And the planning begins...

[misterking]

Well, as me and a few fellow students begin planning on moving into a house come september, I see this as a perfect opportunity to get back into the hobby after a few years hiatus!

So here's what I'm planning.. something not TOO big, maybe 20 gallons, maybe a tiny bit bigger, low maintenence (plants etc), and low cost to stock and run. It will be a peaceful community with live plants, and obviously a fishless cycle.

Now I already have ideas in mind.. but they're somewhat conservative; some form of tetra (probably pristella) or rasbora, a centrepiece (dwarf gouramis, bettas etc), and cories.

So basically, I want to hear what everyone else would stock to get some ideas on how to make it a bit more interesting than your average community. I'm open to suggestions, this is an exciting time! *thumbsups

 

[Newman]

if it were me with a 20 gallon or larger LONG style or breeder style tank, i'd go with a big amazon community.

White/tan sand substrate. driftwood around the tank. tall saggitarius weaving its way to the water's surface and streaming off with the flow...
few java ferns, or an amazon sword or two here and there...
leaf litter with either oak leaves or indian almond leaves (creates great blackwater)
Some floating plants like amazon frogbit...


A large shoal of about 12-15 pygmy cories...
A big school of 12-15 tetras/rasbora of choice...
A social group of 1 male and 3-4 dwarf gourami OR 4 betta females instead of gouramies...

yea that'd be an ideal tank for me lol.

 

[Newman]

this is the effect with the saggitarius that im talking about: YouTube - My goldfish tank

 

[emmanuelchavez]

this is the effect with the saggitarius that im talking about: YouTube - My goldfish tank

*pst* like this, also? http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/rate-my-tank-freshwater/53825-emmanuels-29-gallon.html#post538943

I believe those are valisneria in the video, not sags. Regular sags that are commercially available can get pretty call, but not that tall, that I've seen anyway.


Hmm. Well, lately, I've been admiring kribs.
I don't think I could make recommendations for tetras though... I've been getting jaded with them. : /


I can't wait to see what you can come up with.


EDIT: How about I just describe to you what I'd like to do with my 100g. 1. I'd like to take everything out, start from scratch.
2. Rather than add ADA AquaSoil again, I'd like to try mineralized topsoil substrate, capped with a fairly coarse salt & pepper sand.
3. I'd like to get more branchy manzanita driftwood and give the effect of "roots" in a river.
4. I would like to get a jungle val background (like I had in my 29g).
5. I'd then like to get some lotus plants that stay fairly small, but also send up some pads to the top of the water and add them in strategic places around the midground.
6. I'd cover my manzy driftwood in moss
7. Place some well rounded river rocks strategically.
8. Add some anubias and crypts here and there.
9. Some blyxas around the midground for some "bushyness"
10. Leave my foreground nice and sandy.
11. Get a school of about 50 pygmy cories
12. Add my 6 bolivian and 2 german rams back in.

 

[misterking]

if it were me with a 20 gallon or larger LONG style or breeder style tank, i'd go with a big amazon community.

White/tan sand substrate. driftwood around the tank. tall saggitarius weaving its way to the water's surface and streaming off with the flow...
few java ferns, or an amazon sword or two here and there...
leaf litter with either oak leaves or indian almond leaves (creates great blackwater)
Some floating plants like amazon frogbit...


A large shoal of about 12-15 pygmy cories...
A big school of 12-15 tetras/rasbora of choice...
A social group of 1 male and 3-4 dwarf gourami OR 4 betta females instead of gouramies...

yea that'd be an ideal tank for me lol.

Hmm, you see I've already planned a very strict amazon biotope.. particular revolving around pools left by streams during the dry season, in as large a tank as I can find, using fish with fairly exactly requirements. So I don't really want to start it in a smaller tank and then have the novelty wear off should it not work!

To explain my reasoning for 20g before someone comes along and says "go bigger", I reckon this is as big as I can afford to heat and filter and keep lit, without being too small to make maintenence particularly difficult on a student budget and schedule.

And I know what you mean eman, but there are so many tetras I haven't tried yet.. I suppose though, this won't be happening for another 10 months or so, hopefully the early planning will pay off in finding something special

 

[misterking]

Btw, that plan sounds great, I've considered something similar before for my Amazon biotope, but it's difficult to find south american lilies that would work in a tank.. hence a secret, far-off future plan!

Also would like to plug my university a little, which recently became the first in the UK to dedicate a course entirely to the study of cichlids, I'm not on this course myself (studying music), but can't wait to see what research they do! Go Bangor!

 

[Newman]

lol thats very interesting...
Eman, 50 pygmys would look epic.

So king, you want an amazon biotope but betta are from thailand/siam/ w/e theire from in asia, and gourami are from asia as well...so i say break the rules of that strict amazon biotope and include the ramis or batta lol.

 

[misterking]

lol thats very interesting...
Eman, 50 pygmys would look epic.

So king, you want an amazon biotope but betta are from thailand/siam/ w/e theire from in asia, and gourami are from asia as well...so i say break the rules of that strict amazon biotope and include the ramis or batta lol.

No lol, what I meant was eventually I'll go biotope, when I can accommodate a bigggg tank.. about 150 gallons I hope, a different project. For this I just want an interesting community, regardless of where they're from, get some interesting behaviour and colours going on.

Just had a thought about male guppies.. a bit common I know, but I miss guppies from the early days of my hobby, might add a good splash of colour!

 

[Newman]

lol ok that was confusing, you were talking about this one and a bigger tank at the same time...
youll get the color from betta/gourami and maybe the tetra/rasbora depending on what you choose. i think the cories will give your tank more life

 

[misterking]

So I've been looking around the net, researching different shoaling fish, and seem to have come up with a shortlist:

Pristella tetras
Harlequin Rasboras (surprisingly, never had them!) or Hengel's Rasboras
Threadfin Rainbowfish
Good ol' neons (my first ever fish, serious soft spot for these guys)

Also thought more on the front of centrepiece fish, I definitely want a betta for one.. from then on though it gets a bit cloudy! I was thinking dwarf gouramis but thought, they're a bit over-done, then thought pearl gouramis but they're large and shy, now I'm thinking more towards something like rams or some form of apistogramma if I keep the water soft and acid which should agree with the other fish.

Please though, all input welcome, I want to hear what you'd all PERSONALLY do with a 20, I could do with the inspiration