My first 20 gallon freshwater!

[SassyMiss]

I meant a private lfs, not a private chain. .

 

[FishCr8zy]

At a private chain. They are good at carrying stuff petsmart and petco don't.

It was only $6, too!

Wow! Only $6! U can't even get one half the size of that for less money! Petco/petsmart usually doesn't have a wide assortment of plants. Private lfs usually have the rarer fish/plants.

 

[eAts]

Water sprite is a plant that is supposed to suck up nitrates. I planted it today. It's a tall plant so it gives some depth to the tank. I will put in fish in a week or two I guess. I need to make sure the cycle can build up to keep up.

Here's the tank (if I can make this thing upload).

You could also try wisteria it sucks up nitrates also. Also either of those can be floated along with most stem plants that can help growth because they will get the co2 directly from the air. As someone else mentioned I would look into a centerpiece fish such as a blue or Bolivian ram, some type of gourami. Good luck and welcome to the hobby! You may want to get some root tabs for the sword though they are heavy rot feeders. You can look for crypts too their easy and like low light, but need root tabs also. I think petco and petsmart usually carry it though sometimes it's called betta plant.

 

[SassyMiss]

Well, one of the turquoise guppies is dying. Water parameters are good, .25 ammonia, 0nitrates, 20 nitrates, ph 7.6, high ph 7.8. I put some more sand in, and wonder if he got hit by some or if he got under the driftwood, or something. He is not swimming, but lying quietly on the bottom, but sometimes comes up half way, but soon swims for the bottom. He doesn't look sick, and he's eating. I put him in a fish net at the surface, so he could eat and he did but he's lying in the bottom of the net. I put him in the net when I saw that he was surrounded by the cats on the bottom, and they looked like vultures.

I put in more black sand, but used the upside down 20oz bottle method. Take thoroughly rinsed sand, and put it in a plastic 20 oz bottle (mine was rinsed, not washed, and I also rinsed it in some tank water). Then you invert the bottle and gently squeeze out the sand right where you want it. All the sand goes out, but and cloudy water stays in the bottle, which you invert back upright quickly, and dump out. I think I saw it on you tube or possibly here or on another aquarium site. The cats needed a deeper sand bed.

So if he goes, at least he'll be in the net and comfortable, and not gnawed at.

All the other guppies and fish are doing well. No weird behavior, no flashing, no sniping at each other. And like I said, there's no sign of injury, or sickness that I can see - no lesions, spots, or bloating.

 

[SassyMiss]

I say my parameters are good because I just added the cory cats yesterday, and no spiking occurred. I am setting out 20% of a water change overnight, and will change it in the morning. I will check on the guppy later and give him a fare thee well if and when he goes.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I say my parameters are good because I just added the cory cats yesterday, and no spiking occurred. I am setting out 20% of a water change overnight, and will change it in the morning. I will check on the guppy later and give him a fare thee well if and when he goes.

Hopefully he doesn't die. That would be very sad.

 

[SassyMiss]

Yeah me too. He is very pretty. He is still alive, as of a half hour ago. Maybe he just needs to heal a sprained fin.

 

[--Matt--]

My favorite schooling fish and an appropriate sized one for your 20 gallons are Long Fin Zebra Danios. Very high energy swimmers they seem to bring a lot of life to my aquarium. Keeping more than 5 would be ideal as I have found any less and they can become somewhat agressive towards each other.

 

[SassyMiss]

My favorite schooling fish and an appropriate sized one for your 20 gallons are Long Fin Zebra Danios. Very high energy swimmers they seem to bring a lot of life to my aquarium. Keeping more than 5 would be ideal as I have found any less and they can become somewhat agressive towards each other.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will research them and check them out. Do they prefer top, mid or bottom of the tank?

 

[--Matt--]

Mine are all over the tank but mid level to top mainly. feeding is amazing they are voracious eaters.

 

[SassyMiss]

Ok, thoroughly but happily confused. The guppy sea fine now. I gently bobbed the net and he perked up. So I let him out and he's swimming around some. Shrug. Maybe the new sand just wigged his little mind out.

 

[SassyMiss]

Sea=seems

 

[SassyMiss]

Well, sad news. The guppy died last night. I immediately did a 30% water change and every other fish else seems oblivious. Guppy, you were a good fish albeit with a short life.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Well, sad news. The guppy died last night. I immediately did a 30% water change and every other fish else seems oblivious. Guppy, you were a good fish albeit with a short life.

Poor guppy. How many weeks did he live? When did he die?

 

[SassyMiss]

Poor guppy. How many weeks did he live? When did he die?

He died sometime after 1:00am. I found him this morning. They've been in the tank about two weeks or so, I guess. He wasn't discolored or disturbed in anyway, so I suppose he died not long before I found him. He must have gotten hurt by the sand placement, is all I can think of. He went downhill in less than 12 hours.

 

[FishCr8zy]

He died sometime after 1:00am. I found him this morning. They've been in the tank about two weeks or so, I guess. He wasn't discolored or disturbed in anyway, so I suppose he died not long before I found him. He must have gotten hurt by the sand placement, is all I can think of. He went downhill in less than 12 hours.

3-4 weeks life ( fry to adult ). That is a short life. . Are u going to get more guppies or go with another type of fish?

 

[SassyMiss]

3-4 weeks life ( fry to adult ). That is a short life. . Are u going to get more guppies or go with another type of fish?

Well, only the one died, so I think I'm going to wait for a week or two and see how the bioload does. I bought all the guppies as adults, so it could have been bewildering it got it, I suppose.

 

[SassyMiss]

Stupid auto correct on my kindle is insane. The last sentence should be something like, it could have been an old fish when I got it, I suppose.

Ugh.

 

[SassyMiss]

Everything nominal

Took my parameters today. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate. ph 7.6. Did a 20% pwc, and nitrates went down to 5. Whoop. I think my BB are kicking it!

I was worried about the parameters from yesterday night's untimely demise. I feel relieved.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Took my parameters today. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate. ph 7.6. Did a 20% pwc, and nitrates went down to 5. Whoop. I think my BB are kicking it!

I was worried about the parameters from yesterday night's untimely demise. I feel relieved.

Congrats! The nitrates r really getting down . Even the ammonia and nitrites are at 0. When are u going to add fish?