6 Year Olds 20 Gallon Build

Well my son wore my wife down and she bought him a 1 gallon betta bowl. (She’s not into fish keeping). That didn’t work for me, it was quickly returned to Walmart and we bought a 20 gallon marina led starter kit.

He wanted his tank to be like daddy’s so he went for pool filter sand. I put a bunch of seeded material from my 55 gallon (I’m running 2 filters due to my potential case of mts). We also transplanted 1 banana plant and some water wisteria clippings.

After a couple days running and water checking it seems we are pretty much cycled. However we are still going slow. Yesterday we went to the lfs and he chose 3 little guppies.

After they were acclimatized the next thing he asked was to start a tank build thread on here.

Here is what it looks like today.




He is looking forward to some replies and advice on what he should add next.

 

I think for the scape a nice tall piece of driftwood would be good in the corner maybe spider wood. Neons or cardinals would look nice.
Already coming along well though.

 

Wow! It's awesome that your son, for such a young age, is interested in the aquarium hobby! Best of luck to you and your son!

 

Perhaps some invertebrates would be nice. I was thinking the more colorful varieties of snail or Cherry Shrimp.

 

The 20 gallon is off to a good start with the Aquaclear. Where is the Marineland filter that came with the kit? Run both!

Conaider ghost shrimp, neon tetras and corydoras.

Once there are more plants or other cover, consider some kuhlI loaches as well.

They have a small bio-load and when they are in a group and have ample hiding places, they actually come out a lot more during the day. Having sufficient cover and having others around makes them feel more relaxed and not guarded. They become very social.

Although they are small, my family always enjoys watching them. My kids call them the "E-Lo's".

 

My son was so excited to see all the replies this morning he wrote out replies for everyone while having breakfast. He made me promise to type the replies right away. These are his replies not mine I just fixed the spelling and made them a little clearer. He has been helping take care of my tank(s) since birth so he is very knowledgeable for his age.

I think for the scape a nice tall piece of driftwood would be good in the corner maybe spider wood. Neons or cardinals would look nice.
Already coming along well though.

Thank you!!! I’m just starting it I do want some driftwood but my dad and I didn’t see a piece that would fit well. I like cardinals but we have a lot in another tank, I am looking for something different.

Wow! It's awesome that your son, for such a young age, is interested in the aquarium hobby! Best of luck to you and your son!

Thank you I’ve been helping take care of the family tanks since I was a baby and love fish!

Perhaps some invertebrates would be nice. I was thinking the more colorful varieties of snail or Cherry Shrimp.

I have a few MTS snails my dad says they help move the sand around and keep it clean. I never see them he says that’s normal.

What type of snails are colourful? I have only seen brown or black ones at the pet shop. I also do not want too many and I know they have a lot of babies. I like shrimp that’s a good idea but would the other fish eat them? (I told him not if we choose the right fish personally love the idea of cherry shrimp).

The 20 gallon is off to a good start with the Aquaclear. Where is the Marineland filter that came with the kit? Run both!

Conaider ghost shrimp, neon tetras and corydoras.

Once there are more plants or other cover, consider some kuhlI loaches as well.

They have a small bio-load and when they are in a group and have ample hiding places, they actually come out a lot more during the day. Having sufficient cover and having others around makes them feel more relaxed and not guarded. They become very social.

Although they are small, my family always enjoys watching them. My kids call them the "E-Lo's".

When we got the kit my dad traded up for the aqua clear filter. He said if I get a lot of fish we could move his C4 filter to my tank.
When we got the guppies for me my dad got some Cory cats for the family tank. I like those a good idea for when I get more fish.


Thanks everyone for replying it really made his day you all replied

 

Definitely holdout for a piece of wood you like.

As for other fish, Ember Tetra are really pretty, small but their beautiful bright orange makes up for their size.

 

Aww how lovely you & your son are doing this together & he seems to be really interested in learning the right way to do it.
Please tell him we’re all here to help & he can keep dad busy asking questions here for him

 

What type of snails are colourful? I have only seen brown or black ones at the pet shop. I also do not want too many and I know they have a lot of babies. I like shrimp that’s a good idea but would the other fish eat them? (I told him not if we choose the right fish personally love the idea of cherry shrimp).

Thanks everyone for replying it really made his day you all replied

First of all, you could choose Nerite Snails. They come in a wide color variety and only breed in saltwater so you won’t have to deal with too many of them.
Or you could try Rabbit Snails. They reproduce slowly and remain small. Overall if you check online you will find many different types of snails.

Also, you’re welcome! His reply really made my day too!

 

Aww how lovely you & your son are doing this together & he seems to be really interested in learning the right way to do it.
Please tell him we’re all here to help & he can keep dad busy asking questions here for him

If I were you I would get him a dwarf gourami or honey gourami and a few more guppies also maybe some snails. And a piece of driftwood with some more live plants

 

It’s great to have him interested in the same hobby as me. He is really asking questions non stop, I love it!!!!!

He really loves the cherry shrimp (showed him online), also a/pair dwarf gourami is always an option. However he is really stuck on a pair of GBRs, it’s hard to explain that not all are compatible. I know shrimp could easily become a snack for the GBR.

Our current plan is to wait a little before adding more livestock. I did quick cycle the tank with seeded material but I’m still worried about the parameters. I’m checking levels daily with API master kit. He would be sad if we have any die offs, but would be fine. He has seen the trials and tribulations with the other tanks.

Figure I should update:

He is still loving the hobby and is being extremely responsible!!! I am pretty certain the tank is cycled completely. Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate between 5-10. (All tested with master kit)

He has decided with some guidance what he wants to stock

He already has 3 guppies

Wants to add:
10 red cherry shrimp
10 celestial pearl danios

And he is hoping the cockatoo apistos have some babies to put in his.

He also keeps reminding me we need to go slow on adding more fish so everyone stays healthy.

We are adding some driftwood or rocks this weekend

 

You are doing a great job with your tank young man! And I am so proud of you for knowing so much about aquariums at your age. My kids are like that too because they help me in my tanks. I think you definitely need some Mystery Snails. They are fun because they come in a LOT of different colors and get to be pretty big for a snail. You can even hold them because they can breathe air. So that makes them pretty special. Most things we have in our tanks we can't hold. My kids love them (13 and 5) and each tank has colorful snails. You can remove any egg clutches you get because they lay eggs above the water! That way you can decide if you want more snails or not.


Plus they are super silly, and add lots of fun to any tank! Here is one of my purple snails climbing over a moss ball. They like to have adventures inside of the tank. Sometimes they like to climb all the way up to the top of the wall and then jump down just for the fun of it. You know you get a silly snail when they jump down and climb back up to do it all over again. : )



You can see their little faces, and sometimes they will climb up the glass to tell you hello!



And here is one of my striped Magentas being silly and jumping. : )

I think you should also get some tall plants for the back of the tank, maybe some Jungle Val or a couple big Sword Plants. That would look nice and be good for the fish to play in. : )
You are off to a great start and I can't wait to see what you do with your tank. You are awesome!

 

I was gonna say the same thing, I think a mystery snail or 2 would b a great addition. They are so cute and silly. I loved watching them when I had them and can't wait to get some more

 

I agree mystery snails would be a good addition but it’s his choice

I just spoke to him, no school today we had a bunch of medical appointments. He loves the idea of the taller plants (I just need to make sure they will grow well with the lighting he has)

I showed him the pics of the snails he also likes those but made me double check their bioload. He knows too much about aquariums a little scary for such a little guy.

 

This is awesome. My 3 year old is obsessed also. But at that age he just helps feed and holds Wc buckets. And helps me carry them. Its amazing to find things to bond over. Great looking tank!

 

This is awesome. My 3 year old is obsessed also. But at that age he just helps feed and holds Wc buckets. And helps me carry them. Its amazing to find things to bond over. Great looking tank!

That’s great just wait!!! By 4 or so he was begging me for his own.... I’m so much happier to have him into pets then video games and stuff like most of his friends.

Plus nothing is better then quality time with the family

 

I agree mystery snails would be a good addition but it’s his choice 12]

I just spoke to him, no school today we had a bunch of medical appointments. He loves the idea of the taller plants (I just need to make sure they will grow well with the lighting he has)

I showed him the pics of the snails he also likes those but made me double check their bioload. He knows too much about aquariums a little scary for such a little guy.

You would be more than fine with up to 4 or 5 in a 20 gallon with weekly water changes! : )

 

You would be more than fine with up to 4 or 5 in a 20 gallon with weekly water changes! : )

Yup for sure I just never had any so did a quick google/aqadvisor search.

I also realize why we haven’t had any mystery snails. They are not common to find in my lfs

 

Very cool that you are doing this with your son. I'm sure it is going to make great memories. I built a 10 gallon Betta tank for my daughter (now 2 1/2), but quickly got sucked into the hobby and I'm in the process of upgrading to a 20 Long.

I think a tall, triangular shaped piece of driftwood would look really cool in that tank personally (but then again, I love driftwood lol).

Also, very good that you're taking it slow. One thing I've learned through this hobby, is that patience is very important. Took me almost 2 months to cycle my tank using liquid ammonia.

And most importantly, welcome to the hobby!

 

That sounds like my life. I was out of the hobby for a couple years when I decided to dust off a old one for my daughter.(about 8-9years ago).

Before I knew it I had that old one running plus another 90 gallon. The old one broke during a move, the 90 also broke. So for a while was just a 55 gallon.

I’m picking up a used 5 and 10 gallon on Friday. I officially have a case of MTS, not sure how to tell my wife she’s not into the hobby. Also not sure what we are going to do with them. Watch out before you know it you’ll have a fish room.

As for cycling I was lucky I had a hob (also running canister) on my 55 took all the media from there really jump started the cycle. Actually think it was almost an instant cycle but being cautious.

 

Wow he took my idea! This makes me happy! What grade are the Cherry Shrimp?

 

Wow he took my idea! This makes me happy! What grade are the Cherry Shrimp?

No clue we are looking to add some in the future. I don’t have much experience with cherry shrimp.

 

No worries, Cherry Shrimp are the hardiest of them all and perfect for starting out. I recently just started with them and am very happy. Not picky at all like a lot of other shrimp. Also, I have some young Mystery Snails that I would be willing to donate to the cause once you are ready to ready to go that route! All I would ask is that you cover shipping. I have Gold, Jade, Ivory, and Purple. I know you are taking things slow, but just putting it out there for whenever you are ready if you can't find them locally.

 

No worries, Cherry Shrimp are the hardiest of them all and perfect for starting out. I recently just started with them and am very happy. Not picky at all like a lot of other shrimp. Also, I have some young Mystery Snails that I would be willing to donate to the cause once you are ready to ready to go that route! All I would ask is that you cover shipping. I have Gold, Jade, Ivory, and Purple. I know you are taking things slow, but just putting it out there for whenever you are ready if you can't find them locally.

That’s what I heard about them being hearty. I still think I’ll(he agrees) to add those close to last. I’d rather really make sure the aquarium is quite mature.

Thank you for the offer for the mystery snail. However we are in Canada and besides the shipping cost from what I’ve heard it is illegal to send snails over the border.

I believe this afternoon I’m going to surprise him with a trip to our lfs. We still only have the 3 guppies and the couple mts snails. He has his heart set on celestial pearl danios. They had quite a few in stock hopefully they still have.

 

That’s what I heard about them being hearty. I still think I’ll(he agrees) to add those close to last. I’d rather really make sure the aquarium is quite mature.

Thank you for the offer for the mystery snail. However we are in Canada and besides the shipping cost from what I’ve heard it is illegal to send snails over the border.

I believe this afternoon I’m going to surprise him with a trip to our lfs. We still only have the 3 guppies and the couple mts snails. He has his heart set on celestial pearl danios. They had quite a few in stock hopefully they still have.

That sounds very cool! I love danios they will look cool in his tank! =)

 

Oh, well that's a shame, I didn't know that you couldn't ship Mystery Snails to CA, sorry about that. I hope you are able to find some goodies at the lfs today! I'm sure he will be ecstatic either way. : ) Have fun!

 

They had no celestial pearl danios,according to my lfs they can be nippy so wouldn’t be good. I never heard that before but will do more research.

So we ended up with cherry barbs. He loved them and seems to go well with our stocking plan (nothing ever goes exactly to plan).

We will post some pics tomorrow once they’re acclimatized and lights are back on.

 

They had no celestial pearl danios,according to my lfs they can be nippy so wouldn’t be good. I never heard that before but will do more research.

So we ended up with cherry barbs. He loved them and seems to go well with our stocking plan (nothing ever goes exactly to plan).

We will post some pics tomorrow once they’re acclimatized and lights are back on.

I've kept CPDs with my Betta for 10 or so months and not had any issues. Males will spar so the M:F ratio should favor the females. I've not heard of them being nippy either.

 

They had no celestial pearl danios,according to my lfs they can be nippy so wouldn’t be good. I never heard that before but will do more research.

So we ended up with cherry barbs. He loved them and seems to go well with our stocking plan (nothing ever goes exactly to plan).

We will post some pics tomorrow once they’re acclimatized and lights are back on.

Sounds cool! I have always liked cherry Barb's but have never been able to get them =( I hope his tank will work great!

 

Great kid and good responses and interaction here.
Here is a list of some cool snails for you to think about.

As for shrimp many varieties available. I have yellow, yellow with white strips, red, and blue shrimp in my tank. I just carefully select my fish so my shrimp aren’t their dinner.
As for fish I agree with the ember tetras they are cool. I also like rasboras and danios.

 

Here is what my son has to say. (In his words)

Thank you all I am trying to be good to the fishies. It’s hard but my dad is helping and he knows his stuff.

The cherry barbs are good and seem to be getting along with the others. We did some looking and found out they do better in bigger groups so we will get more soon.

My dad found some VERY red cherry shrimps and pink & blue Ramshorn snails. We are going to get them Sunday I think but I don’t know if I should get the blue or pink. (I told him to get a couple of both)

We have never had cherry shrimp only Amano, ghost and fan shrimp. Is there anything special I need before getting them. (I told him already has a good cave/hiding spot and we can get him a moss ball or other plants)

Here is how everyone looks today. I know it’s hard to see everyone sorry


Once again thank you all for being so nice and helpful to him. He seems to trust your opinions as much or more then mine.

 

Looks great buddy. I agree get a few of each snail. I like those snails as well.

about the shrimp mine love to hide in my java moss. So much so I rarely see them. Get a few and see if you can get some babies!!

 

Here is what my son has to say. (In his words)

Thank you all I am trying to be good to the fishies. It’s hard but my dad is helping and he knows his stuff.

The cherry barbs are good and seem to be getting along with the others. We did some looking and found out they do better in bigger groups so we will get more soon.

My dad found some VERY red cherry shrimps and pink & blue Ramshorn snails. We are going to get them Sunday I think but I don’t know if I should get the blue or pink. (I told him to get a couple of both)

We have never had cherry shrimp only Amano, ghost and fan shrimp. Is there anything special I need before getting them. (I told him already has a good cave/hiding spot and we can get him a moss ball or other plants)

Here is how everyone looks today. I know it’s hard to see everyone sorry

Once again thank you all for being so nice and helpful to him. He seems to trust your opinions as much or more then mine.

Tell him that I think it looks great and I hope that he loves the hobby. My mom got me a fish tank for my birthday a year ago and now I have three tanks lol.

 

Today we added 10 red cherry shrimp, 3 blue ramshorn snails, 3 pink ramshorn snails and a moss ball. He had been researching the rcs and said most people say they need moss, he needed to get! Then made me get a moss ball since I was also adding shrimp to my tank.

He said he will have me post a pic once everyone is settled.

My son made me promise to post these pics (which he took). Also the captions are his also

This is one of the female shrimp, the males are less colorful.




Here are the ramshorn snails I put 3 of each color (blue and pink)





And finally the tank shot, Nemo fell down I will need to fix him soon.

 

My son made me promise to post these pics (which he took). Also the captions are his also

This is one of the female shrimp, the males are less colorful.

View attachment 629341

Here are the ramshorn snails I put 3 of each color (blue and pink)

View attachment 629344View attachment 629345

And finally the tank shot, Nemo fell down I will need to fix him soon.

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Those look cool bud I hope you love the hobby!=)

 

In my sons words:

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had my dad update on my tank. He got some fish and aquariums from someone who didn’t want them anymore.
I asked him for the black neon tetras, he gave them to me.

I now have:
4 black neon tetras
3 guppies
4 rosy barbs
I think 10 cherry shrimp they are always hiding so I hope they are all ok
6 ramshorn snails
Mts snails


Today I helped him cleanup the family tank. We decided to neaten up his Java Fern it was growing and spreading like crazy. So now I have a lot of it in my tank.

Hope you all like how it looks now.

 

Looks great. My cherry shrimp hid a lot too until I had some algae growth. Make sure you feed them some shrimp food or algae wafers until you get some natural algae growth for them to eat.

 

In my sons words:

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had my dad update on my tank. He got some fish and aquariums from someone who didn’t want them anymore.
I asked him for the black neon tetras, he gave them to me.

I now have:
4 black neon tetras
3 guppies
4 rosy barbs
I think 10 cherry shrimp they are always hiding so I hope they are all ok
6 ramshorn snails
Mts snails


Today I helped him cleanup the family tank. We decided to neaten up his Java Fern it was growing and spreading like crazy. So now I have a lot of it in my tank.

Hope you all like how it looks now.

View attachment 634550

Your tank looks amazing young man. I’ve read your entire build thread just now.
you don’t like to have a backdrop? I didn’t like the preprinted ones available. So I went to Walmart and got black poster board. Plants really “pop” in front of it.

 

This is really awesome! Love the tank, glad it’s going well. My dad got me into this when I was about your age, so this is really cool for me to see someone else start young. Just be warned, once you start getting serious they won’t want to pay for all of it lol! My dad’s always complaining about how when he was a kid he had cheap fish and I want 200 dollar fish...
Good luck! Hope to see more pictures! The black neons look amazing, they’re one of my favorite kind of tetra.
Do you have any other plans for the tank?

 

Looks great. My cherry shrimp hid a lot too until I had some algae growth. Make sure you feed them some shrimp food or algae wafers until you get some natural algae growth for them to eat.

Thanks!!! There is some brown algae growing my dad says they are diatoms (I think). We do give algae wafers every few days to make sure they eat well. The shrimp also seem to be eating stuff off the plants.

Your tank looks amazing young man. I’ve read your entire build thread just now.
you don’t like to have a backdrop? I didn’t like the preprinted ones available. So I went to Walmart and got black poster board. Plants really “pop” in front of it.

Thank you! I never really thought of putting a background. My daddy’s tank doesn’t he doesn’t like the printed ones either. The idea of just black poster board sounds nice, he is even thinking of that for his tank.

This is really awesome! Love the tank, glad it’s going well. My dad got me into this when I was about your age, so this is really cool for me to see someone else start young. Just be warned, once you start getting serious they won’t want to pay for all of it lol! My dad’s always complaining about how when he was a kid he had cheap fish and I want 200 dollar fish...
Good luck! Hope to see more pictures! The black neons look amazing, they’re one of my favorite kind of tetra.
Do you have any other plans for the tank?

Thank you!! We did a lot of work yesterday adding all those plants. My dad says the same thing about expensive fish. I right now I have easy fish but I keep asking for another tank so I can get some other types. (dad talking I said I’m happy to share a bigger tank with some more delicate/unique fish but the wife vetoed it). My dad keeps saying I have a case of MTS I tell him like daddy like son. You should hear what he wants but mommy keeps saying no and that 2 tanks are enough. He has at least 2 more complete setups waiting in the garage.
My plan is to wait a little to see how the plants grow and if the shrimp have a lot of babies. I really really want some celestial pearl danios but we cannot find any nearby we like