20g fishes

[sourapple]

Re: 20g fishes

yay finally got power, and i was wondering if i could mix the dwarves and the shellies cause both kinds seem pretty cool

[Fire_chair]

Re: 20g fishes

No. The water parameters for both are too different for either to thrive. I'm not saying it can't, or hasn't been done, but it's not something I would ever try. Best to pick one, shellies, and add fish with similar water needs.

[sourapple]

Re: 20g fishes

hmm ok so would shellies be easier or would the dwarves to start off with since i dont have much experience raising fish.

[mizu-chan]

Re: 20g fishes

Already planning it all out are we?
Call me, and we can clean it out/set it up together. BTW, just got power!!!

[lachupacabra]

Re: 20g fishes

dwarves like GBR aren't recomended for beginners, although when i got mine i was a beginner and it's still alive and doing pretty well. Research is key.

[Fire_chair]

Re: 20g fishes

Houston area water is normally just about perfect for Africans, PH wise. My water here, out of the tap, has a PH of 8.1-8.4 which is perfect for Africans. The dwarfs need a much lower PH, 5-6ish, so the Africans are almost plug and play. I think that the shellies would be much easier to start out with.

[Zulaab]

Re: 20g fishes

Sourapple,

Here is the decision you should make:

Planted tank ?  Not Planted.

If Planted then go with dwarf cichlids like Apistogramma agassizii,  an apistogramma variant,  or get the Mikrogeophagus ramirezi.. All good choices for a planted 20g tank.
Use a base of potting soil (check with walmart / lowes) make sure that it is pure and no chemicals in it at all.   Layer it on the bottom 2" and then add a 1-2" fine pea gravel on top -- and then plant all your plants in.

Not planted.   Get yourself some Leslie's pool filter sand for your substrate, a bunch of shells (like 20+)
Then layer a good 2-3" sandy bottom using the pool filter sand.  -- put your shells into the sand (dont burrow them as the fish like to do that for you)
Then get one of the following species : Neolamprologus Multifasciatus, Lamprologus Ocellatus, Neolamprologus Similis, Lamprologus Speciosus, Lamprologus Meleagris/Stappersi
Some of the shellies are slow growers so I am going forwarn you it might be a year before you see anything interesting happening with them :)

good luck :)

[sourapple]

Re: 20g fishes

hmm kk thx, ill probably go with the shellies. but also, are there any other kinds of cichlids that can be mixed with them?

[armthehomeless]

Re: 20g fishes

:? I can't think of many cichlids that could be added to a 20H aquarium, sorry. You could add something like White Clouds or some other rasbora or tetra that stays near the top of the tank.