[Ryan Mosby]

I don't know what I'm doing. I've only ever had nano tanks with all the equipment supplied (Fluval Spec V), but now I'd like to go bigger (20 gallon long) with pressuried CO2, which I've never done before.

I'm unfamiliar with equipment for setups, does this work?

Tank: Aqueon Standard Glass Aquarium Tank 20 Gallon Long ✅
Temperature: 78 F/25.5 C
PH: 7.4
Lid: 20 gallon long screen lid ✅
Filter: Eheim Filter 2213-37 Classic ✅
Filter flow: 13mm diameter lily pipes ✅ with 13mm (12/16 mm) filter guard ✅
Light: 30" Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light ✅
Heater: x2 Eheim Jager 50W Heater (one on each end) ✅
Heating Controller for 2 heater plugs: ??
Substrate: ADA Amazonia Light ✅ and ADA Amazonia Powder ✅
Stand: Edsal industrial shelf (800 lb shelf capacity) ✅
CO2 System: Pro-SE Series Complete Aquarium CO2 System with New Inline CO2 Diffuser ✅

Livestock:
6-10 male-only endlers ✅
2 nerite snails ✅
20+ neocaridina shrimp ✅

Decor:
Universal Rocks' Crevice Backgound (Classic Brown) ✅
Driftwood

Plants:
(front far left/right) Lilaeopsis mauritiana ✅
(front left/right) Staurogyne repens ✅
(front center) Monte Carlo (Micranthemum tweediei) ✅
(middle 1 sides) Hydrocotyle tripartita ✅
(middle 2 sides) Cryptocoryne parva ✅
(background sides) Vallisneria Contortionist (Vallisneria americana 'Asiatica') ✅
(background middle) Sagittaria subulata ✅
(driftwood) Anubias barteri var. nana ✅
(driftwood) Moss (unsure which kind yet)
(spot unsure) Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' ✅
Note: I usually do floating plants but for this one, I think I'll keep the surface clear

Inspiration: Komorebi 80 L

✅ = Bought

 

[ichthyogeek]

1) I think it really depends. The more animal biomass you have (fish, shrimp, snail, etc.), the larger the tank you're going to need. If you're doing a small school of nano fish and shrimp, I'd say 20 gallons is a fairly good guesstimate. Just shrimp would be good with 10 gallons. Here's a thought: Buy a 29 gallon tank, and only fill it up with 20 gallons of water. You'll have to figure out filtration and such, but everything is enclosed, and the fish won't jump. While any tank that is taller will have a harder time getting light to reach the bottom, it really depends on what you're putting in it. Low light plants will be fine. No really, they'll be fine. LEDs nowadays are really quite powerful, just do your research once you've researched tank size.

2) If shrimp fry are a priority, I'd just make sure that the filter has a sponge prefilter. Or better yet I'd just do a sponge filter. People always nag on how "ugly" they are...but I kinda like the aesthetic tbh. Aside from that, an appropriately sized heater and light are really all that you need unless you're going ham and making it high tech.

3) Livestock depends on tank size. Larger the tank, the more you can fit in it. I'd recommend going with Endler's, or maybe Pristella tetras. CPDs, rosy loaches, and goldring danios could all also work as well. Just remember that the endlers, tetras, loaches, and betta will do a really good job at eating your precious shrimp fry.

 

[Ryan Mosby]

I'm thinking a 20 gallon long would be good. I need a lid anyway, because cats. Cats are why we can't have nice things.

I already have 6 endlers in one tank, and had a betta in the other, both tanks with shrimp. I'm okay if an endler or betta eats one (preferably just as long as I don't see it), I just don't want them sucked up into anything. In my 5 gal I have a mesh under the filter intakes to keep fry from getting sucked in. I also keep the tanks heavily planted so that they have lots of places to hide.

I keep reading that having a pre-filter sponge is good for shrimp fry, but 2 Hr Aquarist advised against going with a sponge filter, saying that the bubble lifts for sponge filters in a CO2 injected tank will lift off quite a bit of CO2. I haven't done CO2 in my past tanks but for this new size, I'd definitely want to give it a go.

Livestock would be my 6 male endlers, at least. Do Pristella Tetras nip fins? The rosy loaches look beautiful, but the Internet says they'll need a bigger tank.

If I get a betta, it says not to get more than one shoaling group or it'll get stressed out. Would cories and endlers stress a betta?

And if I don't get a betta, I can look into other type of fish, as long as they work well with endlers.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Cats) There was an interesting cat thread a while back somewhere on this forum. Somebody recommended taking the cats and putting it in the tank while there was water in it to teach it that yes, there is water in the glass aquarium.

Sponge filter vs. No Sponge filter) I run all things low tech (can't be bothered with dosing nutrients and running CO2). But if you're thinking of dosing CO2, then consider instead doing a canister filter with a sponge prefilter. The end goal is just to keep the shrimp out of the filter. If you're running CO2 then yeah, something that agitates the surface area of the tank (like a HOB, sponge filter, canister filter with spray bar, etc.) is going to run you out of CO2 faster and won't be as efficient for the plants.

Tetra nipping) Unsure, but I'd say maybe.

Rosy loaches) I'm talking about Petruichthys sp. 'rosy' , the kind found with CPDs in the wild. Those are nano loaches. They require a 2'x1' tank at the least, which a 20L (2.5'x1') can definitely accommodate.

More than one shoaling group) Who...what....ok no. A group of cories and a group of endlers is most likely not going to stress a betta out. Firstly, cories don't even operate on the same tank level that bettas do. And endler's don't really shoal to begin with. Like, in a small tank, with one betta, and multiple other fish (in other words: overstocked), a betta's going to get stressed. But in a decent sized 10 gallon + tank? As long as you follow stocking decisions and don't go absolutely wild, things are going to be fine. Think of bettas as dwarf gouramis but flashier.

 

[Ryan Mosby]

Cats) There was an interesting cat thread a while back somewhere on this forum. Somebody recommended taking the cats and putting it in the tank while there was water in it to teach it that yes, there is water in the glass aquarium.

I just don't want my elderly cat to end up falling in, but I've worked out a way with my industrial shelf on how to keep her from getting near it while still using her window sill above that shelf. I'm thinking I'll do a screen lid though underneath a Fugeray Planted+, since endlers can be jumpers.

consider instead doing a canister filter with a sponge prefilter.

I'm not entirely sure how it works but how about an Eheim 2213-37 Classic with lily pipes and a filter guard instead of a spray bar?

More than one shoaling group) Who...what....ok no. A group of cories and a group of endlers is most likely not going to stress a betta out. Firstly, cories don't even operate on the same tank level that bettas do. And endler's don't really shoal to begin with. Like, in a small tank, with one betta, and multiple other fish (in other words: overstocked), a betta's going to get stressed. But in a decent sized 10 gallon + tank? As long as you follow stocking decisions and don't go absolutely wild, things are going to be fine. Think of bettas as dwarf gouramis but flashier.

Thank you for this. I thought I was done with bettas but I my fish guy might have a halfmoon plakat of a particular color that I really like. I'm weak. After a lot of thought, I've decided not to go with a betta.

I updated my list of equipment in the first post, can you tell me if it sounds good? I've been so spoiled by Fluval Spec V's, when it comes to building a new tank I want to be sure everything is going to work together.

Cories are cute, especially pygmy cories. Will they uproot monte carlo? I hear they like digging in ADA aquasoil, which I plan on using. Once the substrate goes inert I'll switch to root tabs. Edit: Decided against cories in case they try to out-compete the shrimp and won't like aquasoil.

I might have to wait until the tank is set up, cycled, and got my endlers in to see what kind of livestock it needs (like bottom dwelling fish, or certain colors, etc). For the moment I've got to get the equipment planned out and start buying once it's all compatible that I bought.