[PhilipPhish]

So I want to start a new 15 or 20 gallon tank this summer, strictly freshwater.
But I want something exotic looking. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as stocking?

Thank you!
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[mikey1]

most "exotic" fish that i know of require a much bigger tank than that

 

[PhilipPhish]

Ok, what about just "normal" fish?
I want something colorful, lots of movement.
I'd also like to do a planted tank. Any suggestions for good beginner plants?
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[thekoimaiden]

Exotic differs from person to person. Also most exotic fish are difficult to care for. Gotta learn to walk before you can run. ;-)

It sounds like you are looking for a barb tank. They are active and come in lots of colors. Cherry barbs are my favorite. If you get a 20 (which is certainly best) you could do 10 or so in there. Harlequin rasbora are another good choice for color and movement. Substrate fish of corydoras or a bristlenose pleco if you want.

As for hardy beginner plants, you'll want low-light plants like anubias, java fern, java moss, and swords. Smaller varieties of swords like the dwarf chain sword will be better than the massive amazon swords; something like that will outgrow your tank. These can all be grown with the same hood that your tank will come with.

 

[PhilipPhish]

I heard cory cats eat live plants... that's why my 30 gallon isn't planted because I have 8 cories in it.
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[thekoimaiden]

I heard cory cats eat live plants... that's why my 30 gallon isn't planted because I have 8 cories in it.
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Uh what? No they most certainly do not. Corydoras are omnivorous. At most you'll see them nibble on the leaves to get the algae and aufwuchs off the leaves. Cories would much rather have a meal of bloodworms than your plants.

 

[PhilipPhish]

I see! So for a 30 gallon tall, I could plant it with the same kinds you listed for a 15/20 gallon?
I feed my female bettas (and what ever guppy/platy decides to come eat) freeze dried bloodworms.... is there a kind that sinks to the bottom for the cory's?
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[thekoimaiden]

Oh certainly! I have those plants that I listed in my 29 with no issues. They are very hardy and easily take low-light. There are other low-light plants, but they aren't nearly as hardy. Those are great beginner plants.

The frozen kinds sink very well. I generally defrost a cube in aquarium water and then pour that into the tank. Everyone goes nuts for them, doesn't matter in which tank!

 

[PhilipPhish]

I'll definitely look into bloodworms for the cories!

So for this 15/20 gallon, could I do a center piece fish, perhaps a gourami? I like the idea of maybe doing cardinal/neon tetras, I've always thought those looked very interesting in a planted tank. And either albino and peppered cories, or albino and emerald cories for the bottom.
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[thekoimaiden]

I'd certainly get a 20 with that stock, but it sounds like a great idea. I have honey gourami and cardinal tetra in my 29 and they work together just fine. Go for about 10 cardinals.

Albino cories get a bit large, so try for one of the smaller species of cories. A 20 may be large compared to betta tanks, but it's still not that large in the scheme of things.

 

[PhilipPhish]

So what kinds of dwarf/smaller cories would you recommend? And also dwarf/small gourami?
In a planted tank, do I need a filter?
I'll try to find a 20 gallon, but I'll be garage sale-ing for these new tanks.
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[thekoimaiden]

Salt and pepper cories are my favorite. There are also dwarf cories and pygmy cories. Spotfin cories get a bit bigger but would still work in a 20. All of these little guys are rather sensitive. Wait a few months after the tank has been established to add them and make sure they are in shoals of 10 or more.

For a small tank a single honey gourami would be best. Dwarf gourami are prettier, but they also come with more issues. They can be more aggressive as well are prone to the dwarf gourami iridovirus, a wasting disease that is untreatable.

You will still need a filter in a planted tank. In non-planted tanks filters remove ammonia, particle waste, and provide water flow. In a planted tank most of the ammonia is taken care of by the plants, but you still need something to move water throughout the tank to prevent dead spots as well as remove large particle waste from the water column.

You might also find some larger tanks! Or neat bowls or things like that. Good luck! I hope you can find what you want! :-D

 

[PhilipPhish]

I have peppered cories in my 30G, both long and short finned varieties. I love peppered cats, I'll definitely get some of those. A Honey Gourami would be great, I'll have to make sure my lfs and local Petco have some.
I'm very excited about these projects! I don't want to get very big in tank size, since these will be in my basement bedroom.
So you don't have to like gravel vac planted tanks do you? I'm thinking of redoing the 30G with live plants, drift wood, and new substrate.
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[jentralala]

Try sand as a substrate, it's much easier to clean. All you do is siphon off the gunk that lays on the surface, and you don't have to worry about mulm/uneaten food getting trapped in the gravel. A lot of plants will also appreciate sand As will corydoras.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Yes! Sand is so much better than gravel! It doesn't trap all of the gunk like gravel does. I would totally recommend doing a sand-bottom!

As for bedroom tanks I ... lol I have a 55 in my bedroom as well as my 29 and two 10's. The only thing that stopping me from adding more is space! But who needs a bed! XD

 

[jentralala]

Haha, I agree with koi. I have a 20 gallon and a 35 gallon in my bedroom, and I'm looking at getting a ten and setting up my 65 gallon soon. Beds and furniture are over rated anyways. It's totally hipster to sleep on floor.

 

[PhilipPhish]

Doesn't sand clog up your filter and make toxic bubbles when you first put it in?

I would love to add a larger tank to my room, but its more of a money and space thing than anything else. I'd like to redo my 30G with sand, plants, and driftwood, as well as make a divided and planted 10 gallon for my 2 male bettas.
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[jentralala]

What type of filter do you have? If you shut down the filter for a few hours during and after you put the sand in you shouldn't have a problem. Just wait until it settles before you turn the filter on again. It may also help you to get a sponge prefilter to put over your intake. I just have a block of foam over my intake and it works great at keeping debris out of both my canister and HOB.

Sand will not make toxic bubbles I think what you may be referring to are the gaseous pockets that can form in deep sand beds (deeper than like 3 to 4 inches), but to be honest that's still a debated on topic.

I just wait and lurk craigslist and yardsales for good deals. I got a 65 gallon for $20 at a community yardsale once, it was filthy and needed a bit of TLC, but hey, it holds water

 

[PhilipPhish]

I see. My filter is very old, my lfs doesn't even carry filter pad thingies for it and I have no idea what kind it is. I should probably go buy a new one sometime.
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[Adamson]

I would do Apisto's with some Cardinal Tetra dither fish!