My 20G Planted Tank

[callisto9]

I like your tank alot, especially the way you have the branch hanging down like you'd see many times in nature. Nice job!

Thank you! It's manzanita.

Don't know if anyone has said this yet, but getting some Flame Moss on that branch would be awesome. Even regular Java Moss would look tremendous. You have a great start and I look forward to what you do with this!

How do people tie that stuff down? I'm going to attach the two floating anubias to it this week.

Your tanks coming together more and more. Where'd you get that amazing piece of wood?! None of the shops within an hour around me sell it. The stones, blue background, plants and wood make a strikingly natural scene.

Thank you! I like it much better this week than last. It's been a pain in the butt of an experience.

That wood came from eBay. Not cheap, but this seller has such COOL WOOD:
sea77777779 | eBay

I don't know why it's so expensive though. When I think about paying nearly $40 shipped for a piece of wood, well...

 

[callisto9]

Don't know if anyone has said this yet, but getting some Flame Moss on that branch would be awesome. Even regular Java Moss would look tremendous. You have a great start and I look forward to what you do with this!

I just went and looked at flame moss. NICE stuff.

 

[Ryleyman]

Your tank looks sick bro nice work!!!

 

[callisto9]

Your tank looks sick bro nice work!!!

I'm a chic, but thank you.

More pics in a moment here...

 

[Ryleyman]

I'm a chic, but thank you.

More pics in a moment here...

Oh sorry if I offended you and your tank is looking pretty sick I just use old stuff I found to make my tanks my mom used to have fish so I use old decor old filters and old heaters I've got one new tank it's a 36 gallon bowl front with African cichlids with I breed :~)

 

[callisto9]

Oh sorry if I offended you and your tank is looking pretty sick I just use old stuff I found to make my tanks my mom used to have fish so I use old decor old filters and old heaters I've got one new tank it's a 36 gallon bowl front with African cichlids with I breed :~)

Oh, there's no way I'm offended.

 

[Ryleyman]

Oh, there's no way I'm offended.

Oh ok well sorry any way :Facepalm:

 

[callisto9]

No worries!

6 (out of 20-ish gallon) water change tonight (nitrites were high).

My stupid guppies in my 6G tank (which will become my quarantine tank) swam into my filter, AGAIN. This time they both got in there. I only knew it happened because I heard it as I was in the kitchen. LOL they are such annoying fish!

Fish photo bomb!

And more snail pics...lame, I know. I love them. Don't judge me!

I WILL PUSH THIS MOSS BALL!

One of the snails I got from hcourts:

 

[Ryleyman]

No worries!

6 (out of 20-ish gallon) water change tonight (nitrites were high).

My stupid guppies in my 6G tank (which will become my quarantine tank) swam into my filter, AGAIN. This time they both got in there. I only knew it happened because I heard it as I was in the kitchen. LOL they are such annoying fish!

Fish photo bomb!

And more snail pics...lame, I know. I love them. Don't judge me!

I WILL PUSH THIS MOSS BALL!

One of the snails I got from hcourts:

Lol nice

 

[CorallineAlgae]

And more snail pics...lame, I know. I love them. Don't judge me!

I WILL PUSH THIS MOSS BALL!

I actually named my two nerite snails so you're not alone on the snail fan bandwagon. They rock! You tank great photos by the way.

 

[callisto9]

I actually named my two nerite snails so you're not alone on the snail fan bandwagon. They rock! You tank great photos by the way.

Thank you!

Some pics from the last few days:

Side view of the tank:

Magenta apple snail:

Same snail, different angle:

Moved over one guppy (out of two). He's stressed

Pink ramshorn:

One of my seven glowlight tetras:

Some new plants and my apple snail:

Glowlight tetra and 3rd apple snail:

Full tank shot:

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I don't know what's worse, my plant envy, snail envy, or aquascaping envy. Maybe it's camera envy! Please don't take this wrong but that has to be the most femininely beautiful tank I've ever seen. It exudes feminine esthetics in the BEST way. Stunning.

 

[callisto9]

I don't know what's worse, my plant envy, snail envy, or aquascaping envy. Maybe it's camera envy! Please don't take this wrong but that has to be the most femininely beautiful tank I've ever seen. It exudes feminine esthetics in the BEST way. Stunning.

Ha! You are too kind! Most everything I do, including 'scaping myself, is not known for being overly feminine, so your comment intrigues me!

Seriously, I'm almost blushing over here!

Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to hear.

 

[callisto9]

Oh, and here's a video from today:

My 20G Aquarium w/ glowlight tetras, guppies and snails - YouTube

 

[callisto9]

I can probably add a few more fish, and I've been researching and researching, but I'm wondering what people think might be a good addition to finish off the tank? I really, really, really like dwarf gouramis, and gouramis in general, but 1) I know they are prone to dwarf gourami disease and 2) AqAdvisor keeps telling me that "Warning: When Sparkling Gourami starts to breed, they may become too aggressive to co-exist with Glowlight Tetra."

At this point, I'm about 62% stocked. I don't want to get to 100%, but I'd like to add one more species of fish, or two singles. Something to diversify the tank.

Any ideas?

I can tell you I don't care for: corys, platys, plecos.

I know my LFS has honey gouramis. I am wondering if I could do one of those. I also like the sparkling gouramis and the turquoise danio.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Botanica]

If you only have one of the sparkling gourami it won't be breeding to get nasty. However...I have 3 honey gourami in my community and a dwarf and everyone is happy. I know what you mean about the disease tho...we have lost more than I can count over time.

 

[callisto9]

See, that's what worries me. There's thread after thread here about sick gouramis. I'm going to ask my guy at the LFS and see what he thinks.

 

[Botanica]

See, that's what worries me. There's thread after thread here about sick gouramis. I'm going to ask my guy at the LFS and see what he thinks.

I think one of the main issues is to watch them carefully at first...try to stress them as little as possible on the trip home...and have super clean water. The slightest slip in the water quality and that could be the difference. I've never had any other fish get sick from the gourami...but my brothers tank has several...and it was quite the battle to make sure they were all well. My husbands dwarf that we have now has never shown any sign of illness from day one...but he lost a flame dwarf and two powder blues first. The powder blues seem weak to me for some reason...but the flame got gourami disease. I spotted it early and moved him to the hospital tank...but he just deteriorated. I have saved one before...I'm my brothers tank...with lots of meds and the loss of all the bb in the hospital tank...but he still lives a happy fishy life. I'm pretty proud of him...lol. I guess it just depends on how much you really want one. My husband wanted it bad enough to stay with it to get a healthy one. It helped that we went to Petsmart...they have that 2 week guarantee. All ours were lost within the first two weeks.
Honey gourami stay small and you could have at least 2-3 and I've never heard of them being too diseased. They weren't my favorite at first...but have really grown on me. They are great cleaners and always poking around the plants and rocks cleaning up. They also come up and tickle my arm while I'm in the tank...all up and down my arm! Fearless for such little fish! Anyway.....lol...sorry for going on and on...I look forward to seeing what you decide to do.

 

[Botanica]

See, that's what worries me. There's thread after thread here about sick gouramis. I'm going to ask my guy at the LFS and see what he thinks.

Oh yeah...also...ask your local fish store if they maybe use a local source for their dwarf gourami. I've read that it's really the ones bread at the large fish farms that have the issue with disease...but my dwarfs have always come from Petsmart so I can't say for sure. My small local shops (I have 6 within a 5 mile radius) done have the dwarfs...so I would guess I don't have a local source in our area...(or they just let Petsmart sell those). Anyway...asking about the source just another idea. .

 

[CorallineAlgae]

A friend has a pair of dwarf threadfin rainbows in a 29 and he loves them. I'm not sure about keeping them in a 20 but they're definitely worth looking up. Heck, I may look into them for my 20.