20 Gallons of Uncertainty

[AngelaM]

So I've introduced myself now I'd like to introduce the tank I'm building.

I like 20g longs. They feel like a bigger tank than they are for some reason. They have all that lovely floor space and are short enough to make cheaper lights work better than they would on a standard 20g or 29g.

My last 20g long was a bit of a jungle and while I enjoyed it I was never entirely satisfied with it.  This will be an aquascaped and planted tank with driftwood hardscape. I've always liked the aquascapes with the light coloured sand paths and I hope to reproduce something like that. For now, I'm going to stick to easy low-light, low tech plants like crypts and java fern. Right now I'm trying to go slow and set it up how I want it rather than cut corners so that it can be running as soon as possible...this is hard.

Currently, I have some of the substrates in the tank and I have been playing with the positioning of the filter and heater. I'm not crazy about how the equipment looks in the tank. I actually dislike it to the point where the idea of a sump starts to sound nice. Am I crazy to think for putting a 10-15 gallon sump on a 20 gallon tank? Can one drill a tank this small? How well do HOB u-tube style overflow boxes work?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/shares/t6V8cP

I need to pick up some sort of light coloured sand to finish the substrate off. Then I need to find some driftwood. Is there anywhere particularly good for collecting in the wild or buying in store in the Ottawa area?

Now for the confusion...I know what I want this tank to look like. I know how I want to plant it. Where I'm stuck is on what to put in it. Here are my guidelines:
1) I want to keep the stocking relatively light.
2) I'm not a huge fan of multi-species communities in a tank this small.
3) I prefer things I can breed without going through too many hoops but I'm not wedded to that idea.
4) I'm not crazy about the idea of livebearers (with a couple exceptions) simply because I've kept the standard ones (mollies, swords, guppies, platies) frequently in the past.

Here are some idea that I have:

1) A pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides
2) A pair of Kribensis
3) A school of chili rasboras (Borara briggitae) + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
4) A school of Microdevario kubotai + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
5) A school of CPD + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
6) Four Pea puffers + snails for food
7) Sparkling gouramis
8 ) Some Epiplatys annulatus (clown killies)
9) Heterandria formosa (livebearer exception 1 because I've never kept them before and they look cool)
10) Endler's livebearer (livebearer exception 2 because they are probably my favourite fish)

I would love some thoughts on these possibilities and suggestions of others. I'm pretty much equally fond of all of them. I'm going to fishless cycle this thing so I have tones of time.

Please, comments, ideas, suggestions, feedback are all highly appreciated!

[AngelaM]

I've put this tank on the backburner while I decide what I want to do about filtration and occupants and have set up a 7-gallon rimless cube to grow plants in while I wait. This tank will run with a small air-driven sponge filter and a set of cheap LED lights I got off amazon. I'm quasi-aiming for an island type aquascape. I have Seachem fluorite red clay substrate in the centre and small pea gravel around the edges. I picked out some driftwood I liked for the middle.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/38086579986/in/dateposted-public/

After filling the tank I realized that the driftwood was cured which in hindsight I should have realized and as usual the fluorite substrate had made the water cloudy. I can't seem to solve that problem without rinsing it far more vigorously than I'd like.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/37432254084/in/dateposted-public

I waited until I could see the bottom and planted the crypts and Literola uniflora I had. They were tissue culture ones from a brand I hadn't used before 1-2-Grow. I wasn't impressed. The roots did not look good and they were slimy. I have a feeling I got a bad lot. Then I cut up the narrow leaf java ferns and poked them around the wood and filter.

By this afternoon the water was almost completely clear and things look good. Now to see if those plants survive.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/38146675681/in/dateposted-public/

[charlie]

So I've introduced myself now I'd like to introduce the tank I'm building.

I like 20g longs. They feel like a bigger tank than they are for some reason. They have all that lovely floor space and are short enough to make cheaper lights work better than they would on a standard 20g or 29g.

My last 20g long was a bit of a jungle and while I enjoyed it I was never entirely satisfied with it.  This will be an aquascaped and planted tank with driftwood hardscape. I've always liked the aquascapes with the light coloured sand paths and I hope to reproduce something like that. For now, I'm going to stick to easy low-light, low tech plants like crypts and java fern. Right now I'm trying to go slow and set it up how I want it rather than cut corners so that it can be running as soon as possible...this is hard.

Currently, I have some of the substrates in the tank and I have been playing with the positioning of the filter and heater. I'm not crazy about how the equipment looks in the tank. I actually dislike it to the point where the idea of a sump starts to sound nice. Am I crazy to think for putting a 10-15 gallon sump on a 20 gallon tank? Can one drill a tank this small? How well do HOB u-tube style overflow boxes work?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/shares/t6V8cP

I need to pick up some sort of light coloured sand to finish the substrate off. Then I need to find some driftwood. Is there anywhere particularly good for collecting in the wild or buying in store in the Ottawa area?

Now for the confusion...I know what I want this tank to look like. I know how I want to plant it. Where I'm stuck is on what to put in it. Here are my guidelines:
1) I want to keep the stocking relatively light.
2) I'm not a huge fan of multi-species communities in a tank this small.
3) I prefer things I can breed without going through too many hoops but I'm not wedded to that idea.
4) I'm not crazy about the idea of livebearers (with a couple exceptions) simply because I've kept the standard ones (mollies, swords, guppies, platies) frequently in the past.

Here are some idea that I have:

1) A pair of Apistogramma cacatuoides
2) A pair of Kribensis
3) A school of chili rasboras (Borara briggitae) + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
4) A school of Microdevario kubotai + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
5) A school of CPD + some sort of neocaridina shrimp
6) Four Pea puffers + snails for food
7) Sparkling gouramis
8 ) Some Epiplatys annulatus (clown killies)
9) Heterandria formosa (livebearer exception 1 because I've never kept them before and they look cool)
10) Endler's livebearer (livebearer exception 2 because they are probably my favourite fish)

I would love some thoughts on these possibilities and suggestions of others. I'm pretty much equally fond of all of them. I'm going to fishless cycle this thing so I have tones of time.

Please, comments, ideas, suggestions, feedback are all highly appreciated!

Sorry for the late response to your post on the 20 gallon long, like you i like the dimensions of this tank.
I tend to agree that the current  filter does  take away from the aesthetics of the tank, a hang on the back such as an Aqua Clear would look better and provide better filtration in my opinion, that said i`m a huge fan of canister filters for aquascaped tanks  .
The 20 long screams dwarf cichlids, corries and some tetras or pencil fish  to me 
Regards

[AngelaM]

Sorry for the late response to your post on the 20 gallon long, like you i like the dimensions of this tank.
I tend to agree that the current  filter does  take away from the aesthetics of the tank, a hang on the back such as an Aqua Clear would look better and provide better filtration in my opinion, that said i`m a huge fan of canister filters for aquascaped tanks  .

Do the current aqua clear filters still back syphon dry during power outages? I know some I had years ago did that much to my annoyance.

As to canisters...I had an API filster on my tank in Newfoundland until the seals went and it started sucking air. I liked it though...maybe I'll look into this.

[Mike L]

 Seachem tidal filters will be my next hob. The innovations that have been installed on these filters are game changers. One of many neat design features is self priming. And right now a least they are very affordable. Think big Al's carry them.

[Black_Rose]

Do the current aqua clear filters still back syphon dry during power outages? I know some I had years ago did that much to my annoyance.

Yes, they still can go dry during a power failure.

As Mike mentioned, the Seachem Tidal filters combine the best features of the Aquaclear with the self-priming of the Aqueon Quietflow filters.

I use the Aqueon Quietflow filters on all my tanks that have HOBs. 
I don't use the cartridges in them, instead using course foam and Seachem Matrix.

[Jody]

I like the Tidal filters. Lot of great features to them.
Versatile like the aquaclear,  self priming,  surface skimmer,  2 flow regulators,  cleaning indicator.
They also have a locking media basket,  so you don't have it float up (like the aquaclear can) and cause the filter to leak if you aren't keeping up on the maintenance.
Jody

[AngelaM]

The 20 long screams dwarf cichlids, corries and some tetras or pencil fish  to me 

I'm beginning to agree on the dwarf cichlids from but I prefer rasboras to tetras....don't know why. Had an unfortunate incident with pencilfish and a 48hr winter power outage (gross carnage) and I think that scared me on them.

Now, what goes better in the water around here, apistogramma, rams, or kribensis?

[charlie]

Our water is great for Apistos and 
Rams
I think Big Al's has a variety of both in stock

[Mike L]

 I make no bones about my love for Africans so my 2 cents. I run 4 tanks with low light plants using Aragonite for the last 4 years Val's grow crazy, anubias are anubias. 2 house shellies which to me are more interesting then apistos and rams. I have in the past bred the last 2 and am currently doing shellies. Give it some thought since you are doing low light.

[AngelaM]

I make no bones about my love for Africans so my 2 cents. I run 4 tanks with low light plants using Aragonite for the last 4 years Val's grow crazy, anubias are anubias. 2 house shellies which to me are more interesting then apistos and rams. I have in the past bred the last 2 and am currently doing shellies. Give it some thought since you are doing low light.

Are you raising N. multifaciatus? I have definitely considered shellies but I think I want more flexibility in planting than the water chemistry they require would allow. Plus, don't they have a tendency of reorganizing the landscape to their own whims?

I'm a bit surprised that heavy root feeders, like vals, are growing well in aragonite. Are you using any kind of root fertilizer?

[Mike L]

 Multis are the digger Shellie. Most others are moderate to no digging. And some like caudalpunctatus  and vittatus use the shells for breeding only. You could also keep Julie's. I'll take a picture of the first tank I planted which is the one in my profile pic. That about 4 years ago.

[Mike L]

Just took a pic but can't figure how to post it for some reason. When I figure it out I'll post

[Mike L]

I cant download pics so you can see the vals but they grow like crazy. Water sits at 8.4 with gh and kh in the 12 to 15 range. Very hard water. They are also the only plant that grows in lake Tanganyika which is the biotopes I'm recreating

[AngelaM]

I hadn't realized that that's where they were from...makes sense that they do well!

[Mike L]

Just googled and they are found all over the world. Pretty sure I have been swimming in  various places and seen them.  Shorelines for sure. Maybe the plant experts could comment.

[AngelaM]

I've made some decisions: I'm going to go with some kind of apistogramma. Haven't decided which yet. The Apistogramma borelli looks beautiful but I need to do more research.

Currently, I'm trying my hand at making a styrofoam and cement background. I've never done it before so it might tuner out to be as much of a mess as its making my living room. I think I'll move the whole process somewhere else when the concrete gets involved.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/156688578@N03/37583821884/in/dateposted-public/

[Mike L]

Very cool.   Homemade Backgrounds are something I've recently wanted to try my hand at. Are you using the pebbley white stuff?
Mike

[Jody]

Very cool, I have thought about trying out a homemade background as well. Let us know how it works out.
One thing with it, just make sure it is well sealed, otherwise the concrete will leach and buffer up your pH, which your apistos won't like.

Jody

[AngelaM]

Very cool, I have thought about trying out a homemade background as well. Let us know how it works out.
One thing with it, just make sure it is well sealed, otherwise the concrete will leach and buffer up your pH, which your apistos won't like.

Jody

Good point Jody! I will think about how to seal this thing if it turns out okay. I was looking at the cost of epoxy and its dear so I'm not going to buy any until I know what this thing is going to look like in the end.