Hmmm Confused And Need Help!

[bagu]

heya guys!

here is my tank

my tank 20gal, orca MT-50

right, im actaully quite upset, i know im going to have some harsh posts possibly, but hey; thats life

As you can see, i have a nice tank (i like it )

But, my intention was to mainly have 2-3 clown loaches (grow too big, nada nada), but my dad (had a tank for 7 years) kept clown loaches from day 1, as babies, and kept them for 7 years, until he brought 1 tetra and white spotted the whole tank ;( but he said his tank was a rectangle, but almost the same litre wise. Now, after visiting my local LFS, i went in 100% clown loach, and the lady refused to sell me them, okay, i understand she is all for the wellfare, so hats of to her!

But now im just not sure at all, i love clown loaches, im only 17, but am VERY dedicated, i keep tarantulas and all sorts

I have 2 tetras and 1 flying fox, who doesnt eat algae, and just swims up and down the glass lol, and LOVES lettuce

im going to definatly add a few more tetras... but what else?

i dont want the common fish, and sorry if i insult anyone here ^^ but i dislike guppies, platies, mollies and all other dull fish =/

please dont get me wrong, but i love the colorful fish! i read about puffers being very lovely fish to keep

please help me, and please dont insult me! and please show some smiley faces in posts, it makes me feel good somehow haha!

please hit a brother up with some help and some love

Bagu

edit: by the way, i had water tested

0 nitrite
0 nitrate
0 ammonia

;D

 

[snapefish]

OK, you love clown loaches so why not go for something similar but that is appropriate for your tank:

Dwarf Chain Loach

I have 4 - If I started from scratch with my tank I'd get 6. They are utterly mad, swim all over the place and will not bust your tank.

From there you are free to add whatever interesting non loaches you'd like.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

I have to agree with the shop keeper that wouldn't sell them to you Healthy, well cared for Clown loaches can attain 16+ inches in length and can live for 20+ years. There are reports of one reaching 50 years You really need a minimum of 4-5ft tank.

As Snapefish says, there are similar alternatives which are better suited to your tank Yoyo loaches are pretty cool although borderline size for your tank http/www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_lohachata.php

 

[bagu]

hey!


thanks for fast responses! they both look fab! the yoyo loach looks great, but i like the dwarf chain loach size ^^

could i keep any kind of puffer?

thanks!

BAGU!

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

I'm no expert on Puffers, but i know a lot of puffers are brackish water fish. There are fresh water puffers, but i believe they can be pretty aggressive to other fish and are best kept in species only tanks.

 

[jonny_dw]

You know 0 nitrate isnt really that normal unless your changing the water everyday, maybe get it tested again.

Have a look in your LFS but in a 20 gallon you can keep lots of colourful fish, I understand your not into guppies etc but what kind of fish do you like?A puffer wouldnt be suitable if your keeping the fish you have now.

 

[bagu]

heya!

okay buddy, ill get nitrate checked again, im going later, i have an interview at a hospital, and LFS is on the way

hmmmmmm

As childish and silly as it sounds, i like very colorful fish, that are not common, but unique. I chose tetras because i think they look ace! flying fox becuase my dad liked him lol. But the clowns look so damn beautiful!

okay... so no puffers xP

 

[mwood2]

You could keep Dwarf Puffers. They prefer a species tank and are fun to watch. They need freshwater and fully cycled tank. they are aggressive to each other so they need at least 5 gallons per puffer and alot of plants/decor that they can hide from is squabbles take place. They are smart fish that will watch you and know when they are fed and will even know the container that there fed. I have a single one with an ADF in a 5 gallon tank and plan to upgrade to a 10 gallon with 2 DP and 6 Otto.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

dwarf puffers can't be kept in your community tank, but it's not hard to set up a small seperate tank for them if you like them that much.

for your community tank why not look into dwarf cichlids, you could have a pair of apistogramma agasizzi or something like that.

 

[bagu]

hmmmmmmm

thanks mwood2 and Miss Wiggle

Those cichlids look very pretty! ill take a look at my LFS today, and might pick some up! x)

so my tank POSSIBLY at the moment would consist of...

2-5 tetras --> might keep them
1 Flying fox --> might keep him, very VERY strange behaviour lol
2 apistogramma agasizzi
2-3 Yoyo loach

good =/?

thanks for help guys! keep it coming XD

Bagu

 

[saz326]

Have a real good think about the tetras. Because they are shoaling fishies, they need to have friends around them. Really ought to have 5 or 6 minimum to encourage good behaviour and colour.

At the moment you can return the tetras. If you did really like them then a shoal of 8 would be awesome - BUT if you bought more then you would limit the stocking posibility of the tank, and would need to replace some if any died off (to keep the shoal size good). Shoals can take a while to settle in, and you may need to replace lost fish. So, Maybe look at all the possible fishies you would like in the tank before you buy anything else.

That is a great tank by the way.

Ooooh - and dont forget there are lots of invertebrates that can add colour to your tank. Things like cherry shrimp for reds and tiger shrimp for stripes. But if you have certain fish they might be eaten..

 

[bagu]

heya saz326

thanks for info! i was regretting them cutting down my choices =/

thanks for liking my tank XD

to everyone else! just got back from my LFS, and i loved the white spotted cichlid, looked marine! unfortunatley, someone had brought the apistogramma agassazi, and she would order them in, but im thinking still!

now im confused haha, why is it so hard lol

puffers, loaches or cichlids?!

argh!

anyone lol ^^

 

[bagu]

bump

 

[locker]

If you are stuck on dwarf puffers there is a very good 12.7 USG tank, IMO.

It is the INTERPET RIVER REEF.

I use it as a community but would be good for a puffer.