Help me Stock a 20 Long

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emerald76

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I have a 20 long, thin layer of Flourite (?) gravel with driftwood and two powerful filters (capacity about 4 times tank volume). I need to stock it and will be switching it out with my other tank this Saturday if my parents can help me lift the other one and get it outside. I am putting in used filter material to precycle. I have six or so guppies going in for sure, but not sure what else! I love cories, otos, and schooling fish but really want a good centerpiece. The driftwood is piled in the middle of the tank and clear space all around as it is currently arranged. Please help! I don't want live bearers besides the guppies and MAYBE a single platy. Nothing too exotic as I just have a Petsmart, Petco, and small lfs with limited choices. Thanks so much!
 
Sounds like you have a good plan. Couple things..... Stock slowly & use a liquid test kit to monitor your levels. You need to let the BB have a chance to catch up every time you add fish . Platys, Cories & even Oto s like to be in groups. If you get those fish plus the guppies I d think you d be pretty maxed on fish for your tank size so not sure you d want to add a center peice fish as well. Best of luck... Post pics :)


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Well I wasn't sure on those fish, but the guppies are non negotiable. Anything you could specifically recommend? I really would like to get out of the box and if anyone could give some ideas that'd be great! They don't have to include anything but the guppies and I could get the guppies down to three if necessary. Thanks!
 
a dwarf gourami would make a nice centerpiece but honestly i have never kept them and do not know if they would be a match with your guppies. they would likely eat fry but i am not sure if they would bother the adults. worth researching.


i would make the switch and let the tank settle a while before adding the new fish. check the parameters and make sure everything looks good before you add new fish, then do it slowly. i thiiiiiink your guppies, maybe 5 corys, and a single dwarf gourami would work, but i would look into that further. what sort of sustrate are you using? is it smooth gravel or are there sharp edges?
 
a dwarf gourami would make a nice centerpiece but honestly i have never kept them and do not know if they would be a match with your guppies. they would likely eat fry but i am not sure if they would bother the adults. worth researching.


i would make the switch and let the tank settle a while before adding the new fish. check the parameters and make sure everything looks good before you add new fish, then do it slowly. i thiiiiiink your guppies, maybe 5 corys, and a single dwarf gourami would work, but i would look into that further. what sort of sustrate are you using? is it smooth gravel or are there sharp edges?


I don't care if they eat fry, and I do like gourami. However, I must do a fish in cycle with the gups as I cannot keep two tanks at once. The substrate is rough but I maybe can get some sand for on top, however it packs down well and stays pretty flat but I don't love the color, might choose smooth river pebbles instead.
 
the sand will eventually settle down under the gravel. i assumed the tank with the guppies is cycled now?? how long has it been running? you can take the entire filter from the cycled tank and put it right on to the new tank....you may see a mini cycle but should not be a huge deal...just watch the parameters and keep up with water changes. i would wait for everything to settle down before you add any new fish. also, will your local fish store give you a bag of bacteria from one of their established tanks?

if your current substrate has sharp edges, it may be a problem with corys, as they have a tendency to root around....their barbels can get damaged. fine sand is ideal. if you simply add sand to the gravel it will settle to the bottom and you will still have the gravel on top.
 
The tank has been running for three years and yes I can switch the filters. The gravel I currently have is just typical colored gravel and the cories I had did fine on it plus this stuff is finer and shouldn't be quite as rough. I'll try to find sand but it's expensive around here.
 
Hmm, problem. I set up this tank, filled it, then it looked too big. I grabbed the wrong tank from my basement! It's a 33 long! So I guess I can reconsider my stocking, since I spent four hours doing this I am absolutely not taking it down.
 
33 longs are awesome I have 1 running my self. Love it.

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Yeah except parents aren't happy and I don't want the dresser to break!


Emerald76
 
Ok went on aq advisor and picked this for stocking-
ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1411864178.498339.jpg
It says I have plenty of filtering. Currently I have two filters for 100 gal each on so id say so!


Emerald76
 
Alright les fishe are in the tank! Can't see them too well, hoping for a better view tom. They are swimming well and coloration has improved, no cause for concern! Crossing my fingers for 17 swimming fish tom. as opposed to 17 floating fish. They are playing in the filter outwash and seem happy. Males are flaring their fins and swimming well in the very strong current. Females are dashing around and chasing each other. They are sticking together but they can see the tank about as well as me so I understand their reluctance to move to the inside!
 
Thanks! I'm trying to get to a store where I can pick up some plants because the males are really bothering the females and they don't seem to realize they can swim down into the plants. Maybe I'll get another girl to distract them.


Emerald76
 
Yeah I was literally just in Petsmart to grab some but had to leave. They had the most gorgeous pair of GBR, and a gold veil angel CHEAP! If only.... ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1411924873.113511.jpgImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1411924897.570226.jpg
It's pretty hot here and I have to go to a soccer game, didn't want to take them with me! Also I don't think I have enough plant cover, I will keep the filters going and add some more bio material maybe they will still be there tom. The ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are 0, 0, and 10 so if it doesn't spike I think I'll be okay- they are all very small. Eek though! Has anyone seen GBR looking that nice at a Petsmart?!? The employee seemed relatively knowledgeable and the tanks were way cleaner than I've ever seen before.


Emerald76
 
Okay I am REALLY tempted to go get them. They've been at the shop for a week so I think they should be pretty hardy since they are in with some pretty messy, nippy fish and look healthy if a touch stressed. It's a male- female pair and I would really love rams! They seem bonded too so.... Input?


Emerald76
 
Can't help with the GBRs but I'm a bit cautious when purchasing from the big box stores. Last purchase brought Ich into the display tank. I promised myself that I would QT any new arrivals or hold off buying anything (fish wise). Well, next month will mark 2 YEARS since I bought any fish. Yeah, maybe too cautious.
15 hours ago you were crossing your fingers as to whether or not your fish would last the night. I would really wait for things to stabilize first IMHO. If they get nice GBRs this time, they should be able to get more in the future.


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