20 Gallon Unique Setup

[AOSpades]

Hey everyone, kind of new to the site, and was hoping that you guys would have some advice for me. Basically i've had my 20 gallon freshwater tank for a little over a year now and was looking for something different. Right now in there, i have a leopard bush fish (african leaf fish?) and a gold gourami.

I'm looking to do something different than everyone else has. I've been leaning towards just making a Dwarf Puffer, or exodon paradoxus tank, because i haven't seen too many of them near me. But I'm open to some suggestions from you guys. As i said, i have a bit of aquarium knowledge, so i don't need fish that are extremely easy to take care of, but i'm also not looking for something really expensive and difficult. Just unique.

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[AOSpades]

Sorry, forgot to mention, obviously I plan on getting rid of the two fish I have in my tank now. I know they're not compatible with either of the ideas that I had.

 

[bitteraspects]

Exodons may prove difficult to acquire but will be well worth the time and effort.

 

[drobbyb]

The LFS closest to my home sees exodon's on his "list" almost every week. I'm not sure which sources he has, but they are out there (at least here in the states).

 

[Inchworm]

Hi AOSpades

Welcome to the forum!

There are some 70 different species of betta and most are quite different from the usual lfs fare. There are also over 300 species of corydoras with new ones still being discovered. If you can buy your fish online, many can be found from time to time. Since some of these species have never been bred in captivity they can present an interesting challenge to even an experienced fishkeeper.

 

[AOSpades]

keeping with the whole exodon idea, do you guys think i'm better off trying to find them online? Never ordered fish online and don't really know what to expect.

 

[bitteraspects]

Yoore better off going through a few of your LFS. I never buy online or suggest anyone else does so.

 

[drobbyb]

I have bought and sold fish online. All my experiences have been positive with this. Obviously some people have had problems. It all comes down to if you trust the seller or not. If you are in the US try Aquabid. They have a rating system so you can tell apart the good sellers from the bad.

Found some on aquabid : http/www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...&1253045405

 

[Truck]

Yoore better off going through a few of your LFS. I never buy online or suggest anyone else does so.

can i ask why you wouldnt buy online? is it because of quality?

 

[bitteraspects]

There are many reasons. Quality is low on the list, but definitely a factor.

When you buy online you run many risks. This includes payment issues, shipping issues, and product that arrives DOA. That in turn leads to further shipping and payment issues for the return and/or replacement of the fish that didn't make it.
And one of the more important reasons to offer through your LFS is to suppodr your local economy. If you create a rapport with your LFS, everybody wins.
Not only do you skip the shipping cost, and the LFS will deal with any returns/ replacements (and associated shipping cost), but more importantly, you keep your local suppliers open and operating for you.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. But since I'm posting from my phone, I will leave it at that for now.

 

[drobbyb]

That is true, but only if your LFS cares about their stock and or customers, as is so oftenly reported that they do not care and are only after the sale.

The quality of fish that I ordered online was 2nd to none, and there were no payment or shipping issues. Not all online retailers are bad retailers just like all LFS are not bad.

 

[bitteraspects]

When I say LFS, I don't mean the big chain stores that operate solely to turn a profit, but rather the smaller, privately owned and operated LFS who are actually knowledgeable and passionate about the hobby. These are the places you should be supporting.
Like I said. Everybody wins.