great species tank ideas for a 20 gal
- Thread starter lostnconfused
- Start date
before you make a decision... what's your tap water like? it doesn't matter too much, but you can make it easier on yourself by choosing a biotope or group of fish that come from water that's close to yours.
for example, where i live, our water's really high in pH and hardness, so it's definitely suited better to livebearers and cichlids than it is to acid-loving fish.
that's not to say that it can't be done, (in fact 98% of the fish we have right now prefer pH 7 or below... and some fish adjust to different pH really well aside from that) but it definitely requires more time, money, patience, and learning curve to handle the chemical filtration needed to alter your water parameters.
now, on to the fun part:
is it a long or a high? a 20 might make a cute south american habitat... slow-moving, slightly acidic water, a few pieces of driftwood, plants... you could have a pair of dwarf cichlids, hatchetfish, tetras, maybe a mini-plec... and of course move in your cories.
or you could devote the new 20 to livebearers.. move your current guys out of the ten and design their habitat in the new tank, which leaves your ten open to new fish and new possibilities.
if you want to go super-specialist, you could also try killifish, if they're available in your area. from what i hear they have the temperament of most cichlids, if not worse.
and i've had an obsession with dwarf puffers lately... so i'll throw that idea out there too. =)
for example, where i live, our water's really high in pH and hardness, so it's definitely suited better to livebearers and cichlids than it is to acid-loving fish.
that's not to say that it can't be done, (in fact 98% of the fish we have right now prefer pH 7 or below... and some fish adjust to different pH really well aside from that) but it definitely requires more time, money, patience, and learning curve to handle the chemical filtration needed to alter your water parameters.
now, on to the fun part:
is it a long or a high? a 20 might make a cute south american habitat... slow-moving, slightly acidic water, a few pieces of driftwood, plants... you could have a pair of dwarf cichlids, hatchetfish, tetras, maybe a mini-plec... and of course move in your cories.
or you could devote the new 20 to livebearers.. move your current guys out of the ten and design their habitat in the new tank, which leaves your ten open to new fish and new possibilities.
if you want to go super-specialist, you could also try killifish, if they're available in your area. from what i hear they have the temperament of most cichlids, if not worse.
and i've had an obsession with dwarf puffers lately... so i'll throw that idea out there too. =)