Sorry, didn't see your question.beno;1766423;1766423 said:
Ghost shrimp excrete ammonia too, so I would only add a couple with the cycling fish.
Newcomer: 20 Gal Fresh-, cold-water tank
- Thread starter albirdy
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Ghost shrimp excrete ammonia too, so I would only add a couple with the cycling fish.
gobucks1;1766405; said:
I was thinking of getting a few tetras, OR a few bala sharks (not both). The reasoning because tetras will stay small, and bala sharks because I wonder in the future if I will ugprade to a larger tank.
I am cycling with fish (two feeder fish for a 20 gal). Is that adequate? Or should I get more? One of my feeder fish died last week, and the other is no longer swimming straight (it twirls, I think it got sick). Because of the twirling fish, I changed all of the water and am essentially starting over.
What plants and water filter would you guys recommend? Is that all I need?
Another question: How do you make your aquatic plants thrive? I understand that the principles of sunlight and CO2 would still apply; however, how does on provide underwater plants with Co2? And is regular lamp light (60W, 120V) sufficient?
i would get 10 Goldfish. Dont do a 100% WC again. And do a 20% wc once a week. Dont get bala sharks get tetras. if u got a petsmart or petco take alittle water from ur tank to the and ask them to test it. do this after u have the feeders in there for 5 days. Gl
Changing the water will not restart the cycle, only if you change the filter media. Your feeder fish was probably suffering from ammonia poisoning, so changing the water actually helped. Is it a feeder goldfish or a feeder guppy, or something else?
Any filter rated for a 20 gallon tank should be ok, but ideally you want a filter that turns the entire tank over 10 times an hour, so a 200 GPH (gallon per hour) filter would be best. A hang on back filter is probably the easiest/cheapest option for a 20 gallon tank.
As for plants I would recommend Water Wisteria it will help with the filtering duties slightly more than other plants and is fairly hardy. Or duckweed if you're feeling adventurous, but that can take over your tank very easily, so it's probably best not to. If you want a good hardy plant you can't go wrong with some java fern, they do well in any setting and are very very hardy.
For more advanced set-ups you could inject CO2, it can be made from mixing yeast, sugar, and water in an airtight 2 liter coke bottle with some airline tubing running out from it into the tank, or can use a store bought CO2 injector, however those are expensive. For a basic semi-planted tank that's not needed. Generally for plants you want 2-3 watts per gallon, but for java fern and water wisteria you can get away with around 1.
Any filter rated for a 20 gallon tank should be ok, but ideally you want a filter that turns the entire tank over 10 times an hour, so a 200 GPH (gallon per hour) filter would be best. A hang on back filter is probably the easiest/cheapest option for a 20 gallon tank.
As for plants I would recommend Water Wisteria it will help with the filtering duties slightly more than other plants and is fairly hardy. Or duckweed if you're feeling adventurous, but that can take over your tank very easily, so it's probably best not to. If you want a good hardy plant you can't go wrong with some java fern, they do well in any setting and are very very hardy.
For more advanced set-ups you could inject CO2, it can be made from mixing yeast, sugar, and water in an airtight 2 liter coke bottle with some airline tubing running out from it into the tank, or can use a store bought CO2 injector, however those are expensive. For a basic semi-planted tank that's not needed. Generally for plants you want 2-3 watts per gallon, but for java fern and water wisteria you can get away with around 1.
Adam-011;1766485; said:
10 goldfish for a 20 gallon tank?!?! Full grown common feeders need 20 gallons each, and fancys need 10.
Jw, did use any sort of water treatment for ur water like prime or cycle, because those feeder fish doing that could because of cholarmines in ur water. That happened to me with my first fish tank about 5 years ago, never used water treatment for my tap water.
Tunez;1766515; said:
Never thought of that. But you're right, and besides killing all your fish if you don't treat your water then no cycle
