RE-Starting my aquarium, open to ANY suggestions

[LetsGoPens67]

Hello everyone, this is my very first post on these boards!! woohoo! This is going to be a long post, so I will put the actual questions in bold. I will start off by giving you guys/girls the specs on my tank, including fish:

Equipment
20 gallon long tank
Aqua-Tech 10-20 gallon filter
Aqua-Tech 20 gallon heater

Accessories
Pirate Treasure Chest Bubbler (in the center of the aquarium)
1 piece of driftwood about 7 inches long/6 inches high (on the left side of the aquarium
1 piece of fake driftwood about 7 inches long which is hollowed out so fish can swim through it (also on the left side of the aquarium behind the other piece of driftwood)
1 plant about 6 inches high (left side, in front of the pieces of driftwood)
1 Pirate ship about 1 foot long (right side)
Plastic 'caves and cliffs' which is suction-cupped to the glass about 4 inches high/5 inches long (also on the right side behind the pirate ship)

Fish
3 Angelfish (2 of them always hang out together and attack the other I don't know if someone can explain this?)
2 Gold Tetras
2 Cherry Barbs
2 Zebra Danios
2 Cory Catfish
1 Kuhli Loach

Okay so here is the situation. I really need to dispose of the gravel that is currently in my aquarium. Not only is it old and breaking apart when I siphon out my aquarium, but I am just tired of the colors I have in there. So, my first question is I am thinking about disposing of all of the old gravel and replacing it with about 1/4 sand and 3/4 black gravel. What is the best way to go about removing the old gravel and replacing the new, and what kind of sand is best to use?

Aside from the gravel situation, I would also like to have A LOT more plants in my aquarium. I think my problem is that I cannot decide which plants to buy which will agree with my fish. I know that the Cherry Barbs enjoy shaded areas with thicker/bushier plants so that they can swim through them, any suggestions on which type of plant this could be? Also, I know that Angelfish enjoy taller plants that they can also hang out in and swim through, Again, any suggestions? Along with this plant situation, what would be the best way to arrange the plants? I know that I probably have way too many accessories going on in my aquarium, so does anyone have any suggestions as for a good way to organize everything to agree with my fish?




To end this extraordinarily long first post, here is a semi-decent photo of my setup (this photo makes it look like it has no depth for some reason). Please refer to the top of this post for clarification on what anything is, thanks!

 

[meegosh]

As far as replacing the gravel, scoop it out with a plastic cup. Once you get it all out you can use vinegar to remove any calcium buildups (if any) and give it a general wipe down. As far as what type of sand, I'd say its more preference than anything. Probably the cheapest option would be to use pool filter sand. You just need to make sure the sand you are using is inert.

I'm not a plant guy so I'll let someone else answer your plant questions. Hope it helps!

 

[An t-iasg]

Welcome, Eric!

A lot of people start out with the pirate ship accessories and the colored gravel. My first gravel was flourescent purple! 8O It's not unusual to end up removing the fake decorations and colored gravel in favor of a more natural decor.

I don't have angels, but the two that hang out together may be bonding as a mated pair. The odd one out may be picked on. If that continues, and it could, you may have to remove the odd angelfish for its own protection. Maybe your lfs will take it back or you could give it away.

The main thing that I see in your picture that concerns me is your table/bench acting as a stand. Please get a proper stand as soon as possible! The aquarium frame must be supported properly or the stress on the unsupported corners could cause a crack in the glass and a tank breakdown. You don't want to risk that happening. Water weighs 8 pounds a gallon, plus the gravel is adding probably 1-1.5 pounds per gallon. With a 5 or 10 gallon tank you can get away with using (sturdy) regular furniture as a stand - I have a 10 gallon tank on a printer/copier table from the office supply store - but with anything bigger I would strongly recommend buying a proper aquarium stand.

 

[LetsGoPens67]

meegosh and An t-iasg, thanks a lot for the help. I am going to use a new stand when I go to replace my gravel. I talked to some people at my local aquarium shop and they said the best way to remove the gravel is to take the fish out and empty everything. I am going to do this today and probably go with either gravel or shale as my base (they said sand was very very hard to maintain and I shouldn't do the 1/4 sand 3/4 gravel combo as it would be pointless).

I am also going to sell all 3 of my angelfish today because of the odd man out situation AND the mating situation, I do not have the room for more angelfish so it would be best if I took all 3 back.

I think today I am going to do that and purchase some more base, some driftwood and some plants. I will keep you guys up to date with pictures.

Also, anyone have any suggestions as to what kind of fish to add to my aquarium? I am looking for something cool looking to be the main attraction in my aquarium. Thanks