Questions About Stocking, Salt & Co2

[rEvolution27]

As always, and since i lost my other thread, i have a few questions....

1 i want to add my apple snail and my cories(when i buy them) to my tank but i had some salt in it. I know i can take it out by water changes but do you think it's safe after 5 20
5 changes?

also i want to do diy CO2 but where is the input of my filter that i can stick the tube in and do you reccomend this method.

oh and how does this list of fish sound for my 20 gallon...
3 swordtails
6 guppies
6 neon tetras
5 or 4 cories
2 rastboras

 

[bogwood]

don't know about the salt or CO2... but you are way over stocked for a 20G...

 

[rEvolution27]

No, that's not what i have.. it's what i want

 

[Wanda hornsey]

but unfortunatly shouldnt get

way to many they will get way overcrowded

 

[rEvolution27]

but unfortunatly shouldnt get

way to many they will get way overcrowded

Ok hows about
3 cories
3 swordtails
4/5 guppies
4 neons
ans a centerpeice fish? somthing nice and pretty... female betta?

 

[Courtney]

Female bettas are aggressive and should not be housed with tropical fish.

3 cories
3 swordtails
4/5 guppies
4 neons

That might work but I wouldn't add anything else.

 

[rEvolution27]

Ok i've made up my mind....

I now have
2 swordtails
3 guppies
3 Phantom Tetras
1 apple snail

I want
2 swordtails
3 guppies
5 Phantom tetras
1 Khuli loach
1 apple snail

I am overfiltering by 50gallons/hour

More questions more questions!

Are there problems caused by bad male/female ratio in tetras and how do i sex them? They seem to be chasing eachother

Also i figured my betta will need some live foods.... I can gather some mosquito lavae and a can probably feed them some of the millions of fry my livebearers have.... I put a moth in there just to see what'd happen and he just played with it like a cat would...
No shop around here sells worm cultures or anything like that

 

[rEvolution27]

 

[Jeff000]

I dont think over filtering means you can add as if you had that many more gallons of tank....


Kuhli loaches need to be in at least 3. and if you ever want to see them durning the day you would need 6 or so.

 

[piper]

I dont think over filtering means you can add as if you had that many more gallons of tank....

Over filtering allows you to overstock a bit but not overcrowd if that makes sense.

CO2 can just be run into the inlet of your external filter (if you have an external) if not you need to run it through a diffuser, which will sit in your tank.

 

[rEvolution27]

I dont think over filtering means you can add as if you had that many more gallons of tank....

Over filtering allows you to overstock a bit but not overcrowd if that makes sense.

CO2 can just be run into the inlet of your external filter (if you have an external) if not you need to run it through a diffuser, which will sit in your tank.

I have one of those hang on filters.. aquaclear 150... i guess i can't do it that way

I didn't know khuli loaches needed to be in groups... i guess i'll can get some for my other tank i love them so much.
anyway.. i got most of the salt if not all out by water changes and i read that apple snails can adapt to low levels of salt so i put him in and he's fine...

 

[Jeff000]

I dont think over filtering means you can add as if you had that many more gallons of tank....

Over filtering allows you to overstock a bit but not overcrowd if that makes sense.

yes. 50 gallons of overfiltering your 20 gallon tank doesnt alow you to put in 70 gallons worth of fish.

you could probably get away with what 30 gallons equivalent, but you would have to make sure you filled hte whole tank even and didnt over populate one zone (ie top, middle, bottom).

I didn't know khuli loaches needed to be in groups... i guess i'll can get some for my other tank i love them so much.

in my old tank I had upwards of 30 of them.
started with 2, never saw them, then 4, once in a while, then 6, and i would see them daily, then at about 12 they would seeminly play tag and hide in groups all intertwined. it was really quite neat.
Then magically they breed, wasnt trying and didnt know even, just noticed like 40 little ones swimming around one day. alot of them were eaten or died due to my unknowing care. but they were really fun to watch. once the little ones got bigger (3cm or so) there was enough of them that they seemed to pester my corys, and killed them, I dont think it was intentional, just so many fish right at the bottom.
I found they like shrimp pellets, but prefer frozen blood worms, feed at night befor lights out.

 

[rEvolution27]

yes. 50 gallons of overfiltering your 20 gallon tank doesnt alow you to put in 70 gallons worth of fish.

you could probably get away with what 30 gallons equivalent, but you would have to make sure you filled hte whole tank even and didnt over populate one zone (ie top, middle, bottom).

I never thought that... : ( i just meant that i could push it a little

in my old tank I had upwards of 30 of them.
started with 2, never saw them, then 4, once in a while, then 6, and i would see them daily, then at about 12 they would seeminly play tag and hide in groups all intertwined. it was really quite neat.
Then magically they breed, wasnt trying and didnt know even, just noticed like 40 little ones swimming around one day. alot of them were eaten or died due to my unknowing care. but they were really fun to watch. once the little ones got bigger (3cm or so) there was enough of them that they seemed to pester my corys, and killed them, I dont think it was intentional, just so many fish right at the bottom.
I found they like shrimp pellets, but prefer frozen blood worms, feed at night befor lights out.

WOW.. what if i turn off the lights during the day and turn em on in the night... lol