Amazing Goodwill find!! Help with ideas?

Was just planning on having a normal trip to Goodwill with my boyfriend. But instead I found a practically brand new 15 (20?) gallon tank! Boyfriend definitely was trying to talk me out of it but once I saw that it was only 15 dollars, I had to. My mom will not be so happy about this amazing find either, but come on!! Wouldn’t you have bought it too?


For some background information I already have 4 tanks, a 75g fire belly toad paludarium, two 6g betta tanks, and a 3.3g shrimp colony. It wouldn’t be too overwhelming for me to manage another tank. My frog tank practically runs itself, same thing with my shrimp colony. The only real maintenance I do is with my betta tanks. (Besides water changes) So, I have two options. I was thinking I should upgrade one of my bettas to this tank, however then I’d have an empty 6 gallon with no purpose. Or I could attempt a fishless cycle and have some kind of other fish. I really have no idea what to stock this with if I don’t upgrade my betta. As far as my betta tanks, I also am almost done doing in fish cycles with both tanks as my oldest tank crashed and I had to restart (had no idea you weren’t supposed to wash filter media, silly me), and my newest tank was a betta rescue that I quickly had to create a tank for. My parameters have remained steady in both tanks for almost 4 weeks now. I do a 25% water change every other day if not everyday. But this leads me to wonder how difficult it is to move tanks? Would it be worth it to upgrade one of my bettas in the 15 gal, or would the cycle crash on me again? I would probably need a stronger filter system if I did move him to the larger tank. Plus I’d need to be able to put the new tank where his old tank is, which would just be a lot of work. ( I saw a previous thread about switching tanks around, it seems difficult) Curious as to what you guys think about this.
Edit: Boyfriend just suggested attempting a saltwater tank. This, however, terrifies me. I have no knowledge on saltwater fish. All I know is that it burns and can be hard to manage. I prefer freshwater, but maybe someone here can change my mind.

 

This is MTS in action folks

 

This is MTS in action folks

C’mon!! It’s not too bad! At least I don’t have a whole rack of aquariums. Yet..

But seriously!! I have no idea what to do next!

 

C’mon!! It’s not too bad! At least I don’t have a whole rack of aquariums. Yet..

But seriously!! I have no idea what to do next!

You could do freshwater or brackish water pufferfish. I am obsessed with them right now. They are pretty CUTEE. Or if it is a 15 gallon, You could do about 20 ember tetras or endlers (males). There are so many options. I would keep the betta in the 6 gallon

 

You could do freshwater or brackish water pufferfish. I am obsessed with them right now. They are pretty CUTEE. Or if it is a 15 gallon, You could do about 20 ember tetras or endlers (males). There are so many options. I would keep the betta in the 6 gallon

Pea puffers are really cute. But I’ve heard that puffers are very aggressive. Would I only be able to keep one? I’m not very interested in schooling fish, I prefer shrimp to small fish. My little sister is begging me to get some kind of pleco, but I’m unsure if it would outgrow the tank.

 

Dang and here i thiught findo g a 90 gal tank with stand on craigslist in my area was a good deal....! When it comes to envy, i am green!

 

Dang and here i thiught findo g a 90 gal tank with stand on craigslist in my area was a good deal....! When it comes to envy, i am green!

I am so excited! Now it’s just sitting on my bed. I can’t tell if it’s 15 or 20 gallon long.

 

I would measure it. 24 inches it is a 15 long, 30 inches it is a 20 long. Looks far too short in height to be a 20 tall

 

Nice find...I was thinking from the pic that it looked a little too big to be a 15. 20 long is my guess.

 

Nice find...I was thinking from the pic that it looked a little too big to be a 15. 20 long is my guess.

Its definitely a 20 long! The light it came with works, but I have no idea what kind it is. It emits a pinkish hue.

I wonder what it was previously used for. The light is really pretty. Would it be okay for an aquarium with plants?

 

Its definitely a 20 long! The light it came with works, but I have no idea what kind it is. It emits a pinkish hue.
I wonder what it was previously used for. The light is really pretty. Would it be okay for an aquarium with plants?

Is there any model number on the light? Might give you some insight. With that hue it almost looks like possibly a reptile light which may give off heat, I would double check after leaving it on to see if it emits any heat.

 

Is there any model number on the light? Might give you some insight. With that hue it almost looks like possibly a reptile light which may give off heat, I would double check after leaving it on to see if it emits any heat.

I totally didn’t see the giant sticker on the back of it. Duh. It’s an Aqueon aquarium tube fluorescent strip light. It retails around $30, but the reviews on it all say it stopped working after a while. This thing looks pretty old however, and works just fine from what I can see.

 

I totally didn’t see the giant sticker on the back of it. Duh. It’s an Aqueon aquarium tube fluorescent strip light. It retails around $30, but the reviews on it all say it stopped working after a while. This thing looks pretty old however, and works just fine from what I can see.

The older lights give off some heat from the ones I had so just double check your temps when it's on vs off and I think you're good to go!

 

1. Upgrade a betta to the 20L and give it some tank mates and upgrade your shrimp colony to his old 6g.
2. a new type of tank like black water or brackish
3. I’ve recently been really wanting a Panther Crab, and 20L is the recommended size for them.
4. Set it up as a breeder tank for something small and easy that you can trade to your LFS for some money to help your hobby, you could do shrimp and fancy guppies together in there.

also smaller breeds of pleco like bushynose, rubberlip, or clown would be fine in a 20, just avoid the common plecos. And I’d love to see the frog tank set up, you should post a pic

 

What a great find, why do I never find stuff like that over here
Keep us posted on what you’re going to do with it

 

Was just planning on having a normal trip to Goodwill with my boyfriend. But instead I found a practically brand new 15 (20?) gallon tank! Boyfriend definitely was trying to talk me out of it but once I saw that it was only 15 dollars, I had to. My mom will not be so happy about this amazing find either, but come on!! Wouldn’t you have bought it too?
View attachment 792220
For some background information I already have 4 tanks, a 75g fire belly toad paludarium, two 6g betta tanks, and a 3.3g shrimp colony. It wouldn’t be too overwhelming for me to manage another tank. My frog tank practically runs itself, same thing with my shrimp colony. The only real maintenance I do is with my betta tanks. (Besides water changes) So, I have two options. I was thinking I should upgrade one of my bettas to this tank, however then I’d have an empty 6 gallon with no purpose. Or I could attempt a fishless cycle and have some kind of other fish. I really have no idea what to stock this with if I don’t upgrade my betta. As far as my betta tanks, I also am almost done doing in fish cycles with both tanks as my oldest tank crashed and I had to restart (had no idea you weren’t supposed to wash filter media, silly me), and my newest tank was a betta rescue that I quickly had to create a tank for. My parameters have remained steady in both tanks for almost 4 weeks now. I do a 25% water change every other day if not everyday. But this leads me to wonder how difficult it is to move tanks? Would it be worth it to upgrade one of my bettas in the 15 gal, or would the cycle crash on me again? I would probably need a stronger filter system if I did move him to the larger tank. Plus I’d need to be able to put the new tank where his old tank is, which would just be a lot of work. ( I saw a previous thread about switching tanks around, it seems difficult) Curious as to what you guys think about this.
Edit: Boyfriend just suggested attempting a saltwater tank. This, however, terrifies me. I have no knowledge on saltwater fish. All I know is that it burns and can be hard to manage. I prefer freshwater, but maybe someone here can change my mind.

You could always use the empty tank as a hospital tank if any one gets sick. Or a quarantine tank before adding anything.

You could always use the empty tank as a hospital tank if any one gets sick. Or a quarantine tank before adding anything.

If upgrading betta, put as much of the media from the old tank into new tank. This will help with cycling.

 

I don't know....you go out for one thing....and go home with an aquarium instead....tsk tsk tsk

Definitely an incurable case of MTS.....there is no hope for you...too far gone to be cured now.....

Welcome to the MTS club

 

In my experience, the best thing (idea) to do with a 20 long is to put it next to a bunch of other 20 longs. You could get five more, then do a rack of 3 on each side of your 75 paladarium. That would look fantastic.

 

Nice! Every time I see tanks at goodwill around here, they're usually not in the best shape. If your water is soft enough, you could try a blackwater tank.

 

If you want to take the dive in to saltwater you could start with brackish. How about an Axolotl?! I love those guys, I don’t know a ton about them so I could be wrong but I think that a 20 long is good for an adult.

 

You could do a breeding project/ colony of some sort.. peacock gudgeons would be fun, and look fantastic!

 

You could do a breeding project/ colony of some sort.. peacock gudgeons would be fun, and look fantastic!

I have a 75 gallon, still being set up, but I want some peacock gudgeons

 

1. Upgrade a betta to the 20L and give it some tank mates and upgrade your shrimp colony to his old 6g.
2. a new type of tank like black water or brackish
3. I’ve recently been really wanting a Panther Crab, and 20L is the recommended size for them.
4. Set it up as a breeder tank for something small and easy that you can trade to your LFS for some money to help your hobby, you could do shrimp and fancy guppies together in there.

also smaller breeds of pleco like bushynose, rubberlip, or clown would be fine in a 20, just avoid the common plecos. And I’d love to see the frog tank set up, you should post a pic

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions!! I am very divided on what I should do, because all of these ideas are so plausible. If I was to upgrade one of my bettas, it would for sure be my marble betta iris. He is starting to look more and more like a King/Giant betta everyday, and although he is active and happy in his 6g (he is still a young color changing lad, I’d say around 4-6 months old, and is already way bigger than my older betta) I can’t help but feel like he would be happier in the 20L. But moving his entire 6g tank into the 20L sounds like it would restart my cycle again. Blackwater tanks interest me but my water is fairly hard. I’ve never looked into Panther Crabs, but I’ll have to look them up. A breeder tank would be fun and interesting. Especially because I’m thinking of applying at my LFS, and am starting to get to know the owner more. I could easily bring up supplying them with some kind of shrimp or small fish. However I only have knowledge of how shrimp breed, and am unsure of how to breed guppies. I will do more research on guppies, I know that a lot of people have mixed opinions on them. Would any type of live bearer be able to live in the 20L? As for the plecos, my sister really wants me to get one. I think the bristlenoses are pretty cute, so I’ll check those out.

What a great find, why do I never find stuff like that over here
Keep us posted on what you’re going to do with it

Aw thanks, and of course, once I decide what I’m actually going to stock it with, I will then start cleaning out the neon orange gravel bits that are left inside of it. After that I’ll probably fill it with sand and stare at it for a while . I’m thinking a large wood centerpiece.

 

African shell-dwellers would be another fun option if you can find some. As for a pleco, I would probably just stick with one clown pleco (although keep in mind they tend to be shy and don’t really eat algae). In my experience, bristlenoses get a bit big for a 20 long and can become aggressive/territorial in a smaller space.

 

You could always use the empty tank as a hospital tank if any one gets sick. Or a quarantine tank before adding anything.

If upgrading betta, put as much of the media from the old tank into new tank. This will help with cycling.

That would be a pretty big hospital tank! But that is a good idea, I usually just use a 5 gallon bucket lol.

I’m worried about moving my betta, as I really don’t want to crash my cycle again. I have an air sponge and a Zoo med betta clean 10 gal filter, and tons of plants in with him.

African shell-dwellers would be another fun option if you can find some. As for a pleco, I would probably just stick with one clown pleco (although keep in mind they tend to be shy and don’t really eat algae). In my experience, bristlenoses get a bit big for a 20 long and can become aggressive/territorial in a smaller space.

Shell dwellers are adorable. Yeah, I was thinking any kind of pleco might be too much for the tank, my sister is just obsessed with them for some reason. I honestly think they are cute but I’m not going to be paying $40 for something I’ll hardly see.

I don't know....you go out for one thing....and go home with an aquarium instead....tsk tsk tsk

Definitely an incurable case of MTS.....there is no hope for you...too far gone to be cured now.....

Welcome to the MTS club

You are so right lol! But I had to buy it!! I mean $15 for a tank I could have easily paid quadruple the price for. Now I have an extra summer project

In my experience, the best thing (idea) to do with a 20 long is to put it next to a bunch of other 20 longs. You could get five more, then do a rack of 3 on each side of your 75 paladarium. That would look fantastic.

If only I had a giant fish room to do that with, that sounds pretty glorious. My frog tank is right in the corner of my room, I gotta post a picture of it for Delcos!

Nice! Every time I see tanks at goodwill around here, they're usually not in the best shape. If your water is soft enough, you could try a blackwater tank.

Sadly my water is on the harder side. I love the look of blackwater though. The tank is honestly in pretty fair condition! All it needs is a good cleaning. Came with a lid and a light too!

If you want to take the dive in to saltwater you could start with brackish. How about an Axolotl?! I love those guys, I don’t know a ton about them so I could be wrong but I think that a 20 long is good for an adult.

I live in California! I don’t know how to go about acquiring an axolotl here.

 

As long as you move over the filter to the new tank the cycle won’t crash.

 

You could do a breeding project/ colony of some sort.. peacock gudgeons would be fun, and look fantastic!

Peacock Gudgeons are beautiful! I really like their colors. I’m interested in breeding, but it would have to be fairly simple.

As long as you move over the filter to the new tank the cycle won’t crash.

Okay. If I do move him into the tank I’ll use all his old filter media, decorations, and gravel. I would want it to be a community tank. My only idea is having shrimp and maybe some rabbit snails? I also think mystery snails are very cute. I don’t know what else I’d really have in there, as I’m not the biggest fan of small schooling fish, I’ve never seen one that’s captured my attention.

And I’d love to see the frog tank set up, you should post a pic

Here it is! I’ve had these boys for about two years now. From a 10g to this

 

I was cleaning my side yard yesterday and totally forgot my sister gave me here 30 gallon tank....I'm debating on getting that one up and running as well but am just not sure if my wife will kill me or not so for now it is still bagged up until I decide to go for it haha.
Good score!

 

View attachment 792276
I totally didn’t see the giant sticker on the back of it. Duh. It’s an Aqueon aquarium tube fluorescent strip light. It retails around $30, but the reviews on it all say it stopped working after a while. This thing looks pretty old however, and works just fine from what I can see.

I have a hood light like this on my 5g tank. They are T8 bulbs. My lfs sells them. I have the Powerglo brand bulb. My plants grew good with it. Im not sure on the pink one though.

 

Just wondering, you say you don’t like small schooling fish.. have you tried kuhli loaches? Otocinclus (I hear they’re a bit tricky at first but get easier once they settle in,)? Cory cats? Harlequin rasboras, maybe? Norman’s lamp eye killifish? Micro rasboras? I’m just listing a few to give you ideas in case you do decide to try a betta community tank, these are schooling fish that catch my interest

 

Just wondering, you say you don’t like small schooling fish.. have you tried kuhli loaches? Otocinclus (I hear they’re a bit tricky at first but get easier once they settle in,)? Cory cats? Harlequin rasboras, maybe? Norman’s lamp eye killifish? Micro rasboras? I’m just listing a few to give you ideas in case you do decide to try a betta community tank, these are schooling fish that catch my interest

Oh wow! Those are actually great suggestions. Kuhlis are quite strange, I wonder how my betta would react to them. Otos are interesting and super cute but I’ve heard horror stories about them getting sick super easily. How many otos can you keep with a betta fish? Cory cats are also a really good option, but I’m unfamiliar with their behavior, and how many I can keep together. Harlequin Rasboras and the lamp eyes aren’t as interesting to me, but the micro Rasboras are super pretty and colorful. I guess I just tend to think most small schooling fish are boring looking, but these are amazing options.

 

Oh wow! Those are actually great suggestions. Kuhlis are quite strange, I wonder how my betta would react to them. Otos are interesting and super cute but I’ve heard horror stories about them getting sick super easily. How many otos can you keep with a betta fish? Cory cats are also a really good option, but I’m unfamiliar with their behavior, and how many I can keep together. Harlequin Rasboras and the lamp eyes aren’t as interesting to me, but the micro Rasboras are super pretty and colorful. I guess I just tend to think most small schooling fish are boring looking, but these are amazing options.

Chili Rasboras are pretty cool looking little fish. Really red and colorful.

 

Chili Rasboras are pretty cool looking little fish. Really red and colorful.

I actually really like their colors. They are super cute. Maybe I’m just used to thinking of schooling fish as boring and bland because I’ve only seen the surface of what’s available.

 

...However I only have knowledge of how shrimp breed, and am unsure of how to breed guppies.

Step 1: Buy at least one male and at least one female guppy.
Step 2: You will now have an endless source of guppies.

There you go! That's how to breed guppies.

It gets SLIGHTLY more complicated (e.g. having more hiding places for fry makes them less likely to get eaten) but really, that's all it takes. Heck, sometimes you don't even need a male if the female is already pregnant! If you're looking to supply a LFS, you'll likely do best with a singular, in-demand strain. If it's for fun, buy a handful of them out of the feeder tank for a couple bucks and watch the genetics go!

 

Otos are interesting and super cute but I’ve heard horror stories about them getting sick super easily. How many otos can you keep with a betta fish?

In my own experience Otocinclus are very hardy. As an uninformed beginner I put a single Oto cat which is a schooling fish in an uncycled 10 gal and he was fine. Of course I feel awful about it now, I didn’t have any live plants and I barely fed him. I feel so bad about doing that but that little guy survived. Now I have gotten him friends and he eats algae, algae wafers, and veggies. I have found them to be quite the tough little guys. Mine survived that so I am sure if you precycle the tank and put in a rock or something with algae to get a bit of that growing along with some live plants they would be just fine. The only problem I have ever had with them is I used a net and got one of them stuck by the barbel, needless to say I don’t use nets with my Otos anymore. That’s my tip! Oh and mine seem to really love spinach!

 

Update: I’ve been cycling the tank and have decorated it a bit.




So far, I’m set on having a betta community tank. I have already purchased my betta. This is due to the fact that I’ve been eyeing him at my LFS and after seeing him there every few weeks, I saw that he developed cloudy eyes and velvet, so I decided that it was the best decision to home him and treat him in a heated 1 gal jar for the mean time.

He’s already made a lot of improvement in his cloudiness, and the golden dust is becoming less noticeable. I’ve been treating him with aquarium salt and regular water changes of course. I knew that if I left him at the pet store in his small container his health would continue to decline, and being such a beautiful dumbo, I knew he had to have a second chance.
Along with the betta, I’m set on having chili rasboras and amano shrimp. That’s all I’m for sure on for stocking right now.
I still need a heater for the tank, so before I get that set up I cannot start stocking, but I think my cycle is close to being finished, since I’ve been seeing nitrates, despite the lack of heater the beneficial bacteria seemed to have prevailed!
Oh, Ive also stuck a large amount of pothos and a polka dot plant inside and in front of the filter for some extra filtration.

Gotta keep pushing forward! Need a lot more plants

 

Nice! Beautiful betta, hope he makes a speedy recovery!

 

Nice thread!! Tank looks great! Yes that light is old!! It has a starter for the fluorescent. Havnt used then in about 30yrs . I’d replace the light. Get a led canbe bought cheap on eBay. Look into vivagrow 24/7.

 

Just wondering, you say you don’t like small schooling fish.. have you tried kuhli loaches? Otocinclus (I hear they’re a bit tricky at first but get easier once they settle in,)? Cory cats? Harlequin rasboras, maybe? Norman’s lamp eye killifish? Micro rasboras? I’m just listing a few to give you ideas in case you do decide to try a betta community tank, these are schooling fish that catch my interest

Just picked up 4 Cory cats for the 20L! I’m excited to see how they act together. I’m going to let them float for a while to get my betta adjusted to them after moving around the decorations

 

20 L = 5.2 gallons.
All I can say is keep an eye on the water parameters by doing extra water changes to your normal routine. I would normally not recommend even a ten gallon footprint for corydoras. And choose not to keep them in tanks under 40 gallons in schools of 8 plus myself.