stocking tips

**evilhorde** · 05-30-2012, 02:14 AM

Hi everybody. I set a 20L tank up a few weeks ago using some things I had around my property. I find myself staring into it wondering if maybe I shouldn't put fish in it, afterall it is an aquarium.

It's times like these that I regret ruining my camera. My cell phone just doesn't compare.
A couple things about the tank:
-Firstly, the pics were taken minutes after completing the set up, the water is crystal clear now.
-The pot above/in the tank is full of peat (overfull now) and Venus flytraps.
-The water in the tank was a pretty yellow until I introduced duckweed to the equation. Now it is a disgusting green/yellow because of the light above it filtering through the DW.
-Only sand and stones, no soil.
-There is a fountain pump hidden in a chamber under the pot with an airstone. Every five minutes or so the air gets backed up in the chamber and the pump blows a fine 'mist' of air bubble out into the tank.
-Also inside the pump chamber is a pile of lava rock. The plan here was to use the pump and chamber as the bio filter but now I have some slight concerns about waste making it's way in there and plugging the pump.
-Nothing bigger than 1/8" can get in the box, but I do regret making it so hard to access the pump should something go wrong.

I have some cherry shrimps and/or 8 zebra danios already living here and they could move into the new tank. Or maybe I should leave the peaceful serene tank as-is for a quarantine tank?

Thoughts? Opinions?

**MLBfan** · 05-30-2012, 03:13 AM

I'd put danios and shrimp as long as the water isn't too hard. If it is, it would make a good tank for shelldwellers or a pair of neolamprologus or a type of small julidochromis

**MCHRKiller** · 05-30-2012, 05:32 AM

Scape screams hillstream loaches, they do require excellent water circulation. I would place a koralia nano and have it blow straight at that pile of rock...they are also super cool little fish. Danios would do well with them as they also appreciate cooler water and high turnover.

**wijnands** · 05-30-2012, 06:19 AM

20 liter people, that's about 4 gallons to the Americans. No one in his/her/its right mind will put danios in something so small where, due to the rocks, the effective volume is about half.

What's the water values?

**MCHRKiller** · 05-30-2012, 06:29 AM

lol, oops didn't see the L. But of course no danio or hillstream would go in something that tiny.

Plant the crap out of the little tank loads of moss and anubias on the rock....consider some CPOs. They are very small little crays...and dont like really soft water so that load of rock should help you in their department.

**pjaldave** · 05-30-2012, 07:19 AM

CPD's maybe and not CPO Jenn?

I'd put a lot of plants in there and shrimps. Or maybe just a betta.

**Lady Hobbs** · 05-30-2012, 09:34 AM

How about an African Dwarf Frog or just some apple snails and shrimp. And here I have a 10 gallon planted for about the 10th time and can't find one thing to put in it! :)

**MLBfan** · 05-30-2012, 11:30 AM

Actually, it looks like the L is meant to stand for a 20 gallon long tank, it doesn't look like only 4 gallons, I could be wrong though. I'm not the best at judging that sort of stuff.

**evilhorde** · 05-30-2012, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by MLBfan

Actually, it looks like the L is meant to stand for a 20 gallon long tank, it doesn't look like only 4 gallons, I could be wrong though. I'm not the best at judging that sort of stuff.

It is a 20 gallon long tank.

There is quite a bit of current in the tank, the pump is a 240 gallon/hour and it pushes out of a gap in the rocks. The tank is also heated to 27C (which can of course be changed). I had thought to move the danios in to there but I am concerned about them scattering eggs and then those eggs hatching in the 'pump box'.

Would a solid layer of duckweed be a problem for surface breathing animals? There may be too much current for bettas or frogs anyhow. I am not sure how overwhelming the current is in the tank but the weed on the surface gets moving pretty fast.

**evilhorde** · 05-30-2012, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Lady Hobbs

And here I have a 10 gallon planted for about the 10th time and can't find one thing to put in it! :)

I think I prefer making tanks to maintining them. The empty rock garden is pretty peaceful. I may leave it empty and just sit back and wait for the bubbles again.