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I currently have a 20 gallon aquarium with 3 peppered cories.
What other fish could I add? I really like anything but gournomis and most chilids. I would like a school of small tetras (8/9) like cardinals and neons.
I would also like to have live plants in this tank. What are some plants that do fine in low light (I have a 15w florecent bulb), no CO2 and regular gravel? I don't want these plants to be too high mantinence or take over the tank.

~Morgan


~Morgan~

First, plants.

Java Moss and Java Ferns growing on bogwood are ideal. Two practically indestructible plants that will turn your aquarium into a nice, lush underwater rainforest with relatively little effort. However, these plants should be attached to bogwood for best effect - you CAN grow Java Ferns on the substrate, but they fare MUCH better on a piece of bogwood. Plus, a carefully chosen piece of bogwood will not only provide anchorage for the Java Moss and Java Ferns, it'll provide a nice hangout for the Corys too.

Here's a shot of my Panda Fun Palace which has more than its fair share of bogwood decorations.

Oh, the big tall green thing in the middle is an Amazon Sword - Echinodorus bleheri. In my aquarium it grows like stink. It's produced a daughter plant that ended up a foot tall with 60+ leaves on it. Makes a nice centrepiece (as seen in the photo I just linked) but it does need some taming now and again.

Next, fishes.

First, I'd boost your group of Peppered Corys to 6. They'll be happier like that. Next, for a shoaling fish, I'd run with Cardinals, Lemon Tetras, Black Phantoms, Head & Tail Lights, indeed most of the regular Tetras on sale. However, there are some fishes I would AVOID here - Serpae Tetras and Red Eye Tetras being two classic examples because they can be nippy and unpleasantly antisocial toward some other fishes. Penguin Fishes (also known as Hockey Stick Tetras) should be given something of a wide berth too as these can be a tad nippy according to some who've kept them.

If Characins aren't appealing to you, then you could go with White Clouds, Harlequin Rasboras, or a range of other small shoaling Cyprinids. If you can find it, Rasbora borapetensis is a lovely fish to track down, or if you want something a little unusual but easier to find, how about Rasbora dorsiocellata, the Eyespot Rasbora?

Something else that's different you could go for (again if you can find one of these somewhere) is one of the Lamp Eye Killies - Poropanchax species. They're nice and small, like the same kind of water as your Corys, and make a spectacle in a planted aquarium. Take a look at this Fishbase entry for one of them]http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=2462&genusname=Aplocheilichthys&speciesname=normani[/link] and then take a look at [link=this photo. Different aren't they?

Basically, with small shoaling fishes, the world is your oyster, so long as someone out there stocks them. You just have to be prepared to go exploring for the more unusual ones - hunt down specialist Characin and Killifish societies and see if anyone within easy reach is breeding something out of the ordinary that will live in your 20. Worth the effort, believe me.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I'd agree to increase the cory school first. They really like company. Most any small schooling fish would work. Out of the somewhat smaller tetras I prefer black neons. They are a bit bigger and easier to see from across the room than neons or cardinals and can be quite colorful in a planted tank. It would be better to ask specifically about the species you like and can find at local stores since most out there will work.

Amazon swords will take over your tank without maintenance. Mine claimed 1/4th of a 55g within a year before I got rid of it and planted the baby plants in my 90g. Anubias, java fern, and java moss would be no maintenance low light plants that grow on driftwood and decorations. Most crypts are also a good choice. Wendtii is usually easy to find and comes in a few different shades of green to reddish brown. Crinums(water onions) are also a possibility but may prefer slightly more light.

Okay I will increase the cories to 6 and I think I will go with 9 Harlequin Rasboras. What other larger fish could I add?

I remembered that I had bought some aquatic plant fertilizer a while ago, it's by Jungle labs. Here is the link:
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=1898&Nav=1&Ntt=fertilizer&PC=fishhome&N=24&sku=976270&familyID=13341&
So with this fertilizer, would it inrease my choices?
I don't think I like the Java moss or Java ferns though. The amazon sword look nice...

~Morgan


~Morgan~

There are some smaller swords available but most would prefer 1.5-2wpg. Usually it's recommended to have at least 1wpg or 20w for your 20g before you try to grow plants. Otherwise your choices are extremely limited. Java fern is probably the only absolute gurantee to grow. Anubias would probably be 2nd. Java moss is suppose to grow in any condition but mine always dies so I can't comment on it in detail. I've grown crinums in 1wpg so I'd say they have a good chance of surviving and the same with swords. They can sometimes survive in 1wpg but below that it may not survive.

Unless your water is deficient in anything fertilizers won't help. They are mostly used in high light tanks especially with co2 where the plants are using up more nutrients that are provided by the tapwater. Adding fertilizers when they aren't needed may just grow tons of algae.

When I go to Petco this weekend, I am going to get a higher watt light. I'm not sure what other bulbs they have, but I will let you know.

~Morgan


~Morgan~

When you look for a fluorescent tube that will be suitable for plant growth, look for one that is rated with a colour temperature of 6,500 Kelvins or thereabouts. The Arcadia Fresh Water Lamp (which is the one I use) should give good results - it always has with me, my plants grow under it as if they're staging a campaign for world domination!

Here is the main Arcadia website

This is the page for their specialist freshwater fluorescent tube

This should be available outside the UK. Here is the information about their US distributors.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I found these two lights, which one would be the better choice:
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=858250
OR
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=238635

I saw on another post that some one with a 20g had some wisteria, I thought it looked nice, would that do okay in my tank?
Also:
What other large center piece fish could I add to the 6 Peppered Cories and 9 Haliquin Rasboras? I was rethinking the gournomis, could I have a Pearl or a 2 Spot gournomi or 2 dwarf gournomis?

~Morgan


~Morgan~

While both of those are high quality brands they are saltwater bulbs. You don't want 50/50 unless you have a bunch of light to spare since those bulbs are 50% blue light. While blue light is useful it does best with an equal balance of red light. That's why many grow bulbs for nonaquatic plants are purplish colored. There are also some aquarium bulbs that cause your tank to be purplish and will grow plants great but may look a bit odd. You want a sunlight or daylight bulb that says a kelvin rating of around 6500k to 8000k. The glo series bulbs will also work although they have a rating of 18,000k and do tend to have a somewhat purplish or odd color to them. I used some to come on in the morning and evening before and after my main lights because the reddish-purplish color looked like sunset and sunrise.
Also if you haven't realized you generally can't just put a higher watt bulb in your same fixture. The wattage of the bulb is determined by it's length so if your fixture is the exact length of the tank all you can do is add another one to have 2 in order to increase the wattage. All bulbs that fit in your fixture are the same watts.

1 pearl or 1 dwarf gourami would work. It's hit or miss on whether dwarf gouramis get along and mine killed each other in a 55g so I don't suggest 2. A 3 spot or blue gourami is a bit large for a 20g in my opinion. Pecan isn't out right now or I'd get a pic of him. He's a 5year old blue gourami that rules my 55g and I can't imagine cramming him into a 20g tank. I'd say minimum 29g for a 3 spot to be happy.

Thanks sham, I found the "Glo" brand lights, but there are so many to choose from! Which one should I go with? I was leaning twards "Aqua-Glo" but then again, I am no expert.
Would the new lighting increase my plant choices, or am I stuck with the "Javas"?
Well, at least I have got my stocking plan down:
1 Pearl Gourami
9 Harlies
6 Peppered Cories
BTW: on the profiles page, it says that 3 spot gouramis and pearl gouramis reach the same legnth. Is this info wrong?

Thanks so much for all your help!
~Morgan


~Morgan~

If the "Aqua Glo" tubes you hav encountered are identical to the ones we have in the UK (made by Hagen), I would give them a miss. Because they have FAR too high a colour temperature - I bought one thinking it would do the job, then discovered the hard way that 18,000K is WAY too high a colour temperature for a freshwater aquarium!

The Arcadia tubes I linked to above are MUCH better options for your aquarium - they have a proper 6,500 K output, and have a better spectral balance than the Aqua Glo tubes.

Plus, I did link to the US distributors for those tubes, and your local Petco should be able to get them for you without any major hassle, given that Petco is a big corporation ...

Ask for the Arcadia Fresh Water Lamp by name next time you go to Petco, and if they fob you off with an excuse for not supplying them (in other words, they can't be bothered pleasing you, the customer, or they're getting big commissions on rival brands regardless of whether they're up to the job) then walk out and find someone that WILL supply you the requisite kit. I've used this tube now for 10 years without any trouble - it's provided me with plant growth that is the envy of many. Not only that, when I switched from an Aqua-Glo tube in the Panda Nursery to an Arcadia, my blanket weed problem (which had always been troublesome in that aquarium) suddenly packed up and disappeared, because the light balance was correct for the higher plants instead of the dratted blanket weed.





Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I had no trouble growing plants under aquaglos and other glo lights. The kelvin rating does not seem an accurate way to measure the effectiveness of these lights. Generally lights around 10,000k and above are very blue but these lights are purple to red. The actual breakdown of light on the spectrum, which all glo bulbs provide on the package, actually looks quite good for plants. The reason I would not suggest them to everyone or every setup is because they are very red to purple making an odd looking tank and not really bringing out the colors in fish. Aquaglos are the most reddish ones of the glo series bulbs. Now if you are only interested in having a very thickly planted somewhat different looking tank and aren't so interested in really bringing out the colors of the fish glo bulbs work great. For most normal uses though a sunlight or daylight bulb around 6500-6700k is better. 8000k works but can be slightly greenish from the higher amount of blue. That's why I only used the aquaglos before and after my main lights so the tank only looked red for an hour in the morning and evening creating a very interesting sunrise and sunset effect that the fish seemed to benefit from. Spawning rates were much higher in that tank and I had more applesnails than I knew what to do with.

You both presented your case so well, I don't know which to choose! I think I will get the Arcadia if they aready have them there and if they don't, I will get the "Glo" brand. If they are both there, then *ovbiously* I will go for the cheaper one. SO, now that that is settled...
Yet again I have changed my mind, I think my stocking list will go as this:
1 Dwarf Gourami
3 Platies (1M 2F)
8 Harlies (or maybe neons, I still haven't decided)
6 Peppered Cories
Will this stocking be okay?
I should be going to Petco tomorrow, so I will let you know then which lightbulb I have bought.

~Morgan


~Morgan~

That stock would be fine if you get all male platies. 1 female and you could overstock that tank with 1 batch of fry.

Like I said if you don't mind a red tank the aquaglos will grow plants fine(sunglos are slightly less red) but if you want pure white light that brings out the fish colors it's better to get the arcadia bulbs. Although I haven't heard of that brand. Coralife is more common here and would be equivalent to the arcadia bulbs provided you get the ones that say 6500-6700k, sunlight, or full spectrum on the side. Just stay away from the 50/50 bulbs unless you have a highlight tank and don't need the extra light.

Are you sure you've got the same Aqua-glo I have???

Mine doesn't produce a reddish light at all ... it's a stark bleached white with a hint of blue ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Well it's far too bright in the room to get a good pic and you get to see my boyfriend's reflection but here is my 55 with two 40w aquaglos:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/P1010035.jpg
With two 65w 6700k bulbs and two 65w 10,000k bulbs:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/P1010037.jpg
Aquaglos in the light fixture:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/P1010034.jpg
spectrum printed on the box:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/P1010040.jpg Mostly spikes in the yellow/red and green/blue sprectrum.
90g with aquaglos used for sunrise and sunset:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/90g/P1010013.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/fish/90g/P1010010.jpg

Note- I do not have time to screen these for size which is why I didn't post them directly. Sometimes they occasionally come out large but most should be under 100k averaging 50k in size.

No problem, I'm on broadband.

Still puzzling though ... the packaging you've photographed is very similar to mine, and has the EXACT SAME spectrum diagram on the side. Yet your tubes are noticeably magenta in hue. Strange.

What I shall have to do sometime, is remove the Arcadia tube temporarily from the Panda Fun Palace, and insert the Aqua Glo, all documented with the digital camera. So that you can see the difference in appearance between my Aqua Glo and yours.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Alright, I just got my bulb at Petco and the Kelvin rating is 8000k and still 15w. It is quite purple, but I think it looks fine. It is still 15w.

Fish List: check
Bulb: check
Plants: not check

Now, with this new bulb, which plants can I have?

~Morgan


~Morgan~

Hello! Is anyone out there to help me?
I was also going to mention that my 20g is a tall, if that would have anything to do with the plant stocking...
~Morgan


~Morgan~

You didn't increase the watts so your mostly limited to much the same plants. Improving the spectrum increases their chances they might grow but overall it's still best to have at least 1wpg or 20w on a 20g tank to grow plants. You can try the low light plants listed in the plant guide at this site http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php and the ones in the easy life habitat sold at azgardenshttp://www.azgardens.com/habitats_easy.php. But it can't be guranteed they will grow great in so little light. The java fern, java moss, and anubias mentioned are nearly impossible to kill and will often survive weeks to months with no light so are your best bet. Wendtii crypts will also survive although mine didn't really grow in a 29g with only around 1wpg but they didn't die either.