My Fish Selection - Questions...

[Cantbesaved]

I been thinkin about new fish (of course, once my tank has cycled and actually ready for more fish =P ). I wanted to ask a few questions...

1) I really like I.D. Sharks, though I know they can get quite long, and my 20 gallon tank is a "tall" tank, not really giving long fish a lot of swim room... Would 1 or 2 IDs work in my tank? What other sorts of fish look similar to them, are community, and more compatible with my 20 gallon tank?

2) Guppies are cool, but I know they can reproduce like crazy... Is it excessive or do they spawn like once a month? I may wanna get a few

3) Final Q. I want to get some algae eating fish... For a 20 gallon tank, how many of what kind would be OK? And do I need to get other food for them, or is algae all they eat? will I have enough algae for them to live?

Thanks for checkin out this post. Just researching before the tank cycles, because once it does I want to get more fish right away.

 

[pscl227]

i too would be interested to find out about this:

3) Final Q. I want to get some algae eating fish... For a 20 gallon tank, how many of what kind would be OK? And do I need to get other food for them, or is algae all they eat? will I have enough algae for them to live?

 

[fishlover500]

1 or 2 chinese algae eaters would probably do well for algae. Just wait for a few weeks after cycling for algae to grow.
2 small ID sharks may work for a while but will eventually grow WAY to big. So I wouldn't recommend them unless it is very temporary. and yes, guppies spawn like once a month per female. but males look nice and would be a good choice.

 

[Cantbesaved]

OK cool, maybe I will just get males only or something then

 

[dnn3]

don't know too much about sharks but as far as plecs,maybe a couple of bristle nose.

 

[Corleone]

Chinese algae eaters can get quite big and eventually their diet will change to meaty foods. Otos, a bristlenose, some snails (I've had good results with olive nerite snails, my apple snail barely touches algae), and shrimp. What type of algae you develop can also make a difference - a flying fox will eat some algae that many fish won't touch.

Snails make a better cleanup crew (for leftover food as well) than almost any fish sold for the same job, and shrimp are quite interesting and low bioload provided you don't have fish that will see them as food.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes ID shark are a very bad idea..... do a google image search for 'big pangasius catfish' and you'll see what I mean! They can get to several metres in length and are really not suited to the home aquarium at all, very few people can house them. Certainly not suitable for a 20 gal tank.

If you just get male guppies they won't reproduce, they can be a touch fiesty when you have a group of all boys so better to get a reasonable sized group (i.e. 5+).

An algae eater that would be suitable and more appropriate for your tank would be otto's...... they kinda look like juvi ID Sharks...... if you squint a bit much more suitable for the tank size though and lovely little fish.

You do need to provide some food for algae eaters, you can get sinking algae wafers

 

[Corleone]

Ouch, missed the iridescent shark mention in the OP.

If you get the smaller species, the shark itself would require something on the order of 1000-1500 gallons to suitably house - at 40-50 inches captive size, it's beyond monster sized. There's species of pangasius as Miss Wiggle mentions that would outgrow even THAT. They also lose their pretty color at some point and turn black.

If you really like the look of ID sharks, look into African glass catfish. They're not dissimilar to the pangasius juvenile colors, and have a similar head shape. They keep their color and stay suitably small their whole life.

 

[Cantbesaved]

Thanks for the replies all! I really do appreciate this You all are a helpful bunch, and very friendly. You make me feel right at home!!

So I will not get ID Sharks, and I like those Glass catfish mentioned!! They are cool looking! And seeing as my tetras wont eat off the bottom of the tank (They are mid-feeders, and I have noticed if the food sinks too deep they swim back up. lol), I guess if I get catfish (bottom feeders), they will eat their own food?
I do have 1 brave fish, who swims up to the top to get the blood worms, and as soon as he grabs it, he bolts back down as fast as he can! haha kinda funny to watch!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks for the replies all! I really do appreciate this You all are a helpful bunch, and very friendly. You make me feel right at home!!

So I will not get ID Sharks, and I like those Glass catfish mentioned!! They are cool looking! And seeing as my tetras wont eat off the bottom of the tank (They are mid-feeders, and I have noticed if the food sinks too deep they swim back up. lol), I guess if I get catfish (bottom feeders), they will eat their own food?
I do have 1 brave fish, who swims up to the top to get the blood worms, and as soon as he grabs it, he bolts back down as fast as he can! haha kinda funny to watch!!

yes most catfish will eat any uneaten food that reaches the bottom of the tank, you will need to get some sinking catfish pellets or something along those lines for them as well.