Stocking My New 20G? Plus Other Questions... :)

[sukies*star]

So i've just got my 2nd tank (my first being a 5g with a betta and amano shimp) and can't decide on how best to stock it Its 23 US gallons, 19 UK gallons. I've bought it second hand with light, filter and heater. I plan on having black fine gravel or sand; drift wood; easy live plants; i.e. moss ball, floating water sprite and maybe some potted plants; other ornaments. I also have a floating turtle dock thing though will probably not use it. I won't be stocking it until mid-april when i'm back from holiday so i've got time to make up/change my mind.

Q1) The light is UV, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this? Should i change to a florescent?

Q2)How can i cycle my new tank using my first one? Will transferring the driftwood over be enough? I don't really want to cut the filter media up as its cut to the size of the cartridge its in although i am considering getting a new, weaker, filter for the 5g so could use the first filter along with the one with the 20g to cycle it?

Q3) My main question is what to stock, i can't decide!!

I'll probably get large school of neon tetras. (maybe 12-16?)

My main struggle is what to get for the bottom of the tank. I'm thinking maybe 6 corys, but i also like bristlenose catfish and Ottos. I have also become a amano shrimp fan since having them in my 5g. I would also really like some ADFrogs. And i'm interested in what crabs might be good in a community? Of course i can't have all of these xD

I also want something else but i'm not sure what, i've been looking at cichlids but i don't know much about them and don't know what types might be good in a 20g community.

Also, is there anything that I could get that would use the docking land thing?

I'm really interested in other ideas and experiences too!

Thanks in advance

 

[KittyKat]

Its 23 US gallons, 19 UK gallons.

Dimensions? The volume by itself is not actually that much use the bottom area matters for most fish and height for some too.

I've bought it second hand with light, filter and heater. I plan on having black fine gravel or sand; drift wood; easy live plants; i.e. moss ball, floating water sprite and maybe some potted plants; other ornaments. I also have a floating turtle dock thing though will probably not use it. I won't be stocking it until mid-april when i'm back from holiday so i've got time to make up/change my mind.

…And cycle the filter, I hope! Sand will give you more options, it is also possible to get black sand, of course.

Q1) The light is UV, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this? Should i change to a florescent?

Definitely! A UV light will kill everything, including your fish! Are you sure it is not an actinic (marine blue) or a black light? Both of those are *sometimes* called UV lights.

Q2)How can i cycle my new tank using my first one? Will transferring the driftwood over be enough? I don't really want to cut the filter media up as its cut to the size of the cartridge its in although i am considering getting a new, weaker, filter for the 5g so could use the first filter along with the one with the 20g to cycle it?

Best option is to move 1/3 of the media from the old filter into the new filter, then finish off the cycle with household ammonia. Second best is running both filters in parallel (inside new tank or old tank) for 6 weeks (yes, seeding this way does take this long). Third best is doing a fish-less cycle in the new tank and clean the old filter regularly in the new tank. Moving over items of decor or water will not make much difference, so it's not *really* worth trying unless you also run an undergravel filter (in which case, put some gravel inside the new filter).

Q3) My main question is what to stock, i can't decide!!

Dimensions and water parameters are what we need here

I'll probably get large school of neon tetras. (maybe 12-16?)

Given that this is a new tank, I recommend that you keep at least 12 of each schooling species. In other words, if you want neons, I would consider 12 a minimum. This is because I consider 6 to be an absolute minimum for any schooling species and 10-15 to be a good minimum as these types of fish live in groups of a few 100 to 10000s in the wild, so the more, the merrier.

 

[sukies*star]

thanks for helping


Dimensions- L: 68.5cm
W: 34cm
H: 37.5

Yep definitely going to cycle the filter and black sand is what i'm hoping to get but i haven't found any yet

The guy i bought it from said it was UV (he had had turtles in the tank) but i haven't inspected the bulb myself yet.

I think the water here is slightly on the hard side but i'm not sure by how much my betta and shrimp are fine with it and i don't want to mess around adding chemicals trying to change it, unless i have to, in case i make things worse.

If i do get neons i do want a lot of them, i think they look a lot better that way to but i am open to other fish options if people have them

 

[Fishy friend2]

If I were you I would go with a livebearer setup with some cardinals, and dario Dario

Soooooo.......

4 platies
5 endlers livebearers
12 cardnial tetras
5 male guppies
1 Dwarf gourami or 1 male Dario Dario and 2 females

 

[KittyKat]

Dimensions- L: 68.5cm
W: 34cm
H: 37.5

That's quite a decent size tank to start with.. do keep in mind that after decor, it will probably contain only 70 litres / 18.5 US gal / 15.4 imperial gal (so you know for treatments).

and black sand is what i'm hoping to get but i haven't found any yet

I'd avoid anything coated in resins and probably would go for quartz sand. Caribsea have a product called "Tahitian Moon", which is a black sand, and Dennerle have a "Sulawesi black", which is a finer gravel than the "Diamond black" quartz (I used to use the quartz gravel - it is quite lovely and not dyed). Both are expensive, but worth the price.. maybe see if anyone is selling either second hand?

The guy i bought it from said it was UV (he had had turtles in the tank) but i haven't inspected the bulb myself yet.

Sounds like a heat lamp to me.. it wouldn't be suitable.

I think the water here is slightly on the hard side but i'm not sure by how much my betta and shrimp are fine with it and i don't want to mess around adding chemicals trying to change it, unless i have to, in case i make things worse.

If you can't test the hardness and pH, can you check what they are with your local water supplier? You're after general hardness (GH), carbonate hardness (KH) and pH.
If you have hard water, I advise against neons because while Betta and shrimp are "neutral water" species, neons really do benefit from soft water. My current stocking suggestions are based on the assumption that your water is only slightly hard (pH 7.5, 5-10 dGH/dKH), and would be along the lines of…
* 1m 3f honey gourami OR a pair/couple of pairs of peaceful gouramis of one species (gouramis include the Betta genus, something like Betta simplex would be considered peaceful)
* 15 galaxy rasboras OR 15 espei rasboras OR 15 of any microrasboras of one species
* 15 Yunnanilus sp. 'rosy' OR *some* Hara jardoni OR 15 Cory. hastatus

*If* you are willing to plant and use bogwood to add tannins to the water, then that might soften the water enough that I'd be happier to put the neons in. For the moment, you might want to have a look at a list of species which I have put together that are suitable for a tank that size (note: not all at the same time, and not all are suitable for your water type): http/blog.natureaquarium.co.uk/?page_id=278 and at a similar tank that I have running: http/blog.natureaquarium.co.uk/?cat=3

If i do get neons i do want a lot of them, i think they look a lot better that way to but i am open to other fish options if people have them

That's the spirit, I like to see fish kept in decent-sized groups!

If I were you I would go with a livebearer setup with some cardinals, and dario Dario

Soooooo.......

4 platies
5 endlers livebearers
12 cardnial tetras
5 male guppies
1 Dwarf gourami or 1 male Dario Dario and 2 females

The only time I hears of someone putting Dario dario with endlers, the endlers were gone by the next morning I would also advise against cardinal tetras in a tank that short as they do grow quite large compared to neons and I feel that they need more space once they are adult. Livebearers are a good alternative for hard water, of course.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

If I were you I would go with a livebearer setup with some cardinals, and dario Dario

Soooooo.......

4 platies
5 endlers livebearers
12 cardnial tetras
5 male guppies
1 Dwarf gourami or 1 male Dario Dario and 2 females

Holy major overstocking suggestions, Batman! This is only a 68.5x34x37.5cm tank, which despite holding ~87l, is rather a squat tank. One scholing species midwater and another at the tank floor, with perhaps one or two singleton fish that are compatable is plenty.

For example...
8x Cardinal Tetra
8x Sterbai Corydoras
1x Dwarf Gourami

 

[sukies*star]

Thanks for all the help guys

If I were you I would go with a livebearer setup with some cardinals, and dario Dario

Soooooo.......

4 platies
5 endlers livebearers
12 cardnial tetras
5 male guppies
1 Dwarf gourami or 1 male Dario Dario and 2 females

I'm not the biggest fan of guppies really i also don't want to end up with a load of fry. I like the look of the Dario darios though.

*If* you are willing to plant and use bogwood to add tannins to the water, then that might soften the water enough that I'd be happier to put the neons in.

i'm definitely going to be getting the biggest bit of driftwood i can fit in the tank/afford I'm planning on putting in moss balls and floating water sprite. I'm also going to look at getting some aquatic pot plants.

For example...
8x Cardinal Tetra
8x Sterbai Corydoras
1x Dwarf Gourami

Thats really the sort of thing i'm looking for a large-ish group of shoaling fish, a 'feature' type fish (maybe a betta; or 1 or 2 cichlids or gouramis) and a bottom dwelling fish (a bristle nose or a group of 6 corys). I'd also like some shrimp or a ADF as well though if possible

 

[Fishy friend2]

.

 

[Fishy friend2]

10 neons
8-10 Pygmy cories
1 male Betta ?

 

[sukies*star]

Could I do 15 neons or rasboras , 6 corys, a betta and a adf? Or maybe a bristlenose catfish instead of the corys?

 

[sukies*star]

what would be better? Bristlenose or corys?

 

[sukies*star]

would i be able to have cherry barbs or dwarf neon rainbow fish (instead of the betta) as well? or would i be overstocking?

 

[KittyKat]

Could I do 15 neons or rasboras , 6 corys, a betta and a adf? Or maybe a bristlenose catfish instead of the corys?

15 neon tetras would work, 6 Corys of one species which grow to under 2" according to Planet Catfish would work (I recommend 8-10 instead of 6), a Betta would work, no idea about a frog (not my speciality, sorry). A bristlenose pleco would not work because of size.

I would personally *not* want to put any torpedo-shaped mid-water schooling species which is over 30 mm long, nor any Cory over 2" (according to Planet Catfish), nor any pleco which is over 2" long into that tank because I feel that larger fish need more size. This means that I would personally avoid cardinal tetras, sterbai Corys and bristlenose plecos.

what would be better? Bristlenose or corys?

8 Corys of one species which are under 2" when adult (for example, any up to panda Cory size).

would i be able to have cherry barbs or dwarf neon rainbow fish (instead of the betta) as well? or would i be overstocking?

Cherry barbs and dwarf neon rainbows are both schooling species, so in a new tank, I would expect to see at least 10, which would not work in a tank your size alongside 15 neons and 6+ Corys. On top of that, rainbows are active fish, so I would hate to see dwarf neon rainbows in anything shorter than a 90 cm tank. Some people would keep cherry barbs in a tank your size, I would probably want a 3ft tank for them.
I recommend most blue-eyed rainbows (Pseudomugil species) and thread-fin rainbows (Iriatherina werneri) as better alternatives for small tanks. If you wish to go for rainbows, then I would think along the lines of 10-15 rainbows of one species (depending on adult size), 8-10 dwarf Corys of one species and a pair of peaceful gouramis (or one male Betta, if you prefer).

Remember: keep (almost) any schooling species in a small group would make it incompatible with a Betta because almost all would nip if there are not enough of their own kind.