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20g Long Stocking Advice

2K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  CuzIsaidSo 
#1 ·
I got a free 20g long so I decided to start my 1st community tank. Ive been keeping Piranha for 10 years so I have experience keeping fish just not peaceful ones so I need a little advice.

I plan on putting a mix of tetras (cardinal, black neon, glowlite, rummy-nose) a pair of German Blue Rams & a few Albino Cory's. With Piranhas overstocking is a good thing (it stops them from setting up territories and defending them) but is overstocking good for peaceful fish ? How many tetra could I put in my tank ? (my filter is rated up to 75g so I have plenty of filtration)

On my Piranha tanks I do 25% water changes every week, how much & how often should I do water changes ? (I'm not putting live plants in the tank if that makes a difference)

What is a good flake food to feed ? What type of frozen food is best ?
 
#2 ·
Firstly becuase your not planting the tank I would put a fair bit of hardscape in for asthetic looks. Plus it will also be good because like your Piranhas the German Blue Ram's like to get territories and defend them. But this doesnt mean overstock them as this will just make matters worse. If you want all the small community fish I would perhaps change the GBR's for some Gouramies sp. like the Opaline ones, there very nice with less aggression. Also the GBR's are quite fussy with water parameters and prefer some parameters that the other fish may not suit fully, but check that out more to make sure. To do so use this link www.aqadvisor.com And no overstocking is not good for community fish or hardly any fish for that matter. It causes un-needed stress and lowers your water quality.

As for your tetras they seem fine, how many of each was you thinking? Although your filter says suited for a 75g it is well known that manufactuers over-rate their filters to levels that are not true, so dont belive it entirely. What brand and make is your filter becuase we can help with more info like that. As for stocking the tetras I would go for 5 of each perhaps. Im not too sure as I have never had a 20g before but see what other members say and what the link advises too. Also Rummy-Nose tertras can be a big pain sometimes and can suffer big losses becuase they are quite sensitive to changes in water parameters and sometimes sucome to stress.

When feeding keep it variated. You could technically feed one flake food for all, all of the time but keep it mixed to give the fish a better varreid diet and help them live longer. Such as frozen bloodworm, brineshrimp, daphnia and all of the past but live too will give the fish a healthy diet with the flake too. Also use some form of sinking pelet or waffer for the corys to make sure they recive their food needs. The main thing to remember when feeding though is 'Less is More' so dont over-do it whatever food you provide. The 25% - 50% w/c will also be fine once a week with this and make sure you use a good declorinator that neutralises chlorine and chlorarmine, which im sure you allready know.

If I would change one thing with your setup it would be to plant live flora. If you dont want high maintainence plants just go for some low-light plants such as some cryptocorynes and mosses and a few anubias. Im sure your 20g long will have a light fixture which will provide them with needed light. It will add another dimention to the tank and give you fish some needed hidding areas and keep them occupied. Have a look on the forum for some low maintainence plants and info how to care for them before you decide not to plant at all, becuase I think you will regret it later if you dont. Hope it helps.

Swan
 
#3 ·
I've been reading about GBR's and their water parameters and I don't think I'll have any problems taking care of them and from what I've been reading I thought they only showed aggression when breeding. What is the extent of their aggression, will they kill or stress tetras ?

My filter is a Marineland Penguin 350. I'm probably not gonna get any Rummy-Nose tetras I'm gonna go with Cardinals, Black Neons & Glowlights prob 6 of each. It works out to 84% on the link you gave me (great link by the way). On that link it says that GBR's are too aggressive to co-exist with Glowlight Tetras, why ? Would I better off getting Rummy-Nose Tetras ?

As far as food what brand of flake food is best, tetra (what type of tetra flake there's a bunch) , hikari or another ? Is there any difference between frozen and freeze dried foods ? I keep Cory's in my Piranha tanks (great cleanup crew) so I know how to care for them.

I've already started setting up the tank so I'll stick with fake plants for now (I'm sure I get bored with it after a while). Not that good of a pic but here is a pic of the tank. I'm gonna add a few plants to the left & back left of the tank.
 

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#4 ·
GBR's aren't too aggressive. Usually a pair will defend a territory. They might be able to kill tetras, but most of the time they would just stress them. Since you tank is relatively small GBR's might not be the best idea.

Glowlight tetras are pretty peaceful, even for tetras. I think rummy-noses would be a better choice if you do want the GBR's.

As for food, it's important to have a variety of foods. At the moment, I use a mix of Aqueon and Wardley flakes on my main tank, along with the occasional Hikari pellets. I also use Tetra-min freeze dried bloodworms and Hikari freeze-dried brine shrimp. I don't think the brand of the food matters too much, but I would suggest Hikari and/or Aqueon. Frozen foods are fish foods that are frozen to preserve them, and must be kept in a refrigerator. Freeze-dried foods are made by freezing so that all the moisture in them is vaporized. They can be kept at room temperature. I prefer freeze-dried foods due to their easier storage, but both types work quite well.
 
#5 ·
I think you're fine on the tetra species. IME rams will ignore all other fish except when actively defending a spawn- and then they just chase fish away from their nest.

A 20L is a good size for a pair of GBR, but it can be difficult to pick a pair that are compatible with each other. If you can either observe a pair at the store that are already showing compatability or buy 5 or so juvies, let them pair off themselves, and then rehome the others, that's usually the best way to end up with a pair.

Your tank setup is lovely, but not very heavily decorated- both your tetras and rams will appreciate more plant cover to hide in. They'll feel more comfortable in the tank and spend more time out in the open schooling if they know the "safety" of cover is close by. Perhaps add a row of plants along the background? Or a big clump of plants around the rock feature on the left (maybe to resemble a bamboo forest)?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice... After reading up on GBR I thought that buying juvies and letting them pair off would be the best idea. Thats definitely what I'm going to do. Will I be able to tell the sex of the GBR as juvies? (I don't want to end up with 5 males) What age will they pair off ?

The rock is actually hollow (you can see the opening on the right) so they can hide in there. I thought the GBR's would like it from what I've read. I will be adding more plants to the left of the rock & along the background. A bamboo forest is exactly what I'm going to do. Here's what I'm going to get - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3057130&lmdn=Fish+Decor
 
#8 ·
Ask your LFS where they get their Rams. Mine gets them from a breeder in the Tampa area, which is great for me b/c they're hardy and already acclimated to my hard water.

Are there any aquarium clubs in your area? If you can find a local breeder that's usually your best bet.
 
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