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#1
8th May 2009, 10:24 AM
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Aquarium!
So we've decided to start an aquarium. We have a 20 gallon tank. How long should we have it set up before we get fish? Any recommendations for fish that will live in peace and harmony together?
So far, we're planning on tetras and possibly angelfish. Also some sort of algae eater. We don't really want any guppies. 
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#2
8th May 2009, 10:40 AM
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Angelfish will eat your tetras. You can't have angelfish with small fish. Gouramis are pretty friendly. You'll probably want a plecostamus (sp?) for eating algae. If you put in live plants you'll probably get some free snails with them as well, they'll clean algae but you'll probably have to smush a bunch of them in a couple of months for population control.
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#3
8th May 2009, 10:51 AM
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20 gal is not a big tank so you want to keep your fish population rather small. If you just want a couple fish that are fun to watch, you might want to get a couple clown loaches or one of the coloured fin botias.
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#4
8th May 2009, 10:56 AM
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Especially in a tank that's 20 gallons (which is small), do not add all the fish at once. This will overload the system and likely kill most of the fish.
Even though you said you didn't want guppies, you might consider buying a dollars worth of feeder guppies to break in the tank, then after a couple of weeks
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#5
8th May 2009, 11:06 AM
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Be careful with the plecos if you are growing live plants. They'll eat the plants when they get bigger. Also, if you are like me and plecos skeeve you out, otocinclus cats are nice algae cleaners and not nearly as ucky looking.
Barbs do pretty well in smaller tanks, but they can be semi-aggressive, so you can't mix them with the other fish you are talking about. They are fun to watch, though. You can definitely tell they are schooling fish.
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#6
8th May 2009, 11:08 AM
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I just realized I didn't answer your other questions.
I'd let the tank sit for 2-3 days after you have it set up and ready. I would not recommend a plecostomus for a 20 gallon tank. Most breeds can get to be a foot long or more (granted it takes a few years, but they don't stop growing just because the tank is small) There are little fish called Chinese algae eaters.. that's probably a better bet for algae.
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#7
8th May 2009, 01:48 PM
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The Mister corrected me, we have a 30 gallon tank. I LOVE plecostomus! I was looking at this http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...40&pcatid=1040 one, which only gets to 4 inches. (I wouldn't order them, I'll look locally.)
SoylentPopTart, thanks for the suggestion to get some crappy fish at first. That's a good idea! And if I get attached, I don't have to flush them. I had an aquarium in college and had some sort of loach that was really cute. Kind of eel-y looking, very colorful. Does anyone have any idea what it could have been so I'll know what to ask for?
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#9
9th May 2009, 08:42 AM
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I had a kuhlii loach. He was a hardy little guy with personality, and a decent bottom cleaner.
Our last 20gal tank had sharks and barbs. They're all a little aggressive, and we did have some trouble with the sharks when we had two. Aquarium store guy said you should always have them in odd numbers so we got a third. I really liked watching the barbs. Tetras are more peaceful, but aggressive fish were more fun to watch, even if it sometimes meant replacing a fish or two. The fish store should have good advice on how to properly prepare your tank and add fish. We bought our equipment as a bundle and it came with a beginner's aquarium keeping booklet published by the store that was full of good advice.
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#10
9th May 2009, 09:09 AM
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We set it up yesterday. We'd put the water in on Thursday, then yesterday added the gravel and decorations plus some water conditioner. Today, the water is slightly murky. Could that be from the gravel? Anyway, we're going to leave it going for a few more days before we even consider getting fish.
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#11
9th May 2009, 10:30 AM
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kuhli loach and clown loach are the two that are most common in the store. Both are good bottom cleaners and pretty hardy. The kuhli is the snake looking one, both are good hiders but they have a ton of personality.
Sometimes the water conditioner (especially the one for starting new tanks) will make the water murky. It could be from the gravel as well. It should settle in a few days or the filter could draw it out, especially if it's an under gravel filter.
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#12
9th May 2009, 03:10 PM
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#13
11th May 2009, 05:14 PM
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I used to co-own an exotic and fish pet store, so i'm glad to help here.
First off, a 30 gal is neither large nor tiny, and you have many options available to you in terms of stock choices. If you like Loricariidae catfish (plecos and panaques) then you might want to consider making a tank around them, and only getting a few tetras to inhabit the midwater range. There are a TON of small, colorful pleco species, many of which also have really interesting behaviour as well. For most of them you will need some current (provided by a powerhead or a powerful filtration system), soft ph water, and most like driftwood to hide in and nibble on, Contrary to popular belief they do not consume common tank algae unless there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING else to consume. Many are omnivorous, and a few turn carnivore as they age. Planet Catfish is a good place to start looking for interesting species. The care is similar for most of them. For new tanks you can often purchase live bacterial cultures to help jumpstart your tank. Adding cheap fish is another. If you are patient then waiting 14 days before adding the first test fish is recommended. YOu can also get filter scrapings from your local fish store to add to your cultures. this is awesome if you can your hands on some. If you only have corporate stores in your area, this may be more difficult. Ordering fish online is simple and fun if you cannot find interesting or healthy fish locally. Be certain that the dealer has a phone number that works and use it to confirm your order.
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#14
12th May 2009, 09:08 AM
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Hey thanks! I've seen some online fish dealers, but I'm concerned about how good shipping would be for the fish. Secondarily, the shipping cost has to be very high. But mainly, I hate to think about the trauma to the fish.
We broke down and got some fish. I've been testing the water religiously, and the parameters seem fine. No ammonia, no nitrites and very low nitrates. We got some zebra danios and some serpae tetras as those are supposed to be hardy and more forgiving of slightly changing environs. I'm continuing to test every other day until I stop freaking out. We had a bacterial bloom on the second fishless day but now the water has cleared. It seemed early to me, but it happened for some reason. I have given up on plecos after reading more about them (or unless I get a second tank for them.) They are gorgeous though.
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