20 gal build!

[Morgie]

So today I was at petco getting some airstones and I saw they had a 20g tank that came with EVERYTHING (heater, hood, lights, filter, thermometer, etc. Basically it came with everything but substrate and decor, which I already have) for 50$ flat. I knew I was going to need another tank eventually for my glass catfish and I couldn't pass up on this deal.
It'll be a while before it's cycled and ready for fish, but that'll give me time to plan out what I'm going to stock it with.
I'm pretty sure for substrate I'll be using pool filter sand..

So, what are your suggestions for fish to go with my cats?
I only have two right now, but I'm planning on building their school up to at least 4 or 5. They're mid level swimmers, and love to hide, so I'm really interested in some bottom or top swimmers. Not sure how heavily I'll plant the tank, but it will definitely be lightly planted.

And since I'll have a very interesting schooling fish already, I'm fine with suggestions of fish that can be kept solo or in pairs.

-Morgan

 

[arangarajan93]

Hi morgan.

Get a pleco to clear up the algae growth. And for the top get some brilliant rasboras. They are nice. But make sure that the hood is closed well. Because they are high jumpers. I had two of them. One jumped on the first day itself and died. And i am figuring out where that is. This happened 3 weeks back.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Following

 

[James_in_MN]

So today I was at petco getting some airstones and I saw they had a 20g tank that came with EVERYTHING (heater, hood, lights, filter, thermometer, etc. Basically it came with everything but substrate and decor, which I already have) for 50$ flat. I knew I was going to need another tank eventually for my glass catfish and I couldn't pass up on this deal.

I assume this is the Aqueon kit? I bought the 10g kit myself.

You may have to be careful of the filter that comes in that kit. I only bought mine because the filter in it was actually good for up to a 20g tank, and taking 50-65% of what the manufacturer says still works out for a 10g. All of the other Aqueon kits come with filters that may not, in my opinion, work for the tank they're with. If I remember the 20g kit correctly, it has a Aqueon QuietFlow 20 in it, which claims to be for up to a 30g tank, and may not be sufficient for a 20g tank (50-65% would be 15-19.5g).

One other thing to be wary of is the lighting. The 10g kit comes with a deluxe hood with a 15w bulb, which should work out for low light plants in that size of tank. The problem is, the 20g kit also comes with a 15w light, which for a 20g tank is probably not sufficient enough light for a planted tank, even low light plants. I tried an Aqueon deluxe hood on my 20g high, and almost killed all of the plants because of it.

I'd consider vetting all that comes with that kit on these boards before purchasing it.

 

[Morgie]

Hi morgan.

Get a pleco to clear up the algae growth. And for the top get some brilliant rasboras. They are nice. But make sure that the hood is closed well. Because they are high jumpers. I had two of them. One jumped on the first day itself and died. And i am figuring out where that is. This happened 3 weeks back.

I actually wasn't planning on getting a pleco, maybe a few mystery snails. If I do get a pleco it'll be a rubber lip or bristle nose, since they don't get 12+ inches long haha. I actually like those rasboras, I'll put them on my "considering" list.

And oh gosh I've had some horror stories with jumpers before. One of my first ACFs escaped and we couldn't find it for weeks. Eventually found it (dead) in the kitchen behind the garbage can, which is on the opposite side of my house. Those suckers are crazyyy

 

[Morgie]

I assume this is the Aqueon kit? I bought the 10g kit myself.

I'm actually not sure what type of kit it was.. It's currently in the back of my mom's van since it was pouring rain last night and we didn't want to get soaked hauling that thing in. I checked the filter and wattage of the light (which I can't remember off the top of my head, of course) and I remember them being appropriate for low-light plants. I believe it was a tetra whisper 30l filter? But I could be wrong. If the filter wasn't sufficient I have some bubblers at my house that I can use to up the water movement and oxygenation. Regardless I think it was a pretty fab deal. The hood alone would have cost about 40$, and the filter would have been about the same price.

I'll update the specifics as soon as my mom gets home from work and I move the kit indoors.

 

[Morgie]

I checked my kit and it is an Aqueon. I haven't checked the exact parameters of the light and filter, but according the outside box they should be dine for "encouraging the growth of plants". We'll see if that actually happens.
I've been looking into kuhlie loaches... How do you guys think they would fair with a school of 5 glass catfish and maybe one other solo species?
I love the striped yellow ones but have only found the black ones in stores lately. :< I'd love to hear from someone with experience in keeping them. So far all I've read is that they prefer to be kept in groups of 4+ and burrow into sand and fine gravel.