Upgrade Ideas, Decor, Plants And Tank Size

If I gave you my total number of fish, you would all probably agree I'm much overstocked, could have stressed fish, and territory problems, especially if I don't upgrade soon.

Luckily enough for me, even though, yes I agree and even know myself I have too many fish for a long tank, my fish all get together great. There is very little stress between them, very little competition for food as they all get fed in different places of the tank, and they're all juvenile so far.

So technically, currently, my load isn't over doing the tank quite yet.
But it will be soon, especially if my loaches decide to hit another growth spurt but they seem to be pretty decent right now.

So now I have a 20 long and a 10, I have my load pretty equally separated based on what my fish and tanks can handle waste wise.
They both are the start of planted tanks, but I am definitely reconsidering moving some fish around to make the load a bit easier on myself and the fish.

Right now I've got 3 mollies, 4 loaches and some cories in the 20, while it seems too small for that number of loaches, but they haven't gotten near close to max size and are fairly young, I have excess hiding places to help with them as well.

My main concern I guess would be what should I upgrade to?
I could get another 20L and separate my load up more, or I could just go bigger.

I will set my tank budget at 250 just for the tank, and maybe 80 for extra decorations and plants.
I'm hoping I can propagate some of my plants into clones to save a bit of money.

I was thinking of a 55 but was also recommended a 40 breeder.
I enjoy long tanks as height isn't much needed for my fish.
So basically what I'm asking for is links to tanks you recommended size and price wise, and perhaps what other plants and decoration I should use.
I would love a live log but a lot of people have issues with them so I'm slightly skeptical. These are my tanks now.





Top is the 20 bottom is the 10

Right now the 10 doesn't have it's own filter but my bubble stones create enough air flow for the fish.

They really enjoy the mayaca plants and I do wish for more, or other's of it's kind that float. I did find one plant which had roots similar to the mayaca and I'm thinking about adding that to the mix.
I also want a few more moss balls but I'm thinking of getting the ones that aren't full balls but rather 'shredded balls'

With the larger tank it means I'll want to add a few more larger fish, at the moment I also have two baby bushynose plecos and I do still plan on getting a long fin relatively soon. And either another 10 or 20 to induce breeding in some of my fish as that is a goal of mine. I would like to turn my hobby business.
So I'm starting easy with my snails

Let me know what you think about my tanks, and what I should do when setting up another.

Substrate: gravel, aquairum sand, and live sand mix.

I've got a decoration cube I'm looking at, that's at petco, there's a true cube and a long rectangle, they have a bunch of holes in them and would hold plants really well.
I'll add that picture later when I find it.

Thank you for reading and thank you for any advice, I also apologize in advance if I seem to get really defensive over my tank.

I know it's not the best set up but it's what I would let myself afford at the moment.

 

Go for a 75 gallon tank, they are 18" in width versus 12" on a 55 gallon, the rest of the dimensions are the same. Those extra 6" give you way more options for stock and aquascaping. I made the mistake of getting a 55 gallon and have regretted it ever since. A 75 will be a little more buy it's well worth it. I use the same filtration and heater on the 55 as I would on a 75. Check craigslist for used you may find a 75 gallon with everything ready to go for your price. That includes tank, wood stand, filter, light, heater, and maybe a wood canopy. Plus they may have a bunch of other goodies to throw in. Then after a while you'll get the 50 gallon itch like I have, I went from a 55 gallon, to a 100 gallon, and I just setup a 150 gallon system.

 

After I made this post I started thinking, maybe I should just go big or go home and go with a 60 or 75.

My 20L I have now is 12 inches wide and 30 long, so I definitely agree with that statement, that an 18in width will be much more suitable for my needs.

(Also if 20L is confusing for a 20Long is there another abbreviation I should use so people don't think I'm crazy with a 20 liter tank? lol)

Plant wise I'm not sure what else to add. I'm hoping my crypts become separable, and I know I can trim my mayaca and make 'more' of those, but I'm also looking for recommendations.
I have the java moss ball, and some java ferns along with the mayaca and crypts. (That's all aside from the taller plants I don't recall the name of)

I would like a nice thick layer of plants in one section that the fish can swim through, I was thinking mostly crypts with mayaca mixed in, but perhaps I should do the java ferns instead? The fish love all the plants I have either way, especially the mayaca.

 

After I made this post I started thinking, maybe I should just go big or go home and go with a 60 or 75.

My 20L I have now is 12 inches wide and 30 long, so I definitely agree with that statement, that an 18in width will be much more suitable for my needs.

(Also if 20L is confusing for a 20Long is there another abbreviation I should use so people don't think I'm crazy with a 20 liter tank? lol)

Plant wise I'm not sure what else to add. I'm hoping my crypts become separable, and I know I can trim my mayaca and make 'more' of those, but I'm also looking for recommendations.
I have the java moss ball, and some java ferns along with the mayaca and crypts. (That's all aside from the taller plants I don't recall the name of)

I would like a nice thick layer of plants in one section that the fish can swim through, I was thinking mostly crypts with mayaca mixed in, but perhaps I should do the java ferns instead? The fish love all the plants I have either way, especially the mayaca.

The 75 is the way to go in a medium size tank. A 90 or the 110 gallon tanks in the 4' range don't really give you any benefits other then a wet arm pit. Other plants that grow tall are Vals, water wisteria, and some of the Temple plants.

 

Looked on craigslist, found a 75 gallon for 60 bucks, or some 100-120 gallons for 500, including fish.
I would have to rehome or trade in to the shop for smaller versions.

They fish in those large tanks are being quarantined and some are much too large/agressive for what I have right now.

And I'm not sure I want to drop 500 on a tank though I know I could make a decent chunk back by rehoming those fish.

And I'm sure some folks here would rather me not go through the stress of rehoming the fish as well.

And I've been thinking too, my arm pits are never wet enough!

I would also like to note, some of these used tanks were for reefs and some of the posters say they are reef only tanks.
I'm sure after a great clean they could be used for fresh too?

 

If you’re on a budget, look out for a tank that needs repairs, a lot of people give away/sell for dirt cheap because it seems too difficult to work with, but it’s much easier than you’d think!

And for your decor and such, when you set a tight budget it makes it all more enjoyable! Got for a walk through a few tracks, national parks and such and get yourself some nice dried up woods and clean them up, with your plants remember given right conditions and such they’ll grow faster than you expect, so don’t buy enough to fill the tank, because you can use your trimmings for that too! And for substrate things like play sand and such will be much cheaper than the sand your LFS will try and pass off on you!

Additionally, if you buy a tank in need of repairs, collect your own decor and such, the feeling of accomplishment will be strong!

And for sizes, 75 seems to be the most popular! I’m personally going for a 55 due to the added height for my angels you’ll notice a great difference with the cleaning as well with the larger tank

 

Yeah omg I got totally ripped off buying sand from petco! 5.99 for 5lbs oh my god! I found the same bag with a REAL quartz sand at another lfs for 1.99!!! I couldn't believe how much money I tossed on poor quality substrate. I could have got three 15lb bags for the same price as the 5.

Funny enough, I didn't exactly want to mention this (for fear of dirty looks) but I actually started my tank using river water. I picked up a few river fish on the way, but got live water from a fresh local river that is super clean. I even gathered my first plants from that river.

To be honest I wanted to start with crawfish, but we only found babies and they're much harder to care for than adults due to the rapid molting and refusal to eat what I feed them.
Many of my first craws died from lack of iodine while molting.
So I started to get cories.

I figured starting with water that already had live bacteria in it, would be much better than having to wait for my tap water to cycle. My cycle took less than half the time of some others reports.

But that caused a slight issue when we stopped collecting live water for the tank.
I let it sit for a bit to make sure everything was fine, didn't do water changes or cleans for a week or two just to make sure my levels would stay stable using the new water, but eventually without having river water in it, it threw my cycle off and started another short one. Luckily I got prime stability and I'm getting things on track again after my little stress bomb went off.

The plants in our river have actually done a lot better than some of the shop plants which I find amusing.

For now I've stopped using river water but I think I will add a decent amount before starting my new tank, just because my fish like he bugs and the bugs helped with my cycle.

But I'll definitely take a bit more time making sure everything stays in good shape after adding my tap to avoid he double cycle issue I had earlier.

I also started with some of the live river sand. Before I got fish food my fish would pick the food out of the sand quite happily. But with the addition of other substrates that live sand has seemed to deplete except for under one large crypt.

I spent too much on 30 gallons worth of tank, which is why I'm trying to set my budget a bit lower.

I was also looking for seal issue tanks as well, I think one of those 100 gallon reefs tanks was 200 bucks! Just because one seal is slightly leaking. Nothing big just a slow drip.

I'm excited to see my tank grow because we keep falling in love with the long fish. We really want a ropefish now lol

 

Looked on craigslist, found a 75 gallon for 60 bucks, or some 100-120 gallons for 500, including fish.
I would have to rehome or trade in to the shop for smaller versions.

They fish in those large tanks are being quarantined and some are much too large/agressive for what I have right now.

And I'm not sure I want to drop 500 on a tank though I know I could make a decent chunk back by rehoming those fish.

And I'm sure some folks here would rather me not go through the stress of rehoming the fish as well.

And I've been thinking too, my arm pits are never wet enough!

I would also like to note, some of these used tanks were for reefs and some of the posters say they are reef only tanks.
I'm sure after a great clean they could be used for fresh too?

Both the 100 and the 150 where originally saltwater tanks and one was a reef tank. The 100 was never drilled for a sump but used and overflow box. The 150 was drilled and has been repaired by siliconing glass plates over the drilled holes. Cleanup is pretty easy by using white vinegar for both hard water stains and some of the coraline deposits. If you had doubts about the tank have the owner fill it or hopefully it's filled when you see it to check for leaks. If you have the room in the house get the biggest one your budget lets you. I could have gotten a 7' 265 gallonsystem complete except for fish for $1200. It included a custom built stand, canopy, lighting, substrate, 3d background, heaters, and filtration. The 2 FX 6's on it are over $600 to by new.

If you’re on a budget, look out for a tank that needs repairs, a lot of people give away/sell for dirt cheap because it seems too difficult to work with, but it’s much easier than you’d think!

And for your decor and such, when you set a tight budget it makes it all more enjoyable! Got for a walk through a few tracks, national parks and such and get yourself some nice dried up woods and clean them up, with your plants remember given right conditions and such they’ll grow faster than you expect, so don’t buy enough to fill the tank, because you can use your trimmings for that too! And for substrate things like play sand and such will be much cheaper than the sand your LFS will try and pass off on you!

Additionally, if you buy a tank in need of repairs, collect your own decor and such, the feeling of accomplishment will be strong!

And for sizes, 75 seems to be the most popular! I’m personally going for a 55 due to the added height for my angels you’ll notice a great difference with the cleaning as well with the larger tank

The 55 is really only one inch taller then a standard 75 I would rather have wide then deep.

 

The 75 is a good size. I wish that the 55 we have was a 75.

If you like black substrate BDBS is great We have it in three aquariums (37, 44, 150) it is $12.00 US for a 50 lb. bag at Tractor Supply Company.

Watch for the $1.00 per gallon sales that PetCo runs. Last year they included the 75 if I remember.

 

The 75 is a good size. I wish that the 55 we have was a 75.

If you like black substrate BDBS is great We have it in three aquariums (37, 44, 150) it is $12.00 US at Tractor Supply Company.

Good stuff, I bought 300 lbs of medium grit the other week for $8.49 a bag the other week here in Florida.

 

Good stuff, I bought 300 lbs of medium grit the other week for $8.49 a bag the other week here in Florida.

I just checked you are right. I wonder where I got $12.00 from?

 

I just checked you are right. I wonder where I got $12.00 from?

No worries PFS averages about $12 per bag.

 

I talked to a worker at another store that sells aqueon tanks, and she said that they stopped doing some of the larger tanks under the dollar per gallon sale due to lose of profit on aqueon's end.

I'll look, they had some on the 20 I ot so I was glad about that. I got my 10 for $14 at walmart lol

I've got to go back to petco today anyway. Unfortunately my first black molly just passed and left her mate all alone.
Hopefully the rest of the tank is in good shape... It was sudden.. They were both swimming around fine, then the first on laid down on the bottom, and a small loach came and started nibbling her fin. I scared him away and she 'came to' then just floated near the bottom very still. Yesterday I noticed a loach acting sluggish as well. It's gils were barely moving and it's mouth held open. But thy were all fine this morning. I wasn't going to feed them today since they've had some good meals this past week.

 

Crazycoryfishlady what type of loaches do you have?

 

Mostly dojo, one spotted. The "small loach" was sold as sm dojo and has different figures han my regular dojo loach Taz. I have a post about sexing taz in the loach section if you want to see them.
The loaches have never bothered any of my fish and are actually quite peaceful. One just happened to go after my weak molly since it was right next to it and the molly was clearly dying.

I quarantined my living black molly and now she's in a small tank in my bathroom while I head up to petco and get/buy a water test.

 

Slightly concerned I may be losing all my mollies and possibly my platies.
My other black mollies seem very ill at the moment. I found them separating from each other, then one continued to swim near the surface almost tired like.
I've quarantined them both now in hopes it's only the two black ones.
I found the other laying near the bottom under my decorative log.
It pains me to possibly lose them.