Ideas for 20gal tank.

[JenNewbie]

I'm getting ahead of myself, since I don't even know if I'll be lucky enough to find a living situation that will allow me to take on my co-worker's 20gal setup, but here goes...

The tank has been sitting out in the barn for a while, so it will need to be cleaned and resealed. Any advice for what to use to clean/seal, etc?

I would like to have (eventually) a tetra tank with a few corys and a clown plecostamus. Are any of the tetras particularly hardy, as far as a choice for cycling the tank to start with? I know neons can be delicate, but what about black skirt, rummy nose, or maybe pristella? I know I can help things along by taking some of the scum from the filter on an existing tank.

Considering how much money I've put into my little 5gal tank, I want to make sure I do things right with a bigger tank! Thanks in advance for input/advice.

 

[tkos]

Yes, I would think about resealing it. Basically head to the LFS and buy some Aquarium silicone. Then cut out the old stuff and reseal. Takes awhile but is simple to do and saves a lot of worry. Any extra silicone can be saved and used later until it is too hard to come out of the tube.

There are tons of ways to clean an old tank. A lot of people like to use vinegar as it is good for getting rid of hard wtaer stains. The rinse, rinse, rinse away anything left.

You could have 3-5 cories (dwarf of course), a bristlenose pleco (they only get to 4-5 inches, very important to check what kind of plecos they are selling as some get to be 18 inches!!), and any school of tetras will work. Hardier tetras are serpae, silver tip, head and tail light, black skirt.

If I were you I would get the filter for the laregr tank running on the smaller one for a week or so to build up good bacteria levels. Or else take the sponge out of your exisiting filter and stuff it into the new filter (just cram it in somewhere).

It will still be important if you are doing a fishy cycle instead of a fishless cycle that you constantly check your tank levels for ammonia and nitrites. Any increase means a water change. Doesn't matter how hardy fish are they all succumb to poor water quality, either now or later with a shorter life.

Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? If not then we can easily explain it to you. Also you should think about a fishless cycle. It is easier on the fish and allows you to add a whole tank load of fish at one time. Reading up on this stuff now before you get into another tank can save a lot of time and grief.