Complete Beginner with 20gallon long tank

Hello all, I am a complete newbie to all of this so here it goes.. I have received a 20 gallon long tank and have 1 Dwarf Gourami, 1 Green Cory Catfish, and 1 X-ray fish... the tank has a layer of gravel, 2 fake plants, a filter, and an airater. I was just wondering if I could comfortably house anymore fish. and if so, what species. or if I would need more plants or anything like this.. any help would greatly be appreciated.

thanks,

matt

 

I have never heard of a x-ray fish by any chance could it be a thaI galss cat fish? could u post some pics

Peace Out Callum!

 

that is what it looks like. only mine has less color and is more translucent

 

that is what it looks like. only mine has less color and is more translucent

sorry can't help u there

Pecae Out Callum!

 

X-Ray fish are also known as pristella tetras.

You should add at least 5 more "X-Ray fish" and at least 3 more green cories because these are schooling fish, I would also recommend adding a female or male dwarf gourmI to make yours a pair for better coloration from them.

 

X-Ray fish are also known as pristella tetras.

You should add at least 5 more "X-Ray fish" and at least 3 more green cories because these are schooling fish, I would also recommend adding a female or male dwarf gourmI to make yours a pair for better coloration from them.

thank you for the help! how can you tell if a dwarf gourami is male or female? also would you think that my temp is ok? its at 82 degrees F

 

adding another gourami should be ok, but could bring some territorial issues into play if they begin to feel crowded. check: https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-DwarfGourami.htm for more info on them. the females usually have less color.

welcome to fishlore and best of luck with your tank.

 

adding another gourami should be ok, but could bring some territorial issues into play if they begin to feel crowded. check: https://www.fishlore.com/Profiles-DwarfGourami.htm for more info on them. the females usually have less color.

welcome to fishlore and best of luck with your tank.

ok, thanks! that link is very helpful.

 

here is another link on a site that everyone trusts...one of the best info sites...

 

wow thank, you guys are so helpful.. I'm glad I can be accepted so fast on this forum.

 

no prob.. and I also gladly take cash or precious metals as gifts.. :;jk :;jk

 

if you don't pay up, the "FISH ALIEN GALACTIC OVERLORD" (aka. FLBettaCouple) will take your fish...when you get them...and store them aboard their ship, and eventually sell them on aquabid.com or something of the likes

 

One thing I did notice is that your temp is a tad high...I would consider gradually lowering to around 76-78 degrees over a couplde of days. A drastic temp drop could cause the fish to stress out.

I would also consider adding 2 more cory cats....Corys like to be in groups to be happy. Adding two more would accomplish that. It appears that you have the room for them.

Have you cycled the tank yet or are you adding these fish and cycling at the same time? If cycling with fish, I would recommend treating your water with Prime. This will make the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates that will build up during the cycle less toxic to the fish.

 

One thing I did notice is that your temp is a tad high...I would consider gradually lowering to around 76-78 degrees over a couplde of days. A drastic temp drop could cause the fish to stress out.

I would also consider adding 2 more cory cats....Corys like to be in groups to be happy. Adding two more would accomplish that. It appears that you have the room for them.

Have you cycled the tank yet or are you adding these fish and cycling at the same time? If cycling with fish, I would recommend treating your water with Prime. This will make the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates that will build up during the cycle less toxic to the fish.

OK, I will definitly pick up a couple corys next time I go into town.. yes I do have the fish in while cycling.. I had no clue when I first put them in. I have put the recommended dose of API's Stress Zyme, and the reccomended dose of Aquarium Salt.. I'm not sure if the Stress Zyme is the same thing as Prime so please help me on that one.

 

You will want to eliminate the aquarium salt with cories. Cories generally cannot tollerate salt and it's not needed with the other two species of fish you are keeping...I'm not familiar with stress zyme, but the idea is to use a product that will lock up ammonia and nitrites to keep them in their non toxic state. If the stress zyme does that you're OK....Otherwise I would pick up some Prime and switch to that. It will treat the water and will replace other electrolites that are removed when doing water changes.

Have you gotten a good test kit? If not, most of us on this site use and recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Freshwater Test Kit. It is a liquid based kit that is far more reliable than test strips that most stores sell or come with aquarium kits. You can get it on line atpetsmart. Typically they're under $20.

You'll want to test your water regularly and change 25-30% of your water daily while going through the cycle.

 

You will want to eliminate the aquarium salt with cories. Cories generally cannot tollerate salt and it's not needed with the other two species of fish you are keeping...I'm not familiar with stress zyme, but the idea is to use a product that will lock up ammonia and nitrites to keep them in their non toxic state. If the stress zyme does that you're OK....Otherwise I would pick up some Prime and switch to that. It will treat the water and will replace other electrolites that are removed when doing water changes.

Have you gotten a good test kit? If not, most of us on this site use and recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Master Freshwater Test Kit. It is a liquid based kit that is far more reliable than test strips that most stores sell or come with aquarium kits. You can get it on line atpetsmart. Typically they're under $20.

You'll want to test your water regularly and change 25-30% of your water daily while going through the cycle.

ok so, Pick up prime, pick up test kits. No salt. sounds good. But I'm supposed to do a 5 gallon change each day? What is the easiest way of doing this without stressing my fish

 

I wouldn't do it every day, if you vacuum the gravel every day, you will just be slowing down your cycle, b/c your removing about 45% of the good bacteria
I would do a 5 gal. water change every week, but don't do a really thorough gravel vac. just get water from different places in your tank ;D

 

The easiest way is to pick up a gravel syphon/vaccuum. You can get these at the fish store.These are tubes that you use to vacuum the debris out of the gravel when you do your routine maintenance. You syphon out the old water into a bucket. Then, treat fresh water with Prime prior to putting it back into the tank. I have a clean bucket and a 'dirty' bucket. Though others use one bucket and just rinse it out prior to adding the clean water. There is another product called a "Python" that eliminates the use of buckets if you're in close proximity to a sink. During the cycle you don't want to vacuum the gravel as the bacteria that you need to establish your tank grow here. Your goal is to maintain 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and <20 Nitrates.

You gently pour the treated water back into the tank. Once established the tank should be vaccuumed weekly (I do 1/3 of the gravel each week) and the 25-30% water change done at the same time. This should help keep your water parameters in check.

 

I wouldn't do it every day, if you vacuum the gravel every day, you will just be slowing down your cycle, b/c your removing about 45% of the good bacteria
I would do a 5 gal. water change every week, but don't do a really thorough gravel vac. just get water from different places in your tank ;D

He would want to do more than weekly water changes if he's going through a cycle....I wouldn't vacuum at all duting the cycle at all....That would drastically slow the cycle down and cause mini-cycles.

 

ok thanks, I found out stress zyme has benificial bacteria and speeds up the process, it also controls the ammonia and nitrate levels. I may have a chance to go into petsmart tonight so I was wondering if it would be a good idea to pick up the rest of the fish.

thanks,

matt

 

my tank is just about done cycling w/ fish, and I only did weekly water changes, if he does it to much it would stress the fish and increse the cycle time...your gonna have to trust me on this, I am going throught the exact same thing ;D

 

I wouldnt get anymore fish until the cycle is complete...if you do, there is a very good chance some will die :'(

 

my tank is just about done cycling w/ fish, and I only did weekly water changes, if he does it to much it would stress the fish and increse the cycle time...your gonna have to trust me on this, I am going throught the exact same thing ;D

I am trusting you, but I think we've all gone through cycles... Yes, it will prolong the cycle, but the goal with cycling with fish is to keep the fish alive. Water changes will not overly stress the fish. In some cases water changes twice daily may be needed depending upon the ammonia/nitrite levels......Even with treating the water, you really want to keep the ammonia and nitrites to <1 as much as possible.

As far as the Stress Zyme goes, I can't speak for it, but others here insist it does nothing more than create minI cycles. As long as the product detoxes ammonia and nitrites, then it should be OK. If you're not sure, switch to Prime. Also I agree that I would not add any more fish until the cycle is complete.

 

ok, tonight I will pick up some prime and a some test kits. I was wondering if I did add fish tonight if they would be alright if I kept the constant water changes and treatment going. but if not I will just wait. Also I was wondering about decorating the tank. Would a large rock from outside be alright if I cleaned it with hot water?

 

I wouldn't add any more fish yet....I know it's hard, but you're going to have to trust us on this one....As for the rock, there is a test you can do prior to adding them to the tank. I believe you are to boil them first, then test with a few drops of vinegar....if they fiz then they are not good for the tank...Certain rocks can calcify in the tank and really mess with your water...If I am incorrect, someone please clarify for us.....

 

adding more fish is a really bad idea
if you do add rocks, make sure you boil them for 20+ minutes...the rocks might raise your Ph and screw with your chemistry a little bit, but you don't know until you try, just make sure you monitor your levels well ;D

I didnt know about that test, try that first

 

oo man its so hard to wait!! lol but I guess I will. and the rock thing seems like a little bit too much work for just one rock so I think I will buy some fake plastic decor from petsmart.. thanks guys

 

ive been waiting for about 4 weeks now, it is really hard, but necessary, fake decor is always a safe choice...good luck with your tank :;ps

 

Matt- if you want to add something cool to make a cave, try small clay flower pots....Lay them on their sides & fill them partially with gravel so that just slightly more than half of the pot is exposed...The fish will love them! Plus you can find some really neat fake rock formations at the pet store too....They may even have some bogwood (driftwood) that you can use too.....That would be very natural looking as well.

 

o yeah, that clay pot sounds awesome! If I do well with this aquarium I am going to buy the 125 gallon plus stand at petsmart for my family

 

Hello all, I am a complete newbie to all of this so here it goes.. I have received a 20 gallon long tank and have 1 Dwarf Gourami, 1 Green Cory Catfish, and 1 X-ray fish... the tank has a layer of gravel, 2 fake plants, a filter, and an airater. I was just wondering if I could comfortably house anymore fish. and if so, what species. or if I would need more plants or anything like this.. any help would greatly be appreciated.

thanks,

matt

right now you could have almost any fish

 

Shrimpy- Yeah I think I will just put 5 more X-rays, 2 more Corys and 1 more Gourami to the mix... unless you can give me other recommendations ;D

 

that's almost what you would have to do to keep your current fish happy ;D

 

ok guys I have another question. when my tank is cycled I will have 5 X-ray fish, 3 Corys and 2 Dwarf Guoramis.. will there be any room at all for more fish? I don't want to crowd these guys

 

nah, you would pretty much be at the max...

 

Matt - Keep a very watchful eye on the gouramis...You may see some aggression. While some have success with pairs, many recommend 1 male and 2 females to avoid aggression. Make sure they have plenty of places to hide....Tall or floating plants will make them feel safer.

If you see one of them constantly badgering or chasing the other, you should take one back....It might even be a good idea to keep only one male and make him the centerpiece of the tank since he has the more vibrant coloration....That's what we do with ours and he thinks he's king......You could then go with

5 X-Rays (1.5"ea. = 7.5")
3 corys (2.5" ea. = 7.5")
1 Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami (2.5")
1 otocinclus cat (2")

That would give you 19.5" of fish in their adult size.

This combo would give you fish that will occupy the upper portion (gourami), the middle portion (X-Rays) and the bottom portion (corys and oto).....

Just a thought.....

 

HI Matt C., sounds like you are setting up an awesome tank! One change I would make to vin's last suggestion for stocking is that otoes should also be in a group of 3-5. They are really small, and with a tank your size it could certainly accommodate that many, and for algae control more than one is a must!

The 125 is a great idea for the 'family', just be prepaired for huge expenses! I am setting one up now, and it seems to be a never ending drain on $$$'s. Every part of the tank costs more, the filters, lighting , even the cost for gravel, so this is where you can save by following advice some old hands give like using swimming pool filter sand instead of buying gravel from your LFS. Best of luck with all your efforts, you are doing a great job.

Fish in the Frozen North

 

Yes, groups of Otos are better.....However if there is a lot of decor, plants and places to hide one will do fine.....The key is letting him think he can't be seen.....He can't fit more than 20" of fish in the 20 gallon which was why I suggested the stock that I did...Now when he sets up the 125g, then that's an entirely different story....

 

o thanks a ton for the help. some bad news today though. I had a 40 gallon tall set up in my room and was trying to cycle it. but today when I was sleeping my dog jumped up on it and cracked it all the way down to the bottom. so there's 30+ gallons of water on the floor of my room so the beefing up the aquarium will be on standby until I save up more money after buying cleaning supplies for the floor

 

:'( that stinks! I hope the fish were able to survive and that you dog didn't cut himself any on the glass.