Ideas For A 21 Gallon

[KingofthePisces]

ok so i have a 21 gallon hanging around and i want to set it up but i cant think of what to put in it or what plants to put in it but i have decided as sand as my substrate and i just need som help finding the rest
any help would be greatly appreciated
kingofthepisces

 

[2day]

What fish are we talking about?

Livebearers are great, they usually get along with quite a few other types...

You could have a few cories, some guppies/platies/swordtails. With plants, an amazon sword? Lighting specs would help...

Or you could go for the cyclid lool

Or go for a tank full of schooling fish with cories on the bottom...

So many options... But don't over stock the tank...

 

[jkrekord]

Shell dweller cichlids perhaps?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi KingofthePisces

Corys are always a good choice.

 

[KingofthePisces]

ok ive settled my mind on 2 different types of fish:
5 peppered corydoras
2 bn plecos (already got a mated pair )
and for plants ive got:
2 or 3 anubis
2 amazon sword
1 hairgrass
anymore sugestions on plants and fish?
and also i want to stear clear of livebearers because i dont want a million of the bloody things (cause i cant do anything with them

kingofthepisces

 

[shockshockshad]

Hmm, I think it needs some sort of schooling fish. Maybe, 8 of some tetra?

 

[Squidman]

loaches and Gouramis are awsome!!! or German Blue Rams and Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlids are awsome too!!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi KingofthePisces

I like the way you've planned your tank! It's lightly stocked and if you wanted to you might add another school of corys later on.

 

[KingofthePisces]

Hi KingofthePisces

I like the way you've planned your tank! It's lightly stocked and if you wanted to you might add another school of corys later on.

hmm i might go for a couple of tetra i was thinking mabey golden pencilfish but ive herd they are pretty hard to feed but i also want somthing that will definately breed so i think cories and my mated bn plecos are a good choice though i do like your idea of more cories but i want to variate a little so i dot know about more cories

and as for schooling tetras i like very active schooling fish that swimm around alot and dont just sit there and wait for food (because to me that is boring though watching my columbian tetra feed is pretty good)
so i was thinking mabey a larger rasbora or barb mabey? eg: scissor tail rasboras and cherry barbs or a silvertip tetra of sorts like squidman and shockshockshad said, any opinions will be apreciated
kingofthepisces

 

[scouse_andy]

You could go with a couple of cherry barbs, they don't really shoal but males colour up really nicely to a bright red. I have 4 males together in a big tank with no aggression at all. I think if you add females they chase and harrass a lot so a couple of males and then a shoal of something else.

What about a shoal of 8-10 Hengel Rasbora. They are a smaller version of the harlequin and stick together, they have a really bright orange stripe and stay toward the top mainly. I have 10 in my community and they are one of my faves.

 

[KingofthePisces]

i dunno about the hengal rasboras but i was wondering can you keep scissortail rasboras with harlequins ? becauseim thinking of doing that and adding 2 kribensis cichlids is this a good idea? or should i avoid this?
please reply
kingofthepisces

 

[scouse_andy]

No experience with scissortails or kribs. I think the scissortails and hengels would go quite nicely.

I like the look of kribs too but have read quite a few threads from people having major aggression problems when they breed so I've always kept clear. I think a 20 gallon would be the minimum size for a pair of kribs and then you'd have to be careful what else you stocked with them.

 

[KingofthePisces]

reconsidering my kribensis choice and going for bolivian rams or blue rams so far ive chosen:
- harlequin rasboras (5)
- scissortail rasboras (5)
- bolivian or blue rams (2)
- bristlenose pleco (2)
- peppered corydoras (5)
i might change them around abit unsure at the current time.
as for now the certain ones are:
- harlequin rasboras (5)
- bristlenose pleco (2)
- peppered corydoras (5)
please comment on your opinions
kingofthepisces

 

[scouse_andy]

Bolivian rams would be a much better choice than kribs for that tank I would say.

They are hardier than blue rams too I believe, try to pick out a pair at the LFS otherwise you may have some aggression problems - not easy to sex but observing behaviour is the best way. I have two and love them, grow to a nice size too but not too big for your set-up.

I reckon with good filtration and maintenance schedule in an established aquarium you could have your corys, a pair of BN (with plenty of hiding places and some bogwood), harlequins and rams plus something else. Either you could up the number of harlequins and corys to about 8 OR add another shoal of 5-6 tetras or the scissortails you suggested, something for the midlevel of the tank I would suggest, as it may end up looking a bit bare. This is very similar stocking to a 21 gallon I had set up a few months back and worked well.

Hope this helps