So my girlfriend and I are about to move (hooray!) and I am planning on installing a much larger tank. Space is not unlimited though so I'm thinking a 20 gallon should work out best.
Obviously I won't know what the tapwater is like until I move, but I will still have access to the water where we are currently living, which is darn near perfect being minimally processed spring water (chlorine is present due to state mandates but is usually very minimal).
My dilemma is what to do! There are so many choices, and I'm currently like a kid in a candy store
Things I am set on:
1. Planted. I love the look of natural plants and they allow me to skip the cycling process, so plants are going to be required. But what kind? In my dearly departed betta's tank I have a java fern and as it is still thriving I will probably transfer it to the new tank, but beyond that I have no idea. Maybe some betta bulbs?
2. Schools of smaller fish. I'd prefer to have a bunch of smaller fish rather than one or two larger fish. But at the moment I have no idea what kind of fish to get, everytime I see another kind of fish I go "Oh I want that one!" :-D
I do like a lot of the tetras and platys I'v seen, as well as a number of the catfish I've seen if that helps.
Anyone have some suggestions? I'd prefer fish that don't require constant observation, so aggressive species are out. I work full time so I'm usually only home at night and on the weekends (another reason for the 20 gallon, less maintenance for me).
Also how does everyone handle water changes and maintenance in a larger tank? With my betta it was easy enough to just scoop him out and put him in a cup of water while I did the water changes, but scooping out a school of fish seems like a much more daunting task, not to mention the fact that you can't just put them into a cup of water.
Also this will be my first large tank, any other things I should be aware of?
Obviously I won't know what the tapwater is like until I move, but I will still have access to the water where we are currently living, which is darn near perfect being minimally processed spring water (chlorine is present due to state mandates but is usually very minimal).
My dilemma is what to do! There are so many choices, and I'm currently like a kid in a candy store
Things I am set on:
1. Planted. I love the look of natural plants and they allow me to skip the cycling process, so plants are going to be required. But what kind? In my dearly departed betta's tank I have a java fern and as it is still thriving I will probably transfer it to the new tank, but beyond that I have no idea. Maybe some betta bulbs?
2. Schools of smaller fish. I'd prefer to have a bunch of smaller fish rather than one or two larger fish. But at the moment I have no idea what kind of fish to get, everytime I see another kind of fish I go "Oh I want that one!" :-D
I do like a lot of the tetras and platys I'v seen, as well as a number of the catfish I've seen if that helps.
Anyone have some suggestions? I'd prefer fish that don't require constant observation, so aggressive species are out. I work full time so I'm usually only home at night and on the weekends (another reason for the 20 gallon, less maintenance for me).
Also how does everyone handle water changes and maintenance in a larger tank? With my betta it was easy enough to just scoop him out and put him in a cup of water while I did the water changes, but scooping out a school of fish seems like a much more daunting task, not to mention the fact that you can't just put them into a cup of water.
Also this will be my first large tank, any other things I should be aware of?