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20 Gallon Journal

15K views 109 replies 15 participants last post by  pdludbrooke 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

First, I would like to start off with introducing myself. Some of you may have seen me around the forums a few times and may have even answered a few of my questions. I am a college student who has always loved fish and aquariums. I could spend hours at the aquarium in our local zoo (and believe me I did). This led me to my purchase of a 10 gallon aquarium when I was about 12 years old. I didn't have a clue what I was doing at the time; I only knew that I wanted to keep all of the "cool" fish in my tank. I had everything from tetras to Koi fish in the 10 gallon aquarium. Like I said, I didn't know what I was doing or what the fish were. These fish were recommended to me by the Petsmart employees! The tank always smelled and the fish never lived long, so after about a year and a hundred fish later, the tank was packed up. I just couldn't take it anymore and neither could my parents. Now, six years later, I finally convinced my parents to give me another shot at it. I know that bigger tanks are easier to maintain and you should always buy the biggest tank you can afford. After staring at the huge 90g+ tanks and dreaming of owning one, I bought my self a little 20 gallon starter kit (I know it isn't much, but it is the biggest I can afford. I am a college student remember?). Everything I do with this tank is going to be at the lowest cost possible. My plan for this tank is a low tech/natural planted with some neon tetra and a gourami. I have been doing hours of research on this type of tank so I will know exactly what I am doing (I will still have questions later on though). To get myself started, I painted the back of the tank black. This is the best looking and cheapest background IMO. I also bought two bags of play sand for the substrate. This weekend, I took on the challenge of building my own stand. The pre-made stands were just to expensive. The stand came out nicely to my suprise and I will be finishing it up tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I cannot wait to get to know everyone and share my little adventure with you. I will be posting pictures and keeping everyone updated on my tank in this thread.
 
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#71 ·
Thanks Jbro, I never thought of it like that. I have very exciting news!!!! my cycle is complete and my tank is ready for fish. I am going to wait a couple more days to make sure I don't get any more spikes, but I am hoping to have fish in my tank by tuesday. My parameters are as follows:

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 6ppm

pH: 6.5

Well after testing my pH, I realized that something must be wrong here. My pH used to be 7.5 and now it says its 6.5. I doubt that the extra peice of driftwood I added last week changed the pH that much. I did my tests about 5 minutes after dosing the flourish comprehensive. Does anyone think that this effected my results? If not, then I am very happy to see that my pH is at 6.5 as this will suit my lemon tetra better. I am gonna test again tonight to see if I get the same results. I am crossing my fingers that everything really is what it says it is.
 
#72 ·
What is your tap water (source water) hardness, both GH and KH?
 
#73 ·
Well im not really sure. When I called our water company they didn't know what gh and kh were. I checked their website and there isn't really anything on the water parameters. I guess I will have to buy the gh and kh test kit at the LFS. Hopefully it isn't to expensive. I came to the conclusion that my pH lowered because of a few things: I removed the rocks from my tank, added a second piece of driftwood, and/or my water is soft.
 
#75 ·
I just filled up a cup of water so I'll get back to that one in 24 hours and let you know. I have done every test about 10 times throughout the day and they always have the exact same results. I have tested water from every area of the tank and everything. I guess my pH really is that low. Maybe I messed up the pH test the last couple times I tested my water before today?
 
#76 ·
My water company does not test the gh and kh or that's what they told me, but they did have a total hardness number. Some local fish stores can/will test for gh/kh you may want to call around.

When was the last time you have tested your ph? Did you see this drop in a day or a few weeks? As long as it is stable I wouldn't worry, but you need to make sure.
 
#77 ·
Yes, before spending money for a hardness kit that you will likely only use the once, try the fish store. I would suspect fairly soft water, with low KH (Alkalinity) which will allow the pH to acidify. Wood as someone mentioned will do the same but not usually that much.

Soft water fish will be fine at pH 6.5 so I wouldn't worry. At the next water change, check the tank pH prior to and then about an hour after to see how much it changes. A few decimal points is fine, but you don't want it going from 6.5 to 7.5, and if that occurs then changing less volume is the answer.
 
#78 ·
Thanks guys! I will check with my LFS and see if they can test my water. I am pretty sure I have soft water because a lot of people with hard water said they are always dealing with water spots. I have not had that problem with my glass hood and I know it gets wet from the bubbles from the sponge filter. Hopefully my LFS can test it and then I can pass along the info. I have another question, when I go to pick up my fish on sunday, how many should I get. I was planning on getting a total of 7 lemon tetra and possibly a whiptale catfish. I know you are suppose to only get a few, but Lemon Tetra are schooling fish and I am afraid they would get stressed if I only got 3 or 4 this week. It is also a bit of a drive to get there, so the fewer the trips the better.
 
#79 ·
Yes, get them all at once, the tetra and the whiptail. There are live plants (?) so there will not be an issue.
 
#80 ·
I went and got my fish and plants today. The lemon tetra are floating right now and the italian val are planted. I know the italian val doesn't fit my biotope, but Trilby tropicals was out of corkscrew val and I liked the look of the italian. I will have some pictures and a video up in about an hour once the fish are officially in the tank.
 
#81 ·
Here is the video of my tanks new inhabitants. The lemon tetra are doing great, but they are all crowding in one corner of the tank right now and seem to be staring at their own reflection. Hopefully this is normal for new fish. I was unable to get the catfish because Trilby didn't have anything except for common plecos. I have also included a picture of a tank at Trilby Tropicals that I am trying to create with my own aquarium. Thanks for following along and feel free to ask me anything about the tank. Advice is welcome too.

 

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#82 ·
Those are very nice looking Lemons for being newly-acquired.
 
#83 ·
The Tetras have been in the tank for more than 24 hours and everyone seems to be doing great. They are starting to explore the tank and they are eating the pellets. I am floating the fake plants that came with my tank to help dim the light until the vals grow and cover the surface. The fish seem to appreciate this. One fish seems really fat, almost like it is bloated. I am pretty sure it is a female, so maybe it is pregnent. She is swimming around with everyone else and eating so I don't see it being a problem right now.
 
#84 ·
I felt like the play sand in my tank was to bright, so I added a layer of pavers sand to my substrate today. It is more of a gray color and looks more natural to me. I could see the tank get dimmer right away and I will post a picture once the cloudyness goes away. The lemon tetra already seem more active than before. During the day they would stay near one corner of the tank until the moon lights came on. Then they would all go out on their own and looked more relaxed. They look a lot more relaxed during the day with the new substrate. My next step will be to get a group of ember tetra and a few small chunks of driftwood to create the caves in the left rear corner of the tank. That won't be for a couple of weeks though. I want the lemons to get settled in.
 
#85 ·
new substrate layer
 

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#86 ·
I woke up this morning to quite the scare. Two of my lemon tetras were wedged in between the sponge of the sponge filter and the glass. I thought for sure they were dead, so I grabbed my net and moved the sponge. To my surprise they both swam out as if nothing had happened, which was a huge relief. I went to class and when I came back, another tetra was wedged the same way the first two were. This one also swam out once I moved the sponge. All of the fish are fine and swimming around like they usually do. I tested my water to make sure everything is fine and I have 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, and 10 nitrates. The pH hasn't changed from 6.8 and the temperature is still 77 degrees. I just finished feeding them and all of them aggressivly ate the food like they usually do. Not sure why they wedged themselves the way they did, but I am praying that it doesn't happen again while I am away at work for the rest of the day.
 
#87 ·
can you move the sponge a little? make it so they can't get stuck?
 
#88 ·
Agree. This sometimes hapens. Fish do like to explore; I have had them get pulled into surface skimmers and not being able to back out they get trapped. Inctrease the space between the sponge and the tank walls so they can swim through it.
 
#89 ·
Thanks guys. I moved the sponge a little to hopefully prevent this again. The fish are very curious right now, checking every square inch of the tank out. I guess that means checking out behind the filter too :lol:.
 
#90 ·
Everything looks lovely! I love the tank that you're trying to emulate, and I think you're doing a great job.

I just wonder... I know you said your pH was unchanged at 6.8, but did you test the paver sand to see if it reacted with an acid? The paver sand I tried fizzed in vinegar, and so was unsuitable for my S.A. set up. And if it didn't react, what brand and type was it? If its neutral, I want to get some of the same kind. Just curious, and thank you!
 
#91 ·
Everything looks lovely! I love the tank that you're trying to emulate, and I think you're doing a great job.

I just wonder... I know you said your pH was unchanged at 6.8, but did you test the paver sand to see if it reacted with an acid? The paver sand I tried fizzed in vinegar, and so was unsuitable for my S.A. set up. And if it didn't react, what brand and type was it? If its neutral, I want to get some of the same kind. Just curious, and thank you!
You probably saved my fish! I completely forgot to test the paver sand before putting it in my tank. I just tested a little bit of it after reading your post and it fizzed! I guess I will be removing it on Sunday during my weekly maintaince. I am really disappointed because I love the look of the paver sand and it hasn't changed my pH the past couple of days that it has been in the tank. I am assuming it takes a while though. My search for a darker sand continues.
 
#92 ·
I totally feel ya, man. My heart sank when mine fizzed. At least you didn't wash 75 pounds of it first, like I did! D'oh! :lol:
On an positive note, play sand has really grown on me. I use leaf litter on mine, and the tetras seem pretty comfortable with it, and the cories are thrilled. I think the floating plants help a lot, too. It seems to me that a lighter substrate is better tolerated if the light is dimmed sufficiently with floaters. Just my experience for a couple months into this tank. And, again, sorry about the paver sand. But good luck on your 20g journey!
 
#93 ·
Calcareous substrates (like this paver sand) sometimes take a few days or even a couple weeks to "get going" but once they do, up goes the hardness and pH. Remove it sooner rather than later.

Playsand like the Quickrete brand from Home Depot or Lowe's is inert. I have it in 3 tanks now, and am planning a fourth.
 
#94 ·
Thanks for the help guys. They layer of paver sand will be coming out tomorrow. I really don't like how bright play sand is, but minaminamina gave me a really great idea, thanks mina. I am going to use oak leaves and put them at the bottom of the tank and cover up the substrate. It turns out that this actually mimics the natural environment of the ember tetra that I am going to be getting, so it all worked out perfectly. My hunt for oak leaves now begins.
 
#95 ·
I'm so glad!

P.S. I use two different kinds of Oak and I use Beech leaves, too. I like the variety of the different leaf shapes, makes it look more natural to me. I've heard Maple can be used, but haven't tried it. Maybe you know already, but just make sure they're completely brown, chemical free, and very dried out. Then I boil mine, and that also helps them sink. I bet your future whiptail will love it!
 
#96 ·
I'm so glad!

P.S. I use two different kinds of Oak and I use Beech leaves, too. I like the variety of the different leaf shapes, makes it look more natural to me. I've heard Maple can be used, but haven't tried it. Maybe you know already, but just make sure they're completely brown, chemical free, and very dried out. Then I boil mine, and that also helps them sink. I bet your future whiptail will love it!
Since it is fall and all of the leaves are brown and on the ground, I figured this would be the best time to collect them. I plan to get a huge bag full of them so that I will have a nice supply until next fall. I read that you are suppose to replace the leaves every 2-3 weeks to prevent them from rotting so that is the reason for collecting so many. I will definitly be sure to boil them to kill any parasites. Do you have any pictures of your tank with the leaves in them? I would love to see it.
 
#97 ·
My hard drive was recently replaced and I don't have many apps installed. I'm been meaning to get pix up, so I'm trying to get it figured out. This is one of the very few times I wish I had an iphone.

I've heard, though I'm not sure how reliable this is, that one could use leaves from any type of hardwood tree. If you use anything besides oak, indian almond, or beech, you'll have to post and let us know about it!

BTW, hello from a fellow Ohioan!
 
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