20 Gallon Long Amazon Biotope

[Kresnahw22]

Ok guys I need your opinion. I have five neon tetras in the tank as of now and the three Cory catfish. I'm going to get three hatchet fish also. But my question is should I purchase five more neon tetras to have a huge school of ten or add five of a different schooling tetra. If a school of different tetras please add the names. Thank you guys.

[Amphiprion]

Depends upon what you are shooting for. More neons would be a more realistic and impressive display, IMHO. But, if you'd rather go for diversity and have a few of each, that's fine too, though that would be a bit more like a collection than a biotopic approach.

[Kresnahw22]

Depends upon what you are shooting for. More neons would be a more realistic and impressive display, IMHO. But, if you'd rather go for diversity and have a few of each, that's fine too, though that would be a bit more like a collection than a biotopic approach.

I actually agree with you I'm gonna get five more.

[Amphiprion]

Should look quite good. Honestly, if the tank were larger, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the hatchetfish, since you would've been able to get a sizable shoal of both particular fish, which would also look quite natural. You just have to kind of make these tougher choices in a small tank, though.

[Kresnahw22]

Should look quite good. Honestly, if the tank were larger, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the hatchetfish, since you would've been able to get a sizable shoal of both particular fish, which would also look quite natural. You just have to kind of make these tougher choices in a small tank, though.

in the future i may switch my saltwater with the 20 so a huge school of hatchets and neons may be possible

[Amphiprion]

Or you could have the best of both worlds and have a saltwater planted tank

[Kresnahw22]

Or you could have the best of both worlds and have a saltwater planted tank

i always wanted to do a seagrass or macro algae but saltwater got a little way out of hand on me for money and the demand thats why i'm down to three turbo snails, a few assorted hermit crabs, a blue/green chromis and a very young and still tiny gulf pipefish, and enough live rock to make a nice 20-30 gallon tank thats why i may switch the two once i get the plants to grow and i can propagate it to fill the 55 gallon up.

[Amphiprion]

Just something to keep in mind. For now, enjoy that planted tank. I loved mine, but I had too much light/CO2, which made it very hard to keep up with, due to very fast growth and the demands it placed on pruning, nutrients, etc. I wouldn't mind doing a nice, small desktop planted system with LEDs, myself... hmm...

[Kresnahw22]

Just something to keep in mind. For now, enjoy that planted tank. I loved mine, but I had too much light/CO2, which made it very hard to keep up with, due to very fast growth and the demands it placed on pruning, nutrients, etc. I wouldn't mind doing a nice, small desktop planted system with LEDs, myself... hmm...

thank you and i will keep it in mind. you should do one

[Kresnahw22]

added six more neon Tetras making It a total of 11





some crappy pics but here half the school

[Kresnahw22]

Ok Guys Updated Tank Pics. Hope You Enjoy.



Front Tank Shot.



Left Tank Shot.



My Cory Catfish, Awesome And Favorite Pic. Hope You Enjoyed. My Plants Are Throwing Off New Growth And I Have CO2 Supplementation On The Tank Now Its A DIY Method And Is Working Great Ready For THe Plants To BOOM! Please Comment ;P

[Buddy08]

what kind of lighting are you using? also, explain/post a pic of your co2 setup. If i went with another fresh water tank, i think i would go with an amano tank

[Kresnahw22]

what kind of lighting are you using? also, explain/post a pic of your co2 setup. If i went with another fresh water tank, i think i would go with an amano tank

the Light is just normal t-8 6500 k 36 watts. For the Coz I went with the steps of this guide:

Step 1 Material






You will need:

A one-liter Gatorade bottle (or similar)
Several feet of airline tubing (vinyl is ok, but silicon is better)
An air diffuser
A suction cup to fit your tubing
A check valve
Aquarium grade silicon
A planted tank (duh?)
Scissors

Step 2 STEP ONE


You want to make a hole in your bottle cap that is just a wee bit smaller than your airline tubing overall diameter. I used a pair of scissors to carve a hole, simply for the fact that I was too lazy to get out the drill, find the appropriate bit, and put it away, just for one hole. If you have more gumption than I, by all means, go ahead and drill it.

Step 3 STEP TWO


Make a slanted cut in the end of your airline tubing. This will make it easier to get in the hole on the cap.

Step 4 STEP THREE


Pull your airline tubing about 1.5" through the cap. If you are having troubles, try pulling with a pair of pliers. If you are STILL having trouble, you can shave a bit from the hole with a pair of scissors, or use a larger drill bit. Your call.

Step 5 STEP FOUR


Ok, this is the part where I messed up when I was taking the pictures. Bear with me.


About 6-10 inches away from the cap, cut the line in half, and plumb in your check valve.

MAKE SURE that the arrow is pointing AWAY from the bottle cap, otherwise you will have a ticking yeast bomb sitting under your aquarium.



The picture is of the finished project. Just pretend you don't see that part though

Step 6 STEP FIVE



Now, here is the messy part. You want to use your aquarium silicon to put a nice bead around the inside and the outside of the bottle cap, sealing your tube to the cap. To smooth out the bead if you messed up, you can dip your finger in rubbing alcohol, and run it along the silicon. This will keep it from sticking to you too much.



You want to let this dry for 48 hours before using the setup.

Step 7 STEP SIX


Now, you want to make sure that your cap still fits. I got silicon on the threads of my first bottle cap, and it really messed with it, and I couldn't use it.

I don't think I need to explain how to put on a bottle cap. I'll give you guys some credit.

Step 8 STEP SEVEN



Now, plug your air diffuser into the other end of the line. It should fit fairly snuggly, and that’s what we want.

Step 9 STEP EIGHT


Now, you want to add you suction cup to the end of the line with the air diffuser. Depending on your suction cup, the last step may or may not come before this one. I had to cut the side of my suction cup to get the airline to fit, so it came after in my situation.



Step 10 STEP NINE




Now you are ready to place the air diffuser in your aquarium. the ideal placement is low in the aquarium, and next to a filter intake, so the CO2 will diffuse more efficiently.



Step 11 STEP TEN
Ok, now its time to mix up your "CO2 juice".


I don't have any pictures of this, but its just like following a recipe.


First, you fill your bottle half way up with pretty warm water. You don't want it too hot, but not too cool.

Now you want to add 1of cup sugar.


You will need an extra cap that fits the bottle. You want to shake the hell out of it until you can dissolve as much sugar into the bottle that you can.

Fill the bottle up to about 2 inches away from the top with COLD water. Put on the other cap, and shake it some more. You want the water to be a little warm. Too hot, and it will kill your culture.

Now add teaspoon of bakers yeast, and just a pinch of baking soda. Give it a gentle shake.


Take your contraption to your tank, and screw on the cap with the hose, and let it sit. It might take up to 3 days to start bubbling, but soon, the yeast will metabolize the sugar, and produce CO2. The more sugar you add, the longer it will produce CO2. The more yeast you add, the faster CO2 will be produced, but it will deplete pretty fast. The baking soda is to keep it steady.


Every three days, give the bottle a gentle slosh around to mix it a bit.


Step 12 STEP ELEVEN





Have a beautiful planted tank.

At night, when your lights are off, run an air stone to prevent pH swings

instead of silicone i substituted it for hot glue and for the gatorade bottle i used a 2 liter soda bottle and the gatorade bottle as a catch for safety reasons incase of solution gets into the airline tubing.

[Kresnahw22]

Ok guys I have upgraded this tank into the 55 gallon. It looks a lot better than in the 20 gallon also my live stock options have jumped so I will update pics as soon as I get out of school.

[Buddy08]

i have 2 canister filters for sale krenshaw if you want, theyre super quiet and kept my cichlid tank crystal clear. One is a rena x1 and the other is the x2 with spray bar or jets. let me know if youre interested and ill get you a price for both