look together: Everything else being equal, we do this for our enjoyment, and we all want fish pleasing to the eye. This is supposed to be fun.

 

[Ashenwelt]

Welcome to the site and Aquaria!

So a couple things.

1. I always believe in two filters... But they both don't have to be equal. It just helps when one dies.

2. Make sure you cycle you tank or have a cycle plan. Don't use rams for a fish in cycle, they will probably die. Wait a month after cycling would be my recommendation.

3. I would always get some real plants.

4. For rams, make some good hiding spots with no line of site .

5. Honestly I like the fish mix.

Good luck!

 

[seabunny]

Thank you, all, for the advice!

I will definitely look into a second filter - will I need both to be running simultaneously? (I assume so, in case one dies) If I have two filters running, does that mean I can add more stock to my tank, or not so much?

I am thinking I will go with 1 dwarf gourami, 6 panda cory, and 8 harlequin rasbora... I don't think my LFS will be getting in any more diamond tetra, and I think harlequin rasbora will be an awesome compliment to the gourami colour and panda markings. Does this sound okay?

Would it be advisable to put in the 8 rasboras together when the tank is all good to go? Then wait a week or two, then add the 6 corydoras? Another week or two, and put in the gourami?