20g planted cube build.

[oliver moggridge]

ok i havent posted on here for a while and haven't really been on top of my tank(sort of lost interest):-(
anyway thought i might get back into it (also i am still quite a newb so take it easy on me lol). this time im going for a planted angelfish tank. i was given my brothers 20g cube as he lost total interest and this is my journey as of now.
this is the first design i was thinking of but was not fully convinced about the sponge background so i scraped that.
So i went for just a plain black background because in my opinion you cant beat it. also added some fluorite black sand. and started to cycle.
So now i have some amazon swords (i think) and iv'e boiled the wood and this is it as of now. i do have some more plants coming as we speak, some java ferns and some Anubias barteri which i will tie to the wood. i want to get the tank fully planted and just the way i want it before i add any fish.
light - 1 x 14W and 1 x 15W just the standard light fitting that came with the tank!( i am getting some higher K bulbs at the weekend)
any suggestions will be much appreciated.
sorry about the picture quality, batteries are dead on my camera so i had to use my iphone.

 

[BigJim]

Reconsider putting angels in that tank. They'll outgrow it.

I think those lights will support the plants you've chosen. The swords will outgrow the tank eventually if they're actually amazons.

Throw a few smaller species of crypts in for midground plants.

 

[oliver moggridge]

Yeah I thought that but I've been doing some research and some people say 10g per angel. I also went to my lfs and the guy said that it would be ok as long as I have plenty of room at the front of the tank for them to swim freely.

 

[mom2reds]

Reconsider putting angels in that tank. They'll outgrow it.
+1

I would suggest maybe some Gouramies they are great fish and maybe some tetras. your tank looks like it is off to a great start.

I would not always go with what your LFS says remember they are just trying to make money. Always do your own checking first. It will save you lots of money and headaches..

 

[oliver moggridge]

yeah you guys are probably right it was only a thought anyway. i do like the thought of a school of tetras. i bought some more plants today. i havent taken them out of the pots yet cause i would like some advice on the best places and ways to plant them.(if somethings worth doing its worth doing properly) what do you think thanks.
oh and can anyone recommend a good fish to have in this tank with tetras preferably electric blue like a dwarf gourami or something?. just fancy them fish they look cool.lol

 

[Coleallensmom]

yeah you guys are probably right it was only a thought anyway. i do like the thought of a school of tetras. i bought some more plants today. i havent taken them out of the pots yet cause i would like some advice on the best places and ways to plant them.(if somethings worth doing its worth doing properly) what do you think thanks.
oh and can anyone recommend a good fish to have in this tank with tetras preferably electric blue like a dwarf gourami or something?. just fancy them fish they look cool.lol

Love the new plants...You picked some really great ones! All of them do require moderate-high light though. The Rotala wallichii will grow tall and makes for a good Background/Mid-Ground plant. The Baby Tears (Micranthemum umbrosum) and Echinodorus Red Devil are much smaller plants and would suit the foreground of your tank.

A dwarf gourami would do just fine in a 20 gallon, you might like the Powder Blue dwarf gourami. If you like the blue coloring, you might get a school of neon or cardinal tetras as tankmates to the gourami. Very interesting little fish that look great in a large group and would fit well in a 20 gallon. Just make sure if you go with a gourami that you stick with dwarfs or something smaller like a honey gourami or sparkling gouramis as the larger gouramis will get too big for a 20 gal. Also, (unless you are getting sparklings which are normally pretty peaceful) I would recommend sticking with just one gourami. They can be territorial towards other gouramis and a 20 gal is not a huge tank in which to give them space.

 

[oliver moggridge]

Cool cheers for the good info really appreciated thanks alot. Can't wait to watch everything grow and hopefully flourish. Any mire ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Cheers

 

[itsgracia]

cool looking tank.

 

[oliver moggridge]

Cheers matey.

 

[oliver moggridge]

How many neons in a school for this size tank?

 

[Coleallensmom]

With just a dwarf gourami as tankmate? Neons have a very small bioload compared to a larger fish. You could easily do a nice group of 10-15, IMO.

 

[oliver moggridge]

cool. i dont know if ill just have gouramis as tankmates tho not sure yet. i planted the plants today they look pretty cool. and done a water test to see were i was. ph high 7. nitrite 0. nitrate 5-10. ammonia 0.1 (i think) so i done a 10% water change! (i probably could do with some guidance tbh)

 

[ChizerBunoi]

Nice setup. I really like the cubes.

I would move the sword plants so that they have room to grow and expand. Look at the 90 gallon community in my sig. You will see that they will overtake as they mature. With the swords along the glass as you have, you can imagine what it will look like later on.

I would also move the smaller stem plants into the foreground. You can keep it trimmed short and give the tank more depth.

 

[oliver moggridge]

wow your 90g planted is awesome. i suppose you are using co2, ferts and high lighting?

 

[Coleallensmom]

cool. i dont know if ill just have gouramis as tankmates tho not sure yet. i planted the plants today they look pretty cool. and done a water test to see were i was. ph high 7. nitrite 0. nitrate 5-10. ammonia 0.1 (i think) so i done a 10% water change! (i probably could do with some guidance tbh)

We would love to help! A Ph of 7 is pretty normal. You don't really have to test for that daily. Focus in on your ammonia and nitrite readings. You don't have any fish currently in the tank, correct? I assume you are cycling w/ ammonia? How long have you been cycling? If you are fishless cycling, you do not have to do a water change unless your ammonia is too high (6ppm+) or your cycling stalls. Here is a great link you might want to check out: Tips and tricks for your fastest fishless cycle!

 

[oliver moggridge]

Thanks a bunch. Correct I have no fish. I'm not using ammonia and I am using the filter media from my old aquarium. It'd been cycling for about 2 weeks now I think.

 

[fort384]

Thanks a bunch. Correct I have no fish. I'm not using ammonia and I am using the filter media from my old aquarium. It'd been cycling for about 2 weeks now I think.

If there is no source of ammonia for the nitrobacter to feed on, then cycling with media from your old aquarium won't do any good I am afraid. Most likely any nitrobacter or nitrosoma in the media has starved at this point.

 

[oliver moggridge]

Ok. What would you suggest I do? What if I get some fish, they would contribute to the ammonia no?

 

[Coleallensmom]

You could get some fish but then you'd be putting them through the cycling process. Any ammonia or nitrite over .25ppm can be harmful to your fish, so when cycling with fish you must do many PWCs to keep your levels down. Fishless cycling doesn't require PWCs; just adding an ammonia source and testing of your water parameters so you know when to add more ammonia. Popular Fishless options are using pure ammonia or fish food.

 

[oliver moggridge]

Ok I'll add some fish food as I don't have any ammonia at hand and I'll keep an eye on everything. Thanks